| How to Get Skinnier Legs Feb 8th 2013, 04:00 Do you want your legs to be skinnier? If so, here are some helpful ways to lose leg fat and build skinnier legs. Part One: Easy Exercises You Can Do Anywhere - Walk daily. This is the simplest exercise for skinny legs. Use a step counter. You should try to walk about 10,000 steps each day.
- To make walking seem less tiring, try slipping on some flat shoes or sneakers when you get around. If you keep this up, you'll see results in a month.
- Go running. Running will use more energy and in turn help burn fat. Try to do this at least three times per week.
- When running, choose a route that is particularly flat. Up-hill running builds the quad and calve muscles; they are made for fighting the forces of gravity.
- Use a stationary bike or go biking. Bike riding provide a shockingly high caloric burn of about 500-600 calories an hour, making it one of the best exercise for reducing body fat.
- Do a simple floor exercise. Lay flat on your back with your legs on the floor. Put your arms out beside you on the floor. Bring your knee up to where the highest part of your profile is. Then, with your other leg, kick it as high as it will go. Return it to the floor. Do 60 of these kicks, then switch sides and do 60 more.
- Try leg rolls. Lie on your right side and place your left arm on the floor in front of you for support and balance. With your left leg, raise it at hip level. Pretend your leg is in a barrel and with your toes, lead the rest of your leg to trace the inside of the barrel. Do 60 circles and then switch and do 60 more.
- Try rebounding on a trampoline. Rebounding uses a lot of calories and you have fun at the same time. It also exercises your muscles leading to a more toned appearance.
- Try Pilates. Pilates is an ideal exercise for building lean leg muscles. The stretching and core exercises burn fat in the most hated trouble areas and it is perfect for people who don't want to be on show while exercising. A mat, a DVD (or local class) and a bottle of water is all you need.
Part Two: Exercises For The Gym - Go swimming! Go to a public pool when it's not too crowded. You will have a better chance of doing this if you go in the evening. Do some laps using freestyle motion. Swimming is an excellent way to burn leg fat and build up leg muscle.
- Use a stability ball. While lying on a mat or bed, place the ball in front of you. Place your legs on top of the ball, lift your hips up, and slowly roll the ball in towards your hips. Do this until you can no longer go anymore and make sure your hips don't fall to the floor.
- Use an elliptical trainer without an incline. Using an incline can build calf muscle. Keep the resistance low.
Part Three: Eating A Healthy Diet - Eat more protein. Protein is filling and good for maintaining muscle tone. Make sure to include fish, chicken and turkey in your diet.
- Add daily servings of fruits and vegetables. Fruits and veggies provide you with dietary fiber, which can help reduce the amount of fat that your body stores.
- Drink lots of water. You should be drinking 8-10 glasses per day. Water not only helps flush out accumulated toxins in your body, but also keeps your skin hydrated, smooth and glowing in summer.
- Avoid high-fat and sugary foods. Foods like cookies, ice cream, cake, and chocolate are not only full of empty calories that don't provide you with energy, but will simply store themselves in your legs.
- Avoid overly salty foods. These types of foods prevent your skin from remaining hydrated. Examples include peanuts and popcorn.
Part Four: General Tips - Don't expect to lose the weight from just your legs. The body converts fat into energy when it's exercising or low on food. Unfortunately, the body converts fat from wherever it wants, and not always where you want it to.
- Spot-training, or working one area of your body at a time, has its advantages (toning) and disadvantages (frustration when fat doesn't magically disappear). Don't expect leg exercises to give you suddenly-skinny legs without seeing a reduction in your overall body fat levels.
- Don't starve yourself. A lot of people who want to lose weight make this mistake. Their reasoning: Calories get stored as fat when the body doesn't use them; calories come from food; if I starve myself, I'll get fewer calories; if I get fewer calories, there will be less fat to store. This is a misconception.
- What happens when a person starves him/herself? The body realizes it is getting less food, your metabolism slows down to save energy, and you start consuming lean tissue instead of fat reserves because the body wants to prepare itself for a while without food.[1]
- If you do manage to lose weight by starving yourself (you did it the hard, painful way!) your body will gain all the fat back as soon as you begin eating again, and you should eat again. Why is this? Because your metabolism is still hibernating, and it needs to be kickstarted. How do you kickstart it? By eating the right types of foods in the first place.
- Results will take time. A lot of people with really good intentions and strong discipline quit just before they start to see results. They work like crazy for a month, don't see any results, and throw their hands up in the air in despair. Slow and steady wins the race.
- Use your legs less if you are skinny but your legs are muscled. Most people who want skinny legs are looking to lose fat, but if it's muscle you want to get rid of, your best bet is to avoid exercises that use those muscles. That won't make them go away completely but it might help.
- Accept yourself. Sometimes, it's just genetics. Sometimes, you're just born with it. Whatever exercise, diet, or fad you do won't help because that's the way you were born. Instead of fighting the world and running after a fool's errand, accept who you are and embrace it. It sounds cheesy, but you'll be happier in the end. Anybody who genuinely cares about you won't care one bit.
- Use the stairs instead of elevators. It's a great way to work out a little more and takes none of your free time.
- Don't be afraid to change your exercise from time to time by doing something new. Old routines can get stagnant and your body will fall into an exercise rut. At the same time, don't change your exercise so frequently because you find one difficult.
Edit Warnings - If you overwork yourself, you risk doing permanent injury to your body.
- There is no such thing as "spot reduction," meaning you can't target areas that you want to reduce fat in. However, you can tone and shape up your legs, which ultimately lead to their better appearance.
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