Ladies, we get it. There is always some part of our bodies that we want to change or wish would look different. The first thing you’ll need to come to terms with when you’re wanting to shape up your thighs is that you’re really looking to:
- Lose weight in general
- Build muscle on your thighs
There is what we call “spot reducing” where you target a specific area to lose weight and build muscle. Unfortunately, this isn’t really a thing. Whilst you’re not able to necessarily choose where you lose your fat, you can work to tone areas that you’d like to highlight. By doing so, you’ll also likely lose some weight too, so it’s a win-win situation.
When your body has more muscle, you’re both fitter and stronger. So, you’re then able to do challenging and intense workouts and lose weight faster. You can also lose weight by eating a clean, high-protein diet, which will again support muscle growth. Studies have found that those who stuck to a high-protein diet lost significantly more weight than those on a low-protein diet.
As women, we are at a bit of a disadvantage due to the way our hormones work. Female hormones will cause you to carry most of your weight around your pelvis, butt, and thighs. Whilst this may be great for childbearing, we don’t all want it and it’s not so great for slim thighs.
We’ve got some tricks to help you tone and sculpt your thighs, and don’t worry, some of them are easier than you might think. So, let’s jump in and found out what they are.
Drink, drink, drink
Staying hydrated and drinking water is one of the best ways to lose weight and stay healthy. One particular study has found that drinking 500ml of water, which is about a pint, will increase your metabolism for as much as an hour. Having a glass of water every hour will not only keep your body well hydrated, but you’ll also be increasing your base metabolic rate.
Also Read: 10 healthy food swaps
Another misconception is that when you think you’re hungry, it could also be that you’re dehydrated. So, by remaining hydrated, you’ll decrease your appetite too. Some researchers have found that drinking water before a meal can lead to a significant decrease in calorie consumption. This then means that in addition to burning more calories, you may also feel the need to consume less.
Additionally, water is fundamental to functions in the body and without it, your body isn’t able to provide the energy needed to grow muscles. It’s not just hydration, a healthy, balanced diet is important too.
Get slim while you sleep
If losing weight is one of your body goals, then you’re going to want to make sure you’re getting at least eight hours of sleep a night.
When you’re not getting enough sleep, your stress hormone cortisol is at a higher level. You’ll also have less leptin, which is not helpful and makes us hungry. Both cortisol and leptin love to hold onto fat reserves to give us more energy.
If you find that you’re having trouble getting to sleep, then it’s worth trying to avoid caffeine, refined sugar, and processed carb snacks after 3 pm. This is due to the fact that these foods can disrupt the downtime of your metabolism, creating fluctuations in your blood sugar and insulin. These may cause you to wake up at odd times of the night.
Ankle weights could be a new bestie
Life is busy and when there is no time for the gym, there are ankle weights. These are a really great investment for quick home workouts that obliterate the inner thighs.
By wearing weights, your muscles have to work harder to move the extra load, so you’ll tone your legs and gain strength too. What is not to love?
Also Read: How to get back to exercise
A smashing exercise to do with these is bent-leg raises. Start in a chair with your knees bent and feet on the floor. Next, extend one leg out straight and hold it for 60 seconds, then bend the knee 45 degrees and hold for another 30 seconds. Then, lower your foot back to the floor, change legs and repeat. As you start to gain muscle and get stronger, increase the weight by ½ lb at a time.
However, it is important to note that you shouldn’t use ankle weights for aerobic exercises, as this can put extra stress on your joints.
Get your squat on
So, as we’ve already mentioned, you’re not able to spot-reduce thigh fat. But, the good news is, you can spot-train muscles in order to make them strong and toned. You may have guessed it already, but yes, squats are a great way to do this. Squats are hard work – but they’re easy to do and rewarding. You can do them anywhere, anytime, whilst dinner is cooking or you’re watching your favorite show on Netflix.
It’s recommended that you start with 40 squats a day, three times a week. Then each week, increase this by 20 so that by week four, you’re doing 100 squats. Once you’ve achieved this you can then try a different variation of squat to keep those results coming. Perhaps you could try adding weight, tempo, or doing a wider Sumo-like squat. You’ll start seeing results in no time and this will keep you motivated and inspired.
What is important is to make sure that you learn how to properly do squats. Not following the correct form means that you may not reap the full benefits and could also cause injury. If you really want to feel the burn, you could head down to the gym and try out barbell squats.
Wave goodbye to diets
If you’re someone that has a little extra weight on your thighs, then you’ll learn that the key to losing body fat isn’t in dieting but instead adopting a healthy lifestyle that you can live long-term.
None of us are under the illusion that this is a quick fix, many of those crash diets are destined to fail. Instead, eating a balanced diet of nutritious and colorful foods will have you on your way to losing weight from your thighs (as well as everywhere else) and keep it off.
A high level of salt, too much-refined sugar, and saturated fat are not your friend when your goal is slim thighs. Neither are carb-filled processed foods, studies have shown that these sorts of snacks can lead to weight gain in as little as two weeks.
Go for oranges
According to studies, eating oranges can help you to lose weight from your thighs. The study found that a diet rich in polyphenols, which can be found in citrus fruits, may work with the bacteria in the intestines to boost weight loss. This could be even more effective when paired with a diet low in probiotics.
It’s also hardly a difficult one, oranges are delicious, juicy, and packed with antioxidants and vitamin C. However, if you’re not a fan of oranges, polyphenols can also be found in red wine and dark chocolate.
Get outdoors
It seems that trail walking and running are the new Stairmaster in nature. A great lower body workout is climbing, it’s the perfect workout for your quads, hamstrings, calves, and glutes. However, what is best for your thighs is hiking downhill as this tones your muscles the most.
Also Read: Struggling to lose that extra weight? Here are 15 tips to help you
As you work downhill, your glutes and quads have to work constantly to keep your knees and hips stabilized. These muscles are then resisting the force of gravity against your body weight, meaning toning effects go into overdrive.
Also, with no need for equipment or the gym, it’s free.
Our conclusion
Well, ladies, there you have it. We’ve given you plenty of tips to get started on shaping up your thighs. Just as we said, they aren’t super difficult (well 100 squats might be) but it will all be worth it.
Make sure you wave off those fad diets, as we mentioned already, they set you up to fail with unrealistic targets and expectations. Instead, a challenging workout routine and healthy, balanced diet will have you well on your way to the thighs of your dreams.
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You’ve got this, ladies!
