How many times did you want to buy a perfect pair of pants only to realize your thighs look bigger than you’d like them?
Or maybe you’ve tried everything to get thinner thighs, and nothing worked?
These problems are common, so there’s no need to feel bad. Big thighs have an impact on your confidence and self-esteem.
You don’t need Photoshop to make your thighs slimmer, and you need a permanent solution that will give you super sexy thighs outside social media.
How to make it happen? Is it difficult? You’ll find all the answers below.
Contents
What is the cause of big thighs?
A person can have either muscular or fat thighs. Your thighs are comprised of several layers: skin, fat, and muscle. As you gain weight, the fat layer becomes thicker, and your thighs get bigger. However, your thighs can also get bigger when you exercise and increase muscle mass.
The easiest way to check whether you have flat or muscular thighs is to straighten your leg and tighten muscles in the upper leg area. Pinch the top layer of your thighs. Is there much to pinch? If so, then your thighs are mostly fat. Is there little mass to pinch? Then you have muscular thighs.
Fat leg
Overweight or obese is the most common culprit behind bigger thighs.
Excess weight increases fat mass in this area while making your leg look bigger. Plus, cellulite becomes more noticeable, which is yet another reason why women feel insecure.
Women are more likely to have big thighs due to higher fat mass because hormones play a major role in weight distribution in the belly, pelvis, and thigh areas.
Frequent exploding and jumping movements
Engaging in frequent exploding and jumping movements, such as some types of exercises, can make your thighs bigger. Squats, leg curls, lunges, calf raises, and other exercises can enhance your muscle mass and give you the muscular thighs described above.
Edematous leg
Edema is swelling caused by excess fluid trapped in the body’s tissues. You can develop edema in different parts of your body, but it is more common in the legs and arms.
Numerous causes contribute to edema including some medications, pregnancy, PMS, sitting, or staying in one position too long. If you have edema, especially in the legs, it could explain big thighs.
Flat foot
Flat feet refers to a problem with a person who has fallen arches, so their entire foot (or both feet) comes in contact with the ground. You may experience pain, discomfort, increased risk of other foot conditions.
This problem goes beyond fallen arches, it makes your calves and thighs appear larger, and it may also affect the hips and back.
Other reasons behind big thighs
- Unrealistic expectations regarding workouts
- Unbalanced diet
- Lack of cardio
- Focusing on thighs only when working out instead of other leg muscles too
- Hormonal imbalance
How to get thinner thighs?
Having a healthy outlook and realistic goals is important.
Many girls want to have super slim thighs and a gap between them, so they over-exercise and practically starve themselves in order to achieve it.
That gap isn’t necessarily connected with the size of your thighs. Girls with wider hips may have a thigh gap regardless of their weight.
Start your thigh slimming efforts with a reasonable goal and desire to do it in a healthy manner.
Focus on pelvic health and function
To get slimmer thighs in a healthy manner you need to focus on pelvic health and function first.
The pelvic region is located between your abdomen and thighs and it connects the upper and lower parts of the body. A convenient position of the pelvis makes it crucial for a number of functions in our body including movement.
Pelvis helps you walk, run, lift, and proper posture is a must here. Here are a few tips for an adequate posture in different movements or activities:
- Standing – bear weight mainly on balls of feet, keep knees relaxed, and make sure your feet are shoulder-width apart. Stand straight and tall with shoulders gently pulled backward.
- Sitting – keep feet on the ground, avoid crossing your legs, forearms should be parallel to the ground, keep a small gap between the back of your knee and front of your seat.
- Walking – your eyes should look straight ahead, not the ground. Land each foot on the heel when stepping and spring to the next step using toes first, keep the spine aligned and swing your arms in the left leg – right arm, right leg – left arm mode.
- Sleeping – the best way to sleep is to choose a position that maintains the curve in your lower back. For example, you can sleep lying on the back with a pillow placed under your knees.
Reduce body fat
Fat mass that accumulates in thighs is very stubborn, but as you’re successfully decreasing it you will notice your thighs are getting slimmer.
Here are a few tips to lower your fat mass in legs:
- Ditch unhealthy foods
- Increase fiber intake
- Get enough sleep
- Limit or avoid alcohol intake
- Manage stress
- Exercise regularly
- Replace unhealthy fats with healthier alternatives
Balance your hormones
Estrogen and other hormone imbalances can cause weight gain and increased fat mass in your abdominal area, hips, and thighs.
Balancing hormone levels is an important strategy for thinner thighs.
A healthy lifestyle is important for hormone balance, but it’s also necessary to reduce exposure to environmental toxins, quit smoking, manage underlying health problems, and see your doctor if you’re concerned about your health.
Other things you can do
- Massage your thighs regularly to promote blood flow (poor blood circulation to connective tissues may cause swelling)
- Reduce salt intake to avoid fluid retention
- Stay hydrated throughout the day
- Get some rest
Exercises to Slim Thighs
People usually hope they’ll be able to achieve something without exercise, but you do need to move more in order to ensure your results are here to stay. Exercise is not a punishment, it can be fun when you know what to do.
Not all exercises will slim your thighs, but let’s take a look at those that will help you sculpt your thighs successfully:
Exercises | Effects |
---|---|
Running | a great way to burn calories, decrease fat mass, and sculpt your thighs |
Swimming | a low impact activity that helps you lose weight and stretch muscles without putting additional stress on joints. Plus, it’s a great activity to shape your thighs |
Elliptical trainer | successfully burns calories even in stubborn areas like the stomach, hips, and thighs |
Stretching exercise | this type of training elongates muscles and increases their flexibility and range of motion. At the same time, stretching relaxes muscles, prevents injuries, and reduces soreness. It works best when coupled with cardio |
HIIT | high-intensity interval training or HIIT slims and tones your thighs by allowing you to burn more calories even when resting, but it also features maneuvers that define your legs and gives your thighs a sexy look |
If you’re not sure where to start you can consult a personal trainer who will create a plan based on your needs, weight, and fitness levels.
Exercise options for slim thighs are endless and you also have the opportunity to use different machines. In addition to an elliptical trainer you can use vertical climbers, treadmills, rowers, exercise bikes, you name it. Each of these machines burns calories while providing a gentle stretch for the toning of your thighs.
How to slim thighs without building muscle
The biggest concern people have regarding slimming thighs is how to make them thinner without building muscles.
A generally-accepted idea is that every kind of exercise bulk your muscles and makes your thighs appear larger.
You can slim your thighs without adding more muscle mass, here’s how:
- Do cardio
- Don’t over-exercise, 30-45 minutes is enough
- Get enough rest
- Avoid exercises such as squats, lunges, leg curls, stiff-legged deadlifts, and calf raises at first. If your thighs are mostly fat, then focus on losing weight and fat mass before you start performing these exercises to strengthen your muscles and tone your legs
- Lower calorie intake
- Don’t skip meals
- Run-on a flat surface
- Power walk
These are also the moves you can make if you have muscular thighs and want to make them thinner.
Other things to bear in mind
Having slim thighs is not a mission impossible; it is an entirely achievable goal when you know what to do.
In addition to the above-mentioned strategies, there are some things you need to remember. They are:
- A healthy diet is crucial
A well-balanced diet is necessary for your health and wellbeing, including weight management. This also applies to thinner thighs.
A common mistake that people repeat is that they starve themselves or they eat a balanced diet for a short period of time. Both approaches won’t give you the results you expect.
Starving yourself puts your health in jeopardy while following a healthy diet for a certain period of time only doesn’t allow you to keep off your weight loss and your things are bound to enlarge again.
Make a well-balanced diet an inseparable part of your lifestyle for maximum results.
- Be patient and persistent
We’re inclined to expect miraculous results within a few days of making lifestyle changes. It doesn’t work like that.
Your goal is not only to slim your thighs but to keep off the results in a healthy manner. In order to do that, you need to be patient, persistent, and consistent.
Be realistic and use your strong willpower to your advantage. Results will come, you just need to stay motivated and dedicated to your approach.
- Save up for equipment
If you’re not a fan of the gym, then it’s practical to save up exercise money and get equipment. That way, you can exercise at your own pace even when you’re not feeling like going out to the gym.
Plus, saving money for exercise is still cheaper than spending money on medical treatments due to problems caused by overweight or obesity in the long run.
You may also interested: Bowflex M3 – The Perfect Elliptical for Losing weight
- Be prepared
Before you start this journey you should mentally prepare yourself for the challenges ahead.
At the same time, you should also be prepared for your workouts. This means you need to focus on the proper execution of exercises and your posture rather than trying to finishing things as faster as possible.
Being prepared in every aspect of your workout minimizes the risk of injuries. After exercise, get some rest to avoid soreness and let your muscles do their job while you’re resting.
Conclusion
Having slim and sexy thighs is an achievable goal, not wishful thinking. Follow tips and strategies from this post in order to get slim thighs in a healthy and safe way for long-term results.
Remember, patience and persistence are crucial.
Chris Jordan
Hey there, I'm Chris Jordan! I'm a certified personal trainer and dietician with over 11 years of experience in the fitness industry. I've helped thousands of people achieve better physical and mental health. When I'm not working, I love spending time with my dog.
Great article!
Thanks for all the precious advices.
Big hug
Sandra