Thigh Slimming Exercises: How to Slim Down Thighs

Follow these steps and these thigh slimming workouts to get lean legs.

This body part is one of the most commonly disliked areas, with most people believing that they are too large. While it is impossible to target weight loss to one particular body part, there are specific exercises that you can do to firm and tone legs, which ultimately leads to a smaller, slimmer lower body.

Here are some tips & exercises that provide real results.

Embrace cardio to slim legs. 

Half an hour of cardio, on at least 5 days of the week is one of the most important factors in your efforts to lean out the lower body. Because targeted weight loss is not possible, an overall trend towards a healthy body weight is what will get you real results when it comes to getting slimmer legs.

11 Exercises for Slimming Your Arms ...

I want to get my arms in shape. Right now they're okay, but I never feel super great about going out in sleeveless shirts. I don't necessarily want guns or anything, I just want my arms to be more toned – and slimmer. I don't want to deal with that toneless flap for the rest of my life, you know? Fortunately, it's relatively easy to tone your arms and make them thinner. They don't have to be heavily muscled; there are exercises for slimming your arms that will just leave them shapely and comely!

1. BICEP CURLS

Whenever you want to find exercises for slimming your arms, it's important to focus on your biceps. Bicep curls are great for that, and they're easy to do. You need some small weights, and you can start really small if you need to, gradually working your way up to something heavier. Five pound weights fall right in the middle. Anyway, your back needs to be straight, you hold the weights with your palms facing forward, and you curl each hand to your shoulder.

The Waist-Slimming, Lower Ab Workout

Get an amazing ab rehab stat. This lower ab workout from better-belly specialist Elisabeth Halfpapp, a founder of Exhale Mind Body Spa in New York City, combines seven exercises that will work your midsection, including the transversus abdominis, 360 degrees — "which is the key for slimming your waist." Both our testers experienced roomier waistbands (our apple-shaped tester lost an inch; our new mom lost two) after a month by doing three-times-a-week sessions. Now it's your turn to be firm, flat, fab!

Side Plank-Up

Targets: Rectus and transversus abdominis, obliques, and inner thighs

• Lie on left side on floor with legs stacked and a rolled-up towel between thighs, propping torso on left elbow so that left forearm is perpendicular to torso. Make it easier: Stagger feet so that side of right foot is on floor in front of left foot for a wider base of support.

EIGHT HEALTHY EATING GOALS

Small changes can make a big difference to your health. Try incorporating at least six of the eight goals below into your diet. Commit to incorporating one new healthy eating goal each week over the next six weeks. You can track your progress through PALA+.

Make half your plate fruits and vegetables: Choose red, orange, and dark-green vegetables like tomatoes, sweet potatoes, and broccoli, along with other vegetables for your meals. Add fruit to meals as part of main or side dishes or as dessert. The more colorful you make your plate, the more likely you are to get the vitamins, minerals, and fiber your body needs to be healthy.

Make half the grains you eat whole grains: An easy way to eat more whole grains is to switch from a refined-grain food to a whole-grain food. For example, eat whole-wheat bread instead of white bread. Read the ingredients list and choose products that list a whole-grain ingredients first. Look for things like: "whole wheat," "brown rice," "bulgur," "buckwheat," "oatmeal," "rolled oats," quinoa," or "wild rice."

4 Foods That Burn Belly Fat

Stock your pantry with these weight loss staples that help control hunger hormones for a flat belly and more energy 

Eat to beat belly fat

Believe it or not, your body actually doesn't want to store fat. And the secret to lasting weight loss does not come down to complicated calorie-counting and weight-loss gimmicks. Instead, it's about working with your body's natural hunger and sleep rhythms to curb cravings, burn fat and send your energy levels soaring. 

Research shows that our bodies' inner eat-and-sleep clocks have been thrown completely out of whack, thanks to cues we send it all day with the wrong foods—and too much artificial light at night. The result: You're caught in a "fat cycle": a constant flow of hunger hormones that makes your cravings all but impossible to resist. But if you tune into your body's natural eat and sleep schedules, you can actually—finally—say good-bye to your belly. Sounds good, right?

The Only 4 Exercises You Really Need

The strength moves you can do anytime, anywhere, at any fitness level 

I do my best to exercise 5 to 6 times a week, but there are days when I simply cannot pull myself out of bed in time to sweat before work, or when I'm traveling and my normal routine is completely thrown off track. Instead of completely scrapping my routine, I’ll try and squeeze in a few bodyweight exercises—namely squats, planks, chair dips and pushups—throughout the day. These four moves give you a full-body toning and strength session in just a few minutes. I find that they also boost my energy and mood on days when I'm feeling tired, stressed or overwhelmed, too. 

Many other fitness experts agree: "I like these moves because they use bodyweight for resistance," says Alice Burron, 45, a mother of four and a personal trainer in Cheyenne, Wyoming. "That means they're simple but still challenging, convenient, and inexpensive—and they work." To sneak in one set of all of these exercises would only take you about 5 minutes. To build muscle and burn calories, try to do  three 5-minute mini workouts with these moves in one day. All in all, you’re only working out for 15 minutes. 

If You Can Invest Just 10 Minutes A Day You Can Have A Flatter Belly

Something we can all agree on: It's freaking tough to stay fit when life's this busy, and it only seems to get harder every year—especially when it comes to our abs. Everything from hectic schedules to dwindling metabolisms (OK, and maybe a weakness for chocolate) can cause belly pounds to creep up and hang on, no matter what you try. That's how Miriam Figueroa felt. "My belly was huge, all my clothes were tight, my body was achy, and I had brain fog all the time," recalls Figueroa. Every day, the 55-year-old special education pre-K teacher would wake up at quarter to 6, gingerly roll out of bed to avoid aggravating the pinched nerves in her lower back, go for a short walk, and then throw whatever energy she could muster into her passion for teaching the 38 adorable 4-year-olds who demanded her attention Monday through Friday. "By the time I started my afternoon class, I was drained," says Figueroa. At night, restless legs syndrome and acid reflux would torment her until she started over again the next morning. No matter how healthy she ate, the scale stuck at 168 pounds and her total cholesterol rose to 220. "I felt so awful that I started praying for a solution," says Figueroa. When she heard that Prevention was looking for women to test the 30-Day Belly Fix—a new Fit in 10 program designed with trainer Larysa DiDio to speedily slim and strengthen stubborn middles with just 10 minutes of exercise a day—Figueroa was intrigued. "It sounded like something I could commit to, so I figured, why not?"

15 Ways To Shed Belly Fat

Belly fat, beer gut, tummy—you can call it what you like, but it's all the same dangerous fat. The excess, often firm fat around your middle is what doctors call "visceral fat." (Get a flat belly in just ten minutes a day with our reader-tested exercise plan!)

As your waistline expands, individual fat cells inflate, which can lead to lower HDL "good" cholesterol and higher levels of triglycerides, a type of fatty acid in the blood linked to heart disease.

Men tend to gain their weight in their bellies throughout life, but for women, it's not until middle age that their midsections become the hot spot for weight gain. As women's estrogen levels decline with age, their testosterone levels increase, causing them to shift to the male pattern of abdominal weight gain. Regardless of gender, you naturally accumulate more fat as you age, often due to loss of muscle mass and a more sluggish metabolism. But that doesn't mean you should sit idly by and let the fat infiltrate your midsection. Use the following strategies to banish your belly fat for good. 

10 Ab Exercises That Are Better Than Crunches

If you still think that doing crunches will score you amazing abs, you're in for a rude awakening. Flattening your belly requires multi-muscle exercises that target all the regions of your core—upper and lower abs, obliques, transverse abdominis, and lower back muscles—to burn major calories and cinch your waistline in no time. Ready to step it up? These 10 moves from the Women's Health Big Book of Abs are guaranteed to blast fat and show off your sexy, sleek stomach.

5 Ways To Drink Green Tea For Weight Loss

I'll admit it: I had a mini celebration when I learned green tea has the incredible power to shift your fat-fighting metabolism into high gear. And, yes, I kicked my heels in the air when I found research suggesting that exercisers who drink green tea lose twice as much weight as those who don't. 

There are so many ways green tea has been proven to benefit your health:

Fast forward to me pushing a shopping-cart-full of green tea products around my local grocery store. I was buying green tea everything. Ice cream, noodles, etc. Who was I fooling? The weight-loss benefits are in the epigallocatechin gallate (a.k.a. EGCG, a health-boosting antioxidant) found in green tea. Not the green tea flavor....

10 Ways To Lose Weight Without Even Trying

You won't lose fat by camping out on the couch. But you don't have to train for 2 hours a day and eat nothing but salad, either. The 10 following tips work easily into your busy schedule—and are all proven to help you ditch your belly.

Snap a selfie.

Turns out selfies are pretty smart. Taking a full-body photo of yourself once a week could help you shed 2.6% of your body weight in 4 months, a recent Spanish study suggests. For a 200-pound guy, that's 5 pounds—just by snapping a few bathroom pics.

The study authors say that watching your waist whittle down week by week helps serve as a reminder that eating right and hitting the gym are worth it.

Swap intervals for cardio.

You don't have to exercise more—just smarter. People who did high-intensity bodyweight interval workouts for 8 months shed an inch more belly fat than people who did the same amount of time on a treadmill, according to a Greek study.

8 Fast Ways To Flatten Your Belly

Who doesn’t want a flat belly, stat? Yet hours of crunches, cardio, and superstrict dieting aren’t realistic—or a whole lot of fun—for many of us. Luckily, it is possible to flatten your belly and look slimmer almost immediately. “Your stomach is the one part of your body that reacts quickly to dietary changes—good and bad. If you want to look thinner fast, avoid gassy veggies, chewing gum, salt, carbonated beverages, and any foods with sugar alcohols,” says Erin Palinski, RD and certified personal trainer. These foods will lead to water retention and bloating, she explains. If you normally eat three larger meals a day, Palinski recommends cutting those portions in half and eating smaller meals every two to three hours.

Want more instant fixes for a flatter belly? Here are 8 ways you can feel trimmer and slimmer in your belly—in some cases, nearly overnight. 

5 Exercises That Will Show Your Lower Belly Who's Boss

Exercise how-tos adapted from The Women's Health Big Book of Exercises, The Women's Health Big Book of Pilates, and The Women's Health Big Book of Abs.

When you're trying to target your lower abs, all abs-strengthening moves are not created equal. Fact is, some are much more effective at working those tough-to-get-to muscles. So we asked celebrity trainer Michelle Lovitt, an Asics America conditioning coach, for her top moves to target your lower belly. She came through with these 5 super-tough ones you'll love (after the fact, at least). 

8 Flat Belly Shortcuts

You've worn in your walking shoes. You fill your grocery cart with healthy fare. And you're careful not to dive headfirst into a pint of ice cream under stress. Yet your belly fat remains. It's frustrating, for sure, but far from permanent! Those healthy habits are a good start, but as you age, you need to work out and eat smarter to maintain a slimmer middle. "Belly fat can be very responsive with the right strategies," says Michele Olson, PhD, an exercise researcher at Auburn University. 

Here, proven ways to fine-tune your already healthy routine for fast results. 

4 Moves That Target Your Belly, Butt, And Thighs

What are your trickiest trouble zones? If you said belly, butt, and thighs, you're in good company: 84% of women cite these as their biggest problem areas. To the rescue: a multitasking routine combining principles of Pilates, yoga, and ballet to target multiple muscle groups and slim you down from every angle. In 3 to 4 weeks, you'll be leaner and stronger. Bonus: Since new muscle revs your metabolism, you'll burn more fat all day long. Plus, you'll have extra energy for brisk cardio workouts—to flatten your belly even faster. Pair it with this clean eating plan to tackle belly fat faster!

The expert: Tracey Mallett, certified Pilates instructor in Los Angeles and creator of the Renew You Sleek and Lean DVD, designed this workout.

14 Keys to a Healthy Diet

Developing healthy eating habits isn’t as confusing or as restrictive as many people imagine. The essential steps are to eat mostly foods derived from plants—vegetables, fruits, whole grains and legumes (beans, peas, lentils)—and limit highly processed foods. Here are our guidelines for building a healthy diet.

1. Consume a Variety of Foods

Not all the nutrients and other substances in foods that contribute to good health have been identified, so eating a wide assortment of foods helps ensure that you get all of the disease-fighting potential that foods offer. In addition, this will limit your exposure to any pesticides or toxic substances that may be present in a particular food. 

2. Keep an Eye on Portions

Sure, you can eat all the broccoli and spinach you want, but for higher-calorie foods, portion control is the key. In recent years, serving sizes have ballooned. In restaurants, choose an appetizer instead of an entree or split a dish with a friend. Don’t order anything that’s been “supersized.” When reading food labels, check serving sizes: some relatively small packages claim to contain more than one serving, so you have to double or triple the calories, grams of fat and milligrams of sodium if you’re planning to eat the whole thing.

6 Things You Have To Give Up To Lose Weight For Good

Remember: It’s a marathon, not a sprint. 

Juice fasting, low-carb, Paleo, the Master Cleanse—if you’re someone who struggles with her weight, you might always be looking for the hot new diet that will magically make it all easier. Sorry to break it to you, but staying slim and healthy is usually about making a commitment to lasting lifestyle changes—not the latest trendy diet. Fiorella DiCarlo, RD, pinpoints the bad habits you need to break to finally see lasting results. (Lose up to 15 pounds WITHOUT dieting with Eat Clean to Get Lean, our 21-day clean-eating meal plan.)

The 20 Best Foods to Eat for Breakfast

These staples and mix-ins will give you all the energy and nutrients you need in the morning.

Start your day off right

MillanThe next time you rush out the door in the morning without something to eat, consider this: Skipping breakfast can set you up for overeating later in the day. A healthy a.m. meal, on the other hand, can give you energy, satisfy your appetite, and set the stage for smart decisions all day long.

"You want to aim for a breakfast that combines good carbs and fiber with some protein," says Erica Giovinazzo, MS, RD, a nutritionist at Clay Health Club and Spa, in New York City. Luckily, your options are plenty. Here's a look at some of our favorite breakfast foods, along with expert tips for making them even healthier. 

31 Quick-and-Easy Fat-Burning Recipes Part Two

Black Bean and Chicken Chilaquiles

This traditional Mexican breakfast food requires only eight ingredients, including chicken, queso blanco, and corn tortillas. It may look sinful, but because it's baked (rather than fried), it comes in under 300 calories and 2 grams of saturated fat per serving.

The key ingredient for weight-conscious eaters? Black beans. Their high protein and fiber content make them another weight-loss superfood.

Spicy Southwestern Black Bean Chili

Did someone say black beans? This hearty soup, which delivers 17 grams of protein and 13 grams of fiber per serving, is a delicious showcase for these super-healthy legumes.

31 Quick-and-Easy Fat-Burning Recipes Part One

From turkey burgers to banana smoothies, these simple calorie-burning recipes will help you lose weight fast.

Foods that fight fat

Losing weight—and keeping the pounds off—isn't a quick or easy process, but a few simple diet tricks can be a big help along the way. Our favorites? Eating lots of protein, fiber, and healthy carbs, which boost your metabolism and keep you feeling full all day long.

If you're not sure how to work these calorie-burning ingredients into your daily menu, start with these recipes. They all include at least one weight-loss superfood, and, best of all, they can be made in 30 minutes or less!

Broccoli & Feta Omelet with Toast

This easy breakfast recipe, which takes just 15 minutes start to finish, packs a one-two punch that will leave you feeling satisfied yet energized. 

Burn winter fat at home

Our model: Leanne Balkin, 44, is one of the four winners from our “Win a shoot with Commando Steve” competition. She works out in the gym three or four times a week, rows, surfboats and is a volunteer surf life saver. 

What is Tabata?

Tabata intervals are high-intensity cardio and muscle workouts in which you perform as many reps as you can in four-minute circuits. This pushes you to your limit for a short time, making it a great no-fuss way to maximise results.  

Your Tabata score is your lowest number of reps per exercise. Use this as a benchmark for your ongoing training by aiming to increase your reps on your next round. 

If you’re pregnant, have high blood pressure or a history of cardiovascular issues, make sure you consult your GP before doing a Tabata session.

10 bikini body dos and don'ts

When it comes to bikini season, the right foods can often help you on the road to getting the summer body you want. So what should you eat and what should you avoid? Here are the top 10 dos and don'ts to help you on your way to getting into that bikini you've had your eye on... 

1. Cut down on bread and pasta

Beat the bloat by cutting down on wheat and gluten-containing foods like bread and pasta. Many people find these foods tend to cause bloating and digestive complaints. Try avoiding these foods for 2 weeks and see if you notice a flatter tummy and happier stomach. 

Have smaller meals, more often

Nutritionist Lisa Guy, just one of the experts in the body+soul revolution team, recommends eating 5 to 6 smaller, protein rich meals throughout the day. The frequency of meals is a great way to combat hunger pangs, while eating plenty of protein helps stabilise blood sugar levels. This means you’ll feel fuller for longer after a meal.

9 foods that help you lose weight

Yes, we all know the whole healthy diet and exercise part of weight loss but did you know there are certain foods out there that help you shed kilos? Whether they've got metabolism-boosting powers or even help you stay fuller for longer, these foods will help you on your quest to losing weight.

1. Coconut oil

Coconut oil contains medium chain fatty acids (MCFA), which is a type of saturated fat that behaves differently from other fats. MCFA fats can be absorbed straight into the cell where it can immediately be burned up as energy, making it a fabulous energy source. Coconut oil is considered a thermogenic food that helps boost metabolism and increases fat burning. Adding coconut oil into the diet can also help to balance blood sugar levels, which is also beneficial for weight loss. Coconut oil is ideal to cook with, use in baked goods, protein balls or added to smoothies.

How to beat your biggest weight loss hurdles

Want to shift a few kilos? Tackle your lifestyle and diet hurdles and make losing weight just a little bit easier. We show you how.

You eat when you're not hungry

We're all guilty of eating when food is in front of us, even if we're not hungry. To combat this try and keep a food diary of everything you eat for a week then look at how much of what you ate was to satisfy real hunger and how much was because you were bored or eating out of habit. Pay close attention to your body's hunger signals and be more mindful of how hungry you are - this can help curb non-hungry eating.

Your motivation levels are non-existent

Set concrete goals. If you want to lose weight by your 30th birthday at the end of the year then use it as something to work towards. Setting a time frame on a weight loss goal will make it a real objective. Visual inspiration is always good (that's what Pinterest is for!) so collect images of things that will inspire you to lace up your sneakers when you'd rather hit the couch, and look at it when your motivation is waning.

3 dynamic total-body exercises

Add some punch to your training with these three dynamic total-body exercises that are designed to give you maximum results in the minimum time for a leaner, more agile body

Make it a workout:

What you need

• Kettlebells or dumbbells (select a weight that challenges you for 10 repetitions. This should be about 6-8kg for beginners; 10-14kg for intermediate and advanced)

Set up your circuit

Complete 5 rounds in a descending ladder format. To do this, do 2 reps less in each round than in the previous one. Start at 12 reps, then do 10, 8, 6, and finish your last circuit on 4 reps. Rest in between as required.

Shredding: the secret to defined muscles

You don’t need to be a bodybuilder to get muscle definition, and it doesn’t matter how old you are. But the best part? You can see the difference in just six weeks. By Fiona Baker

Think your days of defined muscles are behind you or that you need to be pumping heavy iron several hours a day? Wrong. It’s possible for everyone to build some muscle definition, and it can be visible in as little as six weeks.

Kusal Goonewardena, the founder and head of Melbourne University’s Elite Akademy of sports medicine, works with high-performing athletes, including Olympians, and says their approach to training can hold the secret to not only being fit but looking fit, too. 

How to shape up for an event in a week according to a celeb trainer

Got an important party/work event/wedding to go to in 7 days? Celeb trainer Greg Joujon Roche will have you looking incredible in just a week

How to shape up for an event in a week according to a celeb trainer

As the man who has trained the likes of P!nk, Gisele Bundchen, Brad Pitt and Gwen Stefani, Greg Joujon Roche knows a thing or two about how to get someone looking red carpet ready in a short amount of time. Follow this plan and you’ll be smoking hot in just a week. 

Cut out foods that create inflammation

“You want to get rid of all the inflammation in your system and you do that by avoiding salt, white sugar and unfortunately booze and caffeine,” says Greg.

5 steps to a long and lean body

Emma Seibold is the founder of Barre Body yoga and barre studios, certified yoga teacher and health coach and mother of one gorgeous bubba.

Did someone say long and lean? Yes please! Sound impossible? It may seem so, but it's really not. We are all different shapes and sizes, but there are certain things you can do to increase the length of your muscles and streamline your body. To celebrate the launch of Body+Soul's Long & Lean 6 week challenge we've asked Barre Body's Emma Siebold to share her top toning tips.

1. Start with your diet

My philosophy has always been that a healthy diet will get you to the right weight and exercise will help to tone and shape your body. 

Women would sacrifice sex for bikini body

A new survey reveals women would forgo sex in exchange for a bikini body.

What would you give up to get your perfect beach body? Wine? Chocolate? How about sex?

A new US survey reveals the extreme pressure women feel to slim down and shape up for summer and the strict measures they'd take to achieve their best body – including sacrificing sex.

The survey, conducted by Shape magazine in the US, revealed that the majority of women felt they needed to lose weight before summer, with with 60 per cent admitting to dieting or cutting out carbs, 22 per cent, prior to pulling on their swimsuit. 

The summer legs workout

The legs and bottom are often trouble spots for a lot of women but these moves will have them looking toned in no time. 

Single-Leg Bridge

Why: This is excellent both for hip stability and for firming and toning the backs of your legs and butt. It focuses on the hamstrings while engaging the glutes and core muscles.

How: Lying on your back, bend your right foot in toward your butt to create a 90-degree angle at the knee and keep your left leg straight out on the floor. Position your hands either side of your body for stability, pull your belly in and butt under as you press your right heel into the floor to raise your hips up, using mostly your hamstrings (back of thigh), and lifting your left leg straight up as you go. Form a straight line from knees to shoulders, then lower your body back down to the floor. 

The summer abs workout

Step 1: Knee Twist + Aeroplane

Why: Your upper body, deep core muscles and obliques will love this burn. 

How: Assume a push-up position on your toes with your core braced. Squeeze your right knee up to your left wrist and hold for a second before slowly releasing back to the push-up position. 

Step 2: Knee Twist + Aeroplane

Take your left hand off the floor and use your right oblique muscles to aeroplane it around and up to the ceiling as you turn your body to face the left, legs stacked and hips squeezed high off the floor. Return to the push-up position and go straight into the knee twist and aeroplane on your left knee and right side.

10 reasons you can't lose weight

Struggling to hit your goal weight? It’s not all about calories, says nutritionist Teresa Boyce.

You have heard it a thousand times: weight loss is simple, just eat less and exercise more, right? Well, maybe not.

Your expanding waistline and muffin top may be the result of something other than simply eating too many cupcakes. Research now suggests that weight gain and obesity are not only caused by a genetic predisposition or dietary and lifestyle behaviours, but are also affected by modern environmental factors.

1. You're not getting enough sleep

A lack of sleep may be hindering your weight-loss goals. Sleep deprivation slows your metabolism and affects the hunger hormones leptin and ghrelin.

Leptin tells your brain to stop eating, whereas ghrelin, produced in the stomach, stimulates hunger. Research suggests inadequate sleep is associated with low levels of leptin, high levels of ghrelin and weight gain.

5 weight loss tweaks

When the scales stall despite your best efforts, try these tips.

1. Hydrate

Water is a great weight-loss tool, experts say. A recent US study found middle-aged adults who drank 500 millilitres of water prior to meals, three times a day, shed about 2.3 kilograms more over 12 weeks than those who didn't. Dietitian Lisa Renn says: "The critical thing from that study was they were drinking before eating, decreasing their stomach capacity and eating smaller portions."

2. Don't refuel all day

Are you always sipping a coffee or eyeing the biscuit jar? Stop. Balanced eating - consuming a portion-controlled meal or snack every two to three hours - keeps blood-sugar levels stable and helps you recognise true hunger, whereas constant refuelling just adds extra calories you don't need, Renn says.

"Think strong, not thin": bikini tips from Jessica Gomes

Nobody knows how to get swimsuit-ready better than Aussie model Jessica Gomes. She shares her secrets with Fiona Baker

It was after Aussie supermodel Jessica Gomes decided that she wanted to be strong, not thin, that she started enjoying exercise.

“I’m never going to be a waif – that’s not my body type – so I found that exercising and dieting to be thin was unmotivating; it’s not a positive mindset to be in,” the 30-year-old says. “Then, a couple of years ago, I changed the way I approached diet and fitness and now I look forward to meals and really enjoy exercising.”

As a catwalk model and David Jones ambassador, Gomes’ face and body is her currency, so she knows all too well how important it is to find enjoyment in what you eat and how you exercise.

How to keep to your fitness goals

Our top tips to help you beat any obstacle on your path to fitness and come out winning.

How to keep to your fitness goals

There’s a good reason people run faster as soon as the finish line is in sight – clear, attainable goals are incredibly motivating. But it’s the many pitfalls along the way we have to watch, so we asked Rob Hale, Head of Fitness at Fitness First, and Dugald Pollitt of Sydney’s North Shore Gym, how to avoid the sort of slump that kicks the best laid plans to the curb.

Make it social

There’s strength in numbers, so make a habit of working out with a friend or taking a lively gym class. “We’ve seen a huge shift into group fitness training,” says Dugald. 

How to refuel your body the healthy way

Your workout is done and you’ve left it all on the gym floor, but what happens next?

Smart refuelling is the unsung hero of healthy habits, so we talked to Rob Hale, Head of Fitness at Fitness First, and Dugald Pollitt, CEO of Sydney’s North Shore Gym, to get the inside word on what to do after working out.

Chow down while you cool down

Sit down to a balanced meal under an hour after your workout. Don’t let that gnawing feeling linger; it’s your body begging you to fill the tank. 

Rob says, “There’s an optimal window of about 45 minutes to an hour post-workout when your body really needs to refuel, not only to replenish the nutrients, but also to help with muscle growth, muscle repair [and] recovery.” 

8 Ways to Lose 10 Pounds Without Exercise

Trying lose those pesky 10 pounds you gained on summer vacation or wondering how to prevent packing them on over the holidays? Oodles of new research has uncovered ways to trim 100 calories or more from your diet without skimping on flavor. While it doesn't sound like much, shaving off 100 calories a day could help you trim 10 or more pounds a year—even if you never set foot in the gym. 

Get started today with these science-backed calorie-cutting shortcuts that'll help you maintain healthy curves all year long.

1. Dim the lights

Regardless of what you thought as a kid, it turns out the dark isn't so scary after all. A new study from Cornell University says the secret to eating less—and feeling more satisfied about what you do eat—could be as simple as turning down the lights. Researchers found people who ate a meal under soft, warm lighting consumed 175 fewer calories than those who noshed in brightly lit places. The study participants who dined under mood lighting ate 18 percent less of the food on their plates—and also rated their food "more enjoyable" than those under bright lights. Scientists think that's because the harsh fluorescent lights commonly found in fast food restaurants may create a psychological need to rush through meals and eat more—so light a candle or two at dinnertime, and you may be less stimulated to gobble up your food.

Top Ten Waist Slimming Exercises for Women

The secret of a slim waist lies in the type of exercise that you do.

It is true that when you control your diet, you will lose some of those fats in your belly. However, you will achieve that slim waist only if you compliment your diet with the right kind of exercise.

Simply exercising on your stationary bike for hours is not enough. Long, slow cardio sessions are not the ideal work out for a slimmer waist. Doing crunches until you can’t stand up straight is also not enough to have a slim waist.  Ab-focused exercises like the popular crunch isolate the abs but fail to hit the muscles that run up your side (the obliques) and the deep, ‘corset’ muscles of the abdomen (the transversus abdominis or TVA).

Top Ten Most Effective Waist Slimming Exercises

The Best Drink For Weight LossThe soothing way to shed pounds

Pinkies up! A new research review in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition finds tea drinkers sport slimmer waistlines. 

After looking at several studies and meta-analyses on the effects green, white, and oolong tea have on body weight, Dutch researchers found that tea's natural ingredients—catechins and caffeine—help increase a person's energy expenditure, or the calories they burn just by being. The compounds also increase fat oxidation (fat breakdown) in the body.

Not to mention tea is really good for your gut, says Jeffrey Blumberg, PhD, a professor at the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy and director of the Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University. Science is continually showing how certain foods can boost good and bad gut flora, or bacteria, and drinking tea accomplishes the former.

15 Terrible Snacks For Weight Loss

Snacking can be a total diet bomb—if you let it. Here’s how to do it right.

Attacking the snacks

From the Cheerio-toting toddler to the vending machine-loving employee, we're a nation obsessed with snacks. How obsessed? Most of us eat nearly 600 calories a day—that's roughly a third of our food—in snacks rather than meals, according to a 2010 study from the University of North Carolina. 

That's a lot of snacking, something that can make or break your weight loss efforts. “There is a right way and a wrong way to snack,” says Katie Ferraro, MPH, a San Diego-based registered dietitian at Ingrain Health. Done right, snacking can keep your appetite in check, fuel your workout, and give you valuable nutrients. Done wrong, and you're downing gut-busting snacks loaded with sugar and fat, says Ferraro.

17 Fat-Burning Ab Exercises (No Crunches!)

Abdominal exercises to burn fat, flatten your belly, and strengthen your core.

Bye-bye muffin top

When most people think "abs," they think the muffin top that blooms over the top of too-tight pants. But abdominals, a set collectively known as the core, includes the many interconnected muscles that run up the back and stretch down to the butt and the front and inner thighs, says Michele Olson, PhD, professor of physical education and exercise science at Auburn University–Montgomery, Alabama. 

Here are 24 moves, from simple to killer, that will keep your daily core workouts interesting!

7 Ways To Lose Weight When You're Over 60

For many of us, life gets better—easier, even—as we get older. We get more comfortable and confident in our own skin. We weed out what doesn't work for us and invite more of what does work into our lives. There's a certain clarity that inspires us not to sweat the small stuff so much and to keep the big picture in mind.

If only exercise, healthy eating, and weight loss fell into that "it gets easier with age" category.

Instead, dropping pounds can often feel harder than ever. After all, that stiff back that keeps you from bounding out of bed in the morning can make it less inspiring to go to the gym, a busy schedule can prompt you to eat on the run, and those 10 pounds you gained in your 40s can become an extra 20 pounds in your 50s and, well, you get the idea. (Want to lose weight but are short on time? 

The 10 Biggest Mistakes You Make When You're Trying to Lose 50-Plus Pounds

Planning to drop a lot of pounds? You'll be happy to know that the first 10 or more will come off quickly. (Here's how to get started.) That's a thrill, but losing more and keeping it off takes planning, effort, and discipline. Although you'll find the challenge physically and mentally exhausting, every pound you shed equals success. "The most important thing to remember is any weight loss is good," says Louis Aronne, MD, director of the Comprehensive Weight Control Center at Weill-Cornell Medical College and author of the forthcoming book The Change Your Biology Diet: The Proven Program for Lifelong Weight Loss. "Any weight loss will improve your cardiovascular function, reduce your risk for diabetes, and help your blood-pressure." 

When you start your weight loss journey, avoid these common mistakes and you'll achieve the results you're after!

7 Ways To Lose Weight In 7 Days

Boost your chances for lasting success in just one week with these sensible tips

There's a lot more to losing weight than simply eating better and working out. If you want to dramatically increase your chances for long-term success, you'll also want to modify the behavior that surrounds your meals and physical activity.

Try following these simple tips for one week—one for each day—to learn how to approach food and exercise differently.

Sunday: Plan your meals for the week

Eating can become just as disorganized and chaotic as any other activity that isn't thought out ahead of time. Planning establishes structure, which can help you stay within a calorie budget, reduce daily decision-making, and prevent overeating. Carve out some time today to think through a plan for the week. Start with a few basic foods to eat each day and add others to diversify your meals. Make a grocery list as you go. (Make it even easier! Cook quick meals at home that taste great and fight fat! Sign up for Chef'd and get all the ingredients and recipes delivered to your doorstep.) 

9 Ways To Get A Flat Belly By Friday

Need another reason to hate Mondays? Tight postweekend waistbands. Unless you spent the past 2 days living like a monk, the cocktails, movie snacks, and dinners out can all add up to one thing: belly bloat. (That kind of eating can do a number on your GI tract, too. 

“If you wake up bloated on Monday morning, your weekend food choices are likely to blame,” explains Keri Gans, RD, author of The Small Change Diet. “In fact, overindulging for two days straight can easily cause a gain of three pounds. Fortunately, this weight gain is usually temporary and easy to get rid of in less than a week.”

Feel flat again by Friday with these 9 easy tips:

15 Teeny Tiny Changes To Lose Weight Faster

Lose weight fast with just one easy tweak to your routine per week 

If your goal is to lose weight and exercise more, forget the deprivation diet and marathon workouts. Research shows that taking baby steps—not giant leaps—is the best way to get lasting results. 

A study published in the Annals of Behavioral Medicine found that participants who made one small, potentially permanent change in their food choices and/or physical activity each week (such as drinking one fewer can of soda or walking 5 more minutes each day) lost more than twice as much belly fat, 2½ more inches off their waistlines, and about 4 times more weight during a 4-month program, compared with those who followed traditional calorie-restriction and physical-activity guidelines.

"When you focus on just a couple of small changes at a time, you begin to ingrain some healthy habits that last for a lifetime, rather than trying an all-or-nothing approach that more often than not fails because it's too hard to follow," says Lesley Lutes, PhD, an assistant professor in the department of psychology at East Carolina University.

How To Drink Apple Cider Vinegar For Weight Loss

We’ve heard for years that drinking apple cider vinegar can help you lose weight, but there’s never been much research to support the claim. That is, until now. 

Turns out, sipping on apple cider vinegar (often called ACV) before a meal may help lower your blood sugar, finds new research published in the Journal of Functional Foods. Study participants who drank a tablespoon of ACV mixed with 8 ounces of water prior to eating had lower blood glucose levels compared to participants who didn’t consume the tart solution. “Acetic acid, the main component in vinegar, may interfere with the body’s ability to digest starch,” says lead study author Carol Johnston, PhD, associate director of the School of Nutrition and Health Promotion at Arizona State University. 

How To Lose 30 Pounds Fast

Tap into the power of negative training

Almost everyone who's lost weight has eventually put the weight back on. Why this cruel reality? It's simple, really: During the first months of any diet, your body loses both fat and muscle. Then, when you gain back the weight, you add back only fat because it's much easier to gain fat than it is to gain muscle.

"That's the dirty little secret of most popular diet plans," says exercise researcher Ellington Darden, PhD, author of the new Women's Health book, The Body Fat Breakthrough. "They don't combine muscle-maintaining exercises with the calorie reduction. More muscle is your ticket to a better body."

6 Things You Can Do In The Morning To Promote Weight Loss All Day Long

The best part of mornings is that they’re so full of potential! No matter whether you laced up your sneaks yesterday or overindulged on a co-worker’s birthday cake, it’s a fresh chance to get closer to your health goals. To keep that get-fit momentum going all day long, start your day off right with these morning habits that will motivate you even more. 

1. Get Some Sun

Basking in the sun’s rays can help you drop pounds, according to research published in the journal PLOS ONE. Study authors had 54 participants wear wrist monitors that recorded their exposure to morning light for seven days. During that period, participants kept food diaries to track their calorie intake. The people who spent more time in morning light had lower BMIs than those who were in the dark, no matter their age, activity level, or what they ate. Why? Morning light helps regulate your internal clock, which aids your sleep schedule (crucial for weight loss). Morning sunshine also contains higher levels of blue light, which has the strongest effect on your circadian rhythm. You only need 20-30 minutes of morning sunlight between 8 a.m. and noon to get in on these benefits! 

5 Ways To Lose Weight Without Dieting Or Exercising

Here's the thing: You know about dieting. You know about exercise. Yes they'll help you shed pounds, but they take a lot of work and willpower. What you may not realize is that there are several ways to lose weight that don't require denying yourself and endless hours at the gym. Incorporate these five habits, and you'll start slimming down right away. And if you're already active and watching what you eat (which is always a good idea, of course), these tricks will help you lose weight a lot faster.

Cool Off

This trick requires nothing more than a stroll over to the thermostat. Turn the heater down a few degrees and you'll activate a type of body fat that actually burns calories. While adults have mostly white fat, as infants we had primarily brown fat. In recent years, researchers have come to realize that brown fat actually burns calories to help generate heat. A recent trial published in The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism reports that when we're exposed to cooler temperatures, some of our inert stores of white fat convert to a darker, beige color and begin burning calories. You don't have to live in a freezer, either: A British study from 2012 suggests that lowering the thermostat by just two to four degrees—aim for the mid to high 60s—can trigger the fat conversion.