Nowadays everybody wants to slim down and burn fat or build muscle but the majority focus on getting a flatter stomach, bigger biceps, and larger pectoral muscles. Many people just want to tone their body so that they can fit in a particular piece of apparel; but what most people forget or rather ignore is the fact that they need to work out their legs just as much as any other part of the body. The legs support your entire weight so it is essential that they remain strong plus a pair of lean toned down thighs look great on the beach.
Fat accumulates in the legs especially in the thighs and this is quite common among women. In men, the fat tends to get stored towards the hips and the glutes. Working out the legs will:
- Improve your overall body strength
- Boost your running power
- Increase your athletic abilities
- Reduce the risk of an injury
- Improve your balance
- Increase the metabolism
- Relieve the pain in the lower back
Fat is lost throughout the body in a proportional manner and as you slim down, your legs will as well. If you have ever been called ‘thunder thighs’ before, then here are ways to get rid of the stubborn fat in your legs. Keep in mind that there is no such thing as spot reduction and you cannot target a specific area to burn the fat from. It is achieved through the right combination of exercise and diet.
Create a Realistic Plan for Weight Loss
The best way to lose fat on a consistent basis is to incorporate a fat loss plan that lasts for 30 days. This is done through portion control which triggers the process of fat loss. The way to go about this is to implement a caloric deficit in your diet of about 500 to 1000 calories by eating less and exercising more. As a result, you will start to lose 1 to 2 pounds in a week.
However you need to make sure that you don’t consume less than 1800 calories in a day if you are a man and less than 1200 calories if you are a woman, or else there will be a decrease in the metabolic rate of your body. You might be motivated to get rid of the fat in your legs in the shortest period of time; however there are no shortcuts to weight loss and it could backfire as well.
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Eat Foods that Burn Leg Fat
Well technically there isn’t one magic food that will just burn off the fat in your legs. But there are foods that will aid you on your quest of getting leaner legs and help with overall weight loss as well. You need to incorporate unprocessed, high quality foods in your diet such as:
- Vegetables that are high in fiber like broccoli, cauliflowers, spinach, lettuce, and leafy greens. These foods contain low calories and the fiber present will provide a feeling of being full, thereby reducing cravings.
- Foods that are rich in proteins like eggs, lean steak, fish, chicken breast, dried beans, low-fat dairy, and tofu. Protein helps in burning fat and assists in maintaining muscle mass especially when you are on a low calorie diet.
- Foods which contain the good fats, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats. These good fats actually help promote weight loss and will enable you to burn fat from your legs. They can be found in fatty fish, flaxseeds, walnuts, avocados, and olive oil. Avoid transfats and saturated fats like the plague.
Start Exercising
Performing exercises must have always turned you off from the idea of weight loss but since you want a pair of great looking legs, then you have to implement certain exercises in order to achieve that goal. The most feasible and practical way to burn fat from the legs is by doing cardiovascular exercises like walking, running, jogging, cycling, rowing etc. Running and cycling are the two best methods of working out your legs.
Weight training is also crucial in promoting the loss of fat in the legs and in the body. This is because it increases the metabolism of the body and an increase in the muscle mass will cause your body to burn more calories than usual. Leg exercises such as lunges, deadlifts, step-ups, and squats are the most effective forms of leg exercises that will burn leg fat and build shape in your legs.
Sohail has been searching diets and belly fat solutions for over a decade, and manage a pool of trained authors to write articles, which have helped thousands of readers to this date. He has CPD accredited Certificate in Nutrition for Weight Loss besides his MBA degree. He also owns this website, which he founded in 2013 to share his ideas and knowledge. Not to mention he has tried numerous supplements over the years and has an extensive and thorough knowledge on supplements. Besides spending time on his study, research and literature, Sohail loves swimming, gardening and travelling.
