How to lose thigh fat: exercises and remedies

Squats engage the large muscles of your lower body, helping you to increase your lean mass. The more muscles you have, the more calories you can burn. Completing a higher number of squats using either your own body weight or light resistance helps thin your thighs. Doing 20 squats each morning is a great start to keeping your thigh muscles strong. If you feel like 20 squats is not enough to give you a good workout, do more until you feel like you’re challenging yourself. Be careful to not go overboard though!

Yoga exercises along with a healthy diet can help you tone your thigh muscles. Yoga poses such as Utkatasana (Chair Pose), Virabhadrasana II (Warrier Pose II), Badda Konasana (Butterfly pose), Malasana (Garland Pose) give a good stretch to your thighs and hips and also helps in enhancing the blood flow to these areas. This helps to tighten and tone the thigh muscles. You can do these exercises for atleast 30 minutes in the morning.

With this approach, you alternate jogging with running to increase strength and reduce fat. For example, start out jogging for a few minutes. Then, alternate to running for a few minutes. Rotate between the two activities for at least 30 minutes. Over time, you’ll be able to run for your entire workout session, which burns more calories and fat.

Walking can definitely help you lose your extra weight and firm down the thighs. It would be even more helpful if you walk the road inclined up, for say a hilly road. Walking up to 5 km will help you achieve your goal even faster. A study in 2000 alleged that increased physical fitness and subsequent weight loss is associated with thigh fat reduction. Take a walk for at least 30 minutes in the morning or evening.  

Studies show that acidic foods help increase the rate at which the body burns off carbs by up to 40 per cent! And the faster you burn off carbs, the quicker your body starts burning fat, so you can fit into those skinny jeans.

Apple cider vinegar is comprised mostly of acetic acid, which has been shown to slow gastric emptying and reduce the release of sugar into the bloodstream. Research published in the Journal of Bioscience, Biotechnology, Biochemistry found that a small pool of study participants given ACV over a 12-week period reduced more weight, body fat and inches from their middle than participants that were given a placebo.

You can consume a mixture of a teaspoon of honey, a teaspoon of the vinegar and a cup of warm drinking water half an hour before going to sleep to get the fat reduction.

A handful of almonds packs is a serious fat-burning punch. One study of overweight individuals established that eating about 10-20 almonds daily for 6 months led to a 62 per cent greater reduction in weight and body mass index (BMI). According to a study conducted in 2015, eating just 40 grams of almonds daily led to a reduction in belly and leg fat.

You can eat almonds before working out: The amino acid L-arginine can help you burn more fat and carbs.

Triphala is a well-recognized and highly effective polyherbal Ayurvedic medicine. Studies suggest that Triphala treatment decreased the percentage of body fat, body weight, and energy intake. It helps the body flush out the toxins and digest the saturated fats.

You can take a spoon of Triphala powder directly with water before sleeping or may also soak one spoon of powder overnight, strain and drink the water in the morning.

Brahmi or Centella asiatica extract is derived from an aquatic plant grown in India and Southeast Asia and is known to stimulate fibroblastic activity and collagen synthesis in the extracellular matrix and reduces the size of adipocytes. It also spurs lymphatic drainage and has anti-inflammatory activity.

Studies have found that Brahmi is useful in opposing cellulite as it helps in restoring the connective tissue in the skin and boosting microcirculation. It also promotes the collagen production in the skin which helps in maintaining the skin. Moreover, Brahmi, also known as gotu kola is a popular ingredient used in anti-cellulite creams.

You can grind Brahmi leaves to make a paste and mix with water depending on the area you need to apply it on. Mix well and apply directly on the cellulite. Massage the area for a few minutes and let the paste dry. It would be better if you leave it on overnight and wash it off the next morning.

Caffeine improves the blood flow and spurs the fat cells to release fat to the bloodstream that is burnt by the body’s metabolism. Caffeine acts to drain the fat cells, tones the skin and help to reduce the appearance of fatty cellulite. Furthermore, caffeine being a diuretic helps to remove water from fat cells, thereby reducing the circumference of thighs. Caffeine acts on the adipose cells, favouring lipolysis and activates the triglyceride lipase enzyme that breaks down triglycerides into free fatty acids and glycerol.

You can take a half cup of coconut oil, half a cup of ground coffee beans or powder and half a cup of raw sugar. Apply this on your thighs and wrap with some cloth or plastic for at least 15 minutes. Wash the area with warm water afterwards. You can store the mixture and use this every 3 days for 2-3 months.

Artichoke is a vegetable, originated from a species of thistle. It is characterized by its flowering bloom which consists of a cluster of small flowers. This vegetable is a good source of Vitamin C, potassium and biotin in the plant, as well as niacin, riboflavin and folic acid. Artichoke is used to mobilize fatty stores in the liver and detoxify it, and as a natural aid to lower cholesterol.  In addition, it exercises a specific control on lipolysis, favouring the synthesis of energy-transporting enzymes.

You can take artichoke water thrice a day. To make the artichoke water, you can boil two artichokes in water and strain it in a bottle. You can take this water after every main meal you take.

Green tea contains catechins that influence energy and fat metabolism in the body. A study examined the effect of green tea extract on fat reduction in men and women with no lifestyle changes. It was found that green tea reduced the body fat, cholesterol levels, and blood pressure, thus decreasing the risk of heart diseases.

Dosage: It is recommended to drink 2-3 cups of green tea every day.

It turns out that there are various topical creams which are proving to be a faster and easier way to reduce body fat. Topical creams work by loosening up the adipose tissue or temporarily dehydrating them. This helps the natural metabolism to make use of this as an energy source.

So rather than using the consumed energy they burn stored fat by a process called Lipolysis Fat burning mechanism. The fat burning cream also initiates vasodilation, that causes an increased blood flow to the region applied.

In one study, scientists used  a cream that contained Glycyrrhetinic acid to 18 healthy females’ thighs (ages 20-33) and after 4 weeks they had a greater overall average of decrease in subcutaneous adipose tissue (the fat under the skin) from the thigh applied with the Glycrrhetinic Acid cream than the thigh not applied with the Glycrrhetinic Acid.

Most of these creams include ingredients such as Glycyrrhetinic acid, bitter orange extract, cocoa, andiroba, caffeine and aminophylline. You can buy the cream from the chemist, but keep in mind the product is certified to use, is safe and there are studies that back the product.

A body wrap is basically a sheet or a blanket made of plastic or linen that is wrapped around your body or at specific areas of the body on top of a layer of herbal or natural ingredients. It helps you sweat without moving an inch, which, in turn, helps flush out toxins and reduce inches from that wrapped area. However, having a leg wrap too tightly may lead to slow blood circulation, dizziness or light-headedness, so it is advisable to loosen up the wrap.

Massage improves blood circulation, exfoliates the skin surface and increasing blood flow. You may use coconut oil to lose extra fat from your body. The fatty acids in coconut oil get absorbed directly into the cell membranes and are immediately converted into energy instead of being stored as fat. Massage is a scientifically-proven treatment method for reduction of fat in thighs. Massage your thighs with warm coconut oil for 10 minutes daily.

Follow a diet rich in fibre, nutrients and low in fats. According to a study, individuals who consumed several daily servings of whole grains (such as oats) while refraining from refined grains, had 10 per cent less belly fat than people who ate the same amount of white carbs. Also, a diet rich in antioxidants prevents the calories from being converted to fats. 

Include fruits and whole-grain diet in one of your meals daily. You can go for oats, porridge or whole-wheat bran in your lunch or dinner.

Water helps to flush out the toxins from the body and is also associated with enhanced lipolysis, according to the scientists. A study conducted in 2014 specified that drinking plenty of water played a role in fat reduction, body weight loss and hunger suppression amongst overweight women.  

Drink at least 2-3 litres of water every day. You can take warm water added with lemon and honey for extra benefits.

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