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What happened - did summer arrive earlier this year?  Bathing suit weather is fast approaching, and we're thinking (again) about baring out bodies.  Now, more than any other time of the year, is when people - especially women - spend a lot of time in front of the mirror, checking out their bodies.  The flood of emails about it over the last few weeks is ample evidence of this.  This article, then, is about last week's number one question - how can cellulite be banished?

The many misconceptions and misunderstandings about cellulite surprised me.  For example, I was asked about the efficacy of different creams and lotions.  Shockingly, many even asked it they should stop eating cottage cheese!  And a depressing number asked if their only option was surgery.

Cellulite exposed: What is is and can you get rid of cellulite?

"Cellulite" is the term we use when talking about the excess fat cells stored by the body.  All of us have special connecting tissue that keeps our fat cells in little compartments.  Men's connective tissue for excess fat cells is produced in a crisscross pattern, and women's connective tissue is in a honeycomb-shaped pattern.  It's this honeycomb pattern that makes some women's thighs appear dimply, or their arms to look like cottage cheese.

Although the solution to cellulite is simple and straightforward, it's not necessarily that easy to accomplish.  There's only one way to reduce cellulite, and that's to reduce the overall level of body fat.  Cellulite will not respond to having topical creams or lotions rubbed on it, and there's no way to target any particular part of the body for fat reduction.  Cellulite also will not respond to starvation diets or crash diets. You can deal with cellulite effectively by following these five simple steps:

1) Make your meals smaller but eat more frequently during the day - 5-6 per day is ideal.  Try to separate your meals by about 2-3 hours. At each meal, make sure you have one protein and one carb.  You should eat your first meal soon after waking - an hour is the outside limit.

2) This is critical - you need proper hydration.  Drink a cup of water with each meal.

3) Get your proper rest.  Of course, proper rest means making sure you get 7-8 hours of sleep each and every night, but it means much more.  You must give your muscle groups at least 48 hours of rest between weight training sessions. Finally, proper rest means taking a one- or two-day break from your workouts every week.

4) Change the duration and intensity of your cardio sessions regularly. For instance, every week, have one high intensity/short duration session, one low intensity/long duration, and the rest moderate intensity/medium duration.

5) Attend scrupulously to your strength training, exercising every muscle one to three times every week. This includes weightlifting the proper number of sets and reps for your particular strength training program.

Cellulite can be reduced when these five steps are combined and followed every day. Miracle creams and potions are the stuff of late-night infomercials and internet hucksters.  The good things in life aren't delivered, they're earned the old fashioned way - we work hard for them.  That having been said, it's best for you if you work out smarter, not harder!  Set realistic goals for yourself, based on your unique understanding of your own body and capabilities, and then formulate a workout plan tailored to achieve those goals. Here's a paradox - we're all unique, yet following this set of five guidelines will practically guarantee you'll make your cellulite disappear.