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.