There are few words in the English language that inspire more fear than “hips and thighs.” No, wait, perhaps it’s “bare hips and thighs.” Sure with the right kind of camouflage you may feel secure enough to walk around without fear of reprisal, but how likely are you to bare these parts freely and with confidence? Do you really like the way your hips and thighs look? Most of us don’t. According to a recent Fitness Magazine survey only 28% of respondents said they love their legs. And only 26% claimed to be happy with their hips.

Fortunately there is a solution and it doesn’t involve expensive treatments, fancy equipment or surgery: exercise. The right combination of cardio work and strength-training exercises will do the trick. And before you know it, you’ll be looking for opportunities to flaunt your hips and thighs.

Carve out time for cardio

Cardiovascular or aerobic exercise (or cardio work), literally means "with oxygen," and refers to the use of oxygen in muscles’ energy-generating process. Studies have shown the minimum daily requirement of exercise to prevent weight gain, heart disease and improve overall health is 30 minutes most days of the week. You can do it all at once or incorporate short bouts of cardio exercise throughout the day. The best part of cardio work is that it burns calories, which in turn helps to reduce body fat, and therefore accentuates your toned, fit body.


Step aerobics, high-low, Spinning – the typical assortment of group fitness classes offered at most gyms are all great hip/thigh workouts because they focus on using the large muscles of the lower body to get the heart rate going. But let’s be realistic, your life is full of errand-running, commitment-filling, day-to-day responsibilities. Getting to the gym on a daily (or regular) basis is not always feasible. Fortunately getting your cardio work in isn’t that difficult. Some ideas include:

Skating

Indoor or outdoor skating is a great activity for your whole body. Just try putting on a pair of in-line skates and skate around the block (your inner thighs will be loving you!). Or going for a spin at a local skating rink. Who knows, you might even get asked to skate during the “couples all-skate.”

Hiking

Hiking is one of those activities that burns tons of calories because you're typically going up steep mountains and maybe even getting into thin air, which requires lots of energy. Also, walking up an incline automatically gets your glutes more involved and, if you're wearing a backpack, you're really getting a workout. Plus, you get to see nature at its best.

Biking

Riding a bike is great for your heart and it also targets almost every muscle in your hips, thighs and butt. On a stationary bike, alternate 3 minutes at 70-80 RPM with 2 minutes at 100-110 RPM for a calorie-blasting 30-minute workout. If you’re riding outside try to find a path that has diverse terrain – the frequent ups and downs permits your body from getting lazy and just coasting.

Kickboxing

Kickboxing was a hot item back in the day, but it's still a great workout. Controlled kicks work your hips, thighs and butt while complex combinations that include punches will target your abs to make them stronger. And you can just imagine the punching bag is your boss, old boyfriend, or (you fill in the blank) – what a great stress reliever!

Strengthening, firming and toning

For the best results, you need to combine cardio with strength-training work. The double whammy of building muscle and burning fat will turn a ho-hum lower body into a “wow” lower body.

The following strengthening exercises can be done almost anywhere with minimal equipment necessary. Be sure to incorporate one day of rest in-between workouts. It’s also important to remember to breathe while performing these moves, exhaling on the exertion. As you get stronger you can add additional reps and/or use add hand weights for an added challenge. And most importantly, smile, you’re doing something good for your body and your body appreciates it!

Squats

Squats are one of the best exercises you can do for your hips, thighs (and butt). To execute:

• Stand in front of a chair with feet hip-distance apart, abs pulled in and torso straight.
• Bend your knees and slowly lower until your bottom is almost touching the chair, hold for 2-3 seconds. Lower your bottom so that your butt lightly touches the chair then squeeze to stand up.

Repeat for 12-16 reps, 2-3 sets.

Be sure not to put weight into your knees; put it all in your heels. You can imagine using a public restroom and you’re trying to avoid touching anything unsavory.

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