5 Exercises to Love Your Lower Body
People ask me about trimming down their inner thighs almost as much as they ask about losing the “muffin top,” whether or not it’s okay to eat carbs, and the true meaning of life. Truth is, there are easy things you can do to really firm up your thighs. When you combine this toning with a killer butt workout routine, you can start loving your lower body like never before.
1. Squeeze it. Your “adductors” are the inner thighs – an area often overlooked in normal workouts (unless you’re a speed skater). Adductor machines are great for targeting this area (which can be found in most gyms), but if you don’t have access to one, you can activate this area whether you’re standing in line at the bank or doing squats at home.
Try this now: Stand normally, feet parallel and hip-width apart, abdominals tight, and shoulders back. Without changing the angle of your feet, try to rotate your hips outward simply by using the muscles in your inner thigh – and simultaneously try not to tighten your glute muscles. As you practice this, you can actually feel the action beginning all the way down in the soles of your feet, activating those thigh muscles and also helping you stand a little taller.
And try this later: Next time you’re doing a set of squats, use a slightly wider stance than you usually would (roughly a few inches beyond your wider-than-hip-width position). Turn the toes outward slightly, and as you lower down into the squat, you’ll feel all the normal lower body muscles firing (glutes, quadriceps, hamstrings, and core) – but this time you’ll notice a little extra emphasis on that hard-to-reach inner area!
2. Lift it. Once upon a time, leg lifts were invented for women who wanted to work the inner and outer thighs – but after the hundredth lift, they didn’t find their happily-ever-after. Adding some resistance to those classic moves helps you take results to the next level. That’s one of the many benefits of tubing – it allows you to target areas that aren’t as engaged when you’re doing simple front/back movements. For a quick & easy at-home workout, try the Stay Firm Lower Body Kit – these two 15 minutes workouts will tighten those thighs and lift your bottom, so don’t be surprised if you catch Prince Charming checking you out.
3. Live it. Take your new-found inner thigh awareness into your everyday life. The same way you can work your abdominals from your desk, you can also engage your thigh muscles right now, as you read this. Squishy balls are terrific – I like to keep one under my desk so that I can do some extra thigh squeezes when I’m sitting at the computer. It’s like a stress-relief ball for the legs – one that helps you get a lower body you’ll love. You’ll get one of those balls, plus Figure 8 Tubing, Stretching Strap, 2 DVD’s and my Feed Muscle Shrink Fat Book, in my Body Sculpt Kit, which gives you an awesome adductor (and full-body) workout.
4. Balance it. Balance exercises not only strengthen our cores, improving our stability and overall health – but they also engage some must-have muscles in the lower body. Many yoga moves – like tree pose – are great for this very reason.
5. Burn it. The lower body plays a major role in our cardiovascular systems – since you can’t walk, run, or step very far without it. And, the fat-burning benefits of cardio are a key component to trimming down your thighs. To improve your heart health AND walk away those thighs, check out my Walkfit MP3 Super Playlist – you’ll get seven of my walking mp3 discs for only $34.99 (normally over $75), making your walking experience easier and much more fun!
