Ma'am,

You are not going to want to hear (read) this, but there is only so much you can do with cellulite. You can reduce it, but, even if you workout constantly (which, with 4 kids ,is impossible) it will not totally go away( without dangerous and expensive plastic surgery).

However, you can do something about losing fat, losing weight and toning your body that will improve your long term health, strength (which, once again, with 4 kids, you really need), and stamina. The reason I put the bad news first is because, while you need to have a goal, that goal needs to be realistic. If you begin working out thinking "I am going to have a body like Demi Moore" you are bound to be disappointed. Similarly if you make a goal of losing a great deal of weight, or fitting into a particular dress size or pair of jeans, you may be likely to see a missed day of exercise or a Krispy Keme pig-out as complete failure, instead of a minor setback..

I am sure you will have more responses from trainers and nutritionists. I am simply a doctor and someone who likes to be healthy. so here is my advice:

Pick something, some sort of athletic contest sometime in the near future (6-8 weeks). You seem to like running, so pick a short one like a 5k. Then, train for it. You don't have a lot of time for exercise, and I have never seen any form of exercise that efficiently burned fat , increased stamina and cardiovascular health like running.

Plus, once you have run a race, you may begin to consider yourself an athlete. I know I did. Then it stops being "working out" and begins being "training". Seeing yourself that way changes exercise from something you do to yourself into something you do for yourself.

It doesn't have to be running. My wife has the same cellulite issue, and she LOVES spinning. My coworker does power aerobics religiously. Their goals with their training have very little to do with looks (even though both look great) and more to do with being more and more able to push themselves, do more, and keep up with the instructors.

I would also begin doing some abdominal work and upper body weight training to help give you a more balanced figure and strengthen you lower back, abdominal muscles and upper body. Once again, it stops being something you do to give you a flatter belly or look better in a dress and begins to be something that makes you a better athlete.

Plus, the weight loss and muscle tone comes with it. Then you stop looking at the cellulite on your thighs and begin to see then muscle underneath and the strength and stamina that they contain. Plus, it becomes an outward sign of the discipline ans effort all athletes put into their training.

Mom,
I'm no professional, just a 50 year old woman with the same complaints as you. Actually I HAD the same complaint as you. I carried most of my excess weight in my hips and thighs. When I began to lose weight, through good diet and exercise, the fat came off from the top down. My butt and legs were the last to trim, but they FINALLY did. It took a couple of very frustrating years though. Spinning is great for cardio, I've done it for many years, along with distance cycling (100 miles a week at least) but nothing trimmed my legs like adding running to the mix. I started out walking and then began doing a mix of walking and running. There are some great websites that have training programs, one in particular called couch to 5k. Start out walking for x minutes then run for x repeat repeat repeat. Each week the durations change. I ran a 10K, something I NEVER thought I'd do, was smiling when I finished and psyched enough to consider doing a longer event.

Lunges, squats, donkey kicks, and sideways walking with a elastic band are the best exercises IMHO for strenthening and toning. Let me put it in simple terms we woman can appreciate. I used to buy relaxed fit jeans......now I can wear the classic fit.

Definitely find an event to train for!! Training for something is much more motivating and fun than just simply feeling like you're exercising. And be ready to have this be a way of life, not just something you'll do until you get where you want to be. Good luck!

Oh, and in terms of speed, don't even worry about it, you can increase that once you can comfortably do your 5K (3.1 mile) jog straight through. Interval training is the trick for that. Intersperse a short sprint every few minutes when you are doing your jog.