Categories: Dieting & Weight Loss

How to Slim Your Legs

Tips for slimming your legs always include some kind of running or jumping which can be hard on your joints, especially if you have any kind of arthritis. My legs were bigger than I wanted them to be and I was determined to do something about it, but having arthritis, I wasn’t able to jog or jump rope. Doing a little research, I realized that exercise, when focused on a specific area, can make a tremendous difference.

Diet is also important so I researched healthy eating and focused more on the foods to avoid. I learned that food such as potatoes, carrots, rice, and pasta, turn to sugar. Bread, especially white bread, is to be avoided at all costs. I thought chicken was a good choice, but I learned that dark meat chicken, my favorite, is very high in fat.

It seems like everything I eat goes straight to my legs and thighs. Shorts and slacks didn’t hang on me the way they did on a lot of other women who were basically my size. My calves and thighs were bigger for some reason and for a long time, I believed it was just the way I was built and that I had to live with it. But one day I got fed up with having big legs and set out to do something about it.

My first approach was diet before I did any kind of exercise. I cut out all meat except white turkey, and fish. Then I cut out all breads except 100% whole wheat. No potatoes, carrots, rice or pasta. I learned also that cabbage is a fat burner so I incorporated it into my diet. I eliminated all sugary drinks and substituted with green tea, cranberry juice and lots of water.

Once I established a healthy diet, I began an exercise plan, focusing on leg muscles. I must admit that I started my exercise too rigorously. The next day, I could barely walk and had to wait a few days before I could start exercising again. So a word of caution. Start off slow and increase gradually.

Walking is a good allover exercise and is especially good for the legs. So every morning I went for a brisk walk. If you’re a little out of shape, you may want to walk evenly and increase your pace each day. My first day I walked way too much and way too fast. About thirty minutes at a regular pace is a good start.

Later, I would do leg lifts, which entailed sitting in a chair and lifting the legs. First one at a time then both. When you can do those without getting sore, attach weights. Then I would lie on the floor on my side and lift my leg straight up and lower it slowly. Switch sides and repeat. Holding onto the back of a chair, I would do squats. The slower the squats, the better the results. Again, start out easy and increase as you go.

Stairs are great exercise for the legs. Not only walking up and down, but placing your toes on the bottom step and lifting yourself really strengthen the calves. Oh, and don’t forget to stretch before any exercise to avoid cramps.

Within a few months, my shorts and slacks actually hung looser. I was as happy as could be and it was well worth it. Now, every time I see a woman whose legs look the way mine used to look, I want so much to tell her how she could start slimming those legs so her shorts didn’t wrap so tightly around her legs. Of course, to do so would be like telling her she had fat legs so I didn’t go there. However, I have had a lot of friends notice how tight and slim my legs had gotten compared to what they once were, and I have shared my knowledge with anyone who wanted to know.

Therefore, slimming your legs doesn’t necessarily involve running and jumping. Proper diet along with exercises that target calf and thigh muscles are all you need to keep your shorts and slacks from cutting off your circulation.