Many of my friends too complain that every calorie that doesn't add to their love handles seems to migrate to their hips and thighs. What can we do? The bodies of premenopausal women tend to store excess fat predominantly in these areas. Apparently fat storage in the hip-thigh region helped cave dwellers especially women survive famine and they could also feed their babies during drought as a body needs an extra 1000 calories during pregnancy and breastfeeding. The same genetics have been passed on through centuries and now we suffer because of it.
Of the two predominant body types – Apple shape (where you tend to gain fat in the abdominal area) and pear shape (where you gain fat in the lower body) – those with pear shaped bodies tend to have an advantage over the apple shaped ones. Research has shown that abdominal fat (not hip and thigh fat) is dangerous to your health.
Whereas abdominal fat makes its way into your bloodstream more easily thus clogging your arteries, the risk of thigh fat doing that is less likely.
Unfortunately, thigh fat is a little harder to burn off than belly fat. I, personally, have had a rough time getting my thighs to shape up. No matter how much I exercised, my thighs seemed to stay huge. At one point, I almost gave up. But then I persevered (still do) and over time as my hips and thighs have started looking better, I don't hate them anymore. For those who have despaired like I have, I'm here to share my success story in getting rid of fat from these problem areas. Believe me, there are simple ways to rid your hips and thighs of all the unnecessary fat. But you'll have to focus and work hard. Nothing worth having comes easy.
While you can cover belly flab with bulky and loose fitting clothes, there's almost no way to hide hip and thigh fat. I hated going swimming because there was no way I could hide my legs and I didn't feel comfortable showing them off. Also, I couldn't wear dresses. I have a few friends and colleagues who are heavy bodied but still wear dresses and carry them well. But I couldn't do that. So I set out to lose weight from my hips and thighs. After six months of rigorous exercise and strict diet regime, I finally feel comfortable in a swimsuit. Now that summer is around the corner, I'm quite excited.
First up for losing fat from hips and thighs is that you have to lose overall weight and then tackle those areas. If you are overweight then you are less likely to start toning up even if you follow an exercise regime that targets those spots. So I recommend that you start working on weight loss before you even think of shaping up your hips and thighs.
Exercising is fun and overtime as you start seeing the effects you'll only be motivated to keep at it. Start with 30 to 60 minutes of cardio daily. You can walk, run, skip, jump, cycle, or do aerobics. Cardiovascular exercise burns calories and speeds up your metabolism thus increasing the number of calories you burn each day and helping you lose fat. Each kilometer you walk, run or jog burns roughly 100 calories.
I also suggest reducing your calorie intake by 500. If you are following a 2000 calorie diet, restrict it to 1500 a day. I followed this and lost around two to three kilos in the first month. After you have been doing cardio exercises and eating well for a while, balance it with some strength training and exercises to target your problem areas.
I started with a 10-minute hips workout developed by Marcus Minier, exercise physiologist at The Gym in New York City. Thanks to the Internet, you can easily google this workout. As recommended I did this three times a week along with five days of cardio and the results started showing in about two months or so. The combination of side-kicks and jumps, hip and leg raises, and squat kicks is just perfect to deal with those pudgy hips.
This week, I'll leave you with this. Start now. Challenge yourself to lose fat from the lower half of your body. And next week I'll share my thigh workout tips and experiences to motivate you. I'm still working on my lower body challenge. It's a never ending process, one that you will enjoy and reap benefits from if you stick with it. I certainly am enjoying every bit of it.
Disclaimer: I am no fitness expert. I'm just someone who has worked hard to lose weight. I have consulted a dietician friend to find out what works for me, and suggest you do the same. I'm only sharing my weight loss experience through The Week and trying to motivate you all to adopt a healthy lifestyle. It's always best to get an experts advice before beginning a diet and workout plan. Stop exercising if you experience pain during the workout. Also never reduce your calorie intake to less than 1000.
If you have any queries regarding my weight loss journey, write to me at sharmaditi374@gmail.com.
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