The popular Hip-Hop song went “Baby got Back” only a few years ago, but Americans need no encouragement adding inches below the waistline. There’s something about the lifestyle in the United States, what with driving an hour each way to commute to a job where you sit at a desk for eight hours, that makes the thighs a difficult part of the body to tone. Wide thighs can steal your confidence to wear gowns and dresses, and especially for shorts in the summer.
With what little time we have to exercise and what good exercise can do, don’t expect overnight results. But if you have a choice of activities, these exercises are the most useful for toning the thighs:
1. Walking. Well, that wasn’t so hard, was it? We do it all the time. To motivate yourself to walk more, get a digital music player to listen to while you’re going for walks around your neighborhood. Find the local park trails and a path that isn’t too challenging, but scenic. Choose a time when you have many things on your mind or need to come up with creative ideas, since walking is both good therapy and stimulating to the imagination. Also, you might just pick the first parking space you find and walk the difference, instead of zig-zagging through the lot three times until you find an open space that’s two steps from the door because you don’t have time to walk.
2. Swimming. Swimming is the best exercise for just about anything. Have you ever seen a fat, flabby swimmer? Just about any swimming style is good for burning fat off of the thighs, since they all involve kicking the legs against the water’s resistance. the backstroke is favored. Remember that swimming for exercise is best done in a pool, with lifeguard supervision if possible, and at a pace that you won’t overtax yourself.
3. Skipping. As silly as it may sound, skipping is one of the best exercises to do to tone thighs. After all, you’re not just walking, but twanging those leg muscles with every step. The only downside to skipping is that you simply cannot do it in America without having everybody look at you like you’re an idiot. Best to restrict skipping to your enclosed back yard, or a private path in the park in the early dewy morning hours.
4. Pedaling. Whether riding a bike or using an exercise bike indoors, pedaling is great for burning away that excess fat from the thigh region and is also a healthy workout in the aerobic sense. Just like with walking, you can be motivated with a music player. And an extra good tip is to pick the closest destination to your home that you regularly go to – the corner convenience store, for instance. Every time you go there, bike instead of taking the car. It’s not only great exercise, but it’s cheaper and even better for the environment anyway.
5. Aerobics or dancing. Yes, we’re talking about those big class events with twenty or thirty people lined up in a gym with an instructor and music going. While these may seem like the cheesy cliche, they do work some to slim the thighs, and these classes are usually fun. Getting a friend or partner to go with will make it more likely that you’ll stick with the class instead of dropping out.
Get well and stay well,
Ray Baker.
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