Leg Slimming Exercises: How to Get Then Toned and Thin

Jiggly thighs can make any man or woman self conscious. With summer right around the corner, you are going to want to whip out your shorts, bikinis, or Speedos to show off those toned and defined leg muscles.  But what if your legs are not exactly the way you want them to look? If your legs have you reaching for a towel cover or a long pair of pants, there is no need to panic.  Luckily, there are a variety of different exercises that you can try out for your legs regardless of whether you workout at home or at a gym.  We have 4 methods packed with some helpful and effective leg slimming exercises that will help you strengthen, tighten, and tone your legs to achieve an ideal pair of slim legs for the summer.

Method 1: Easy Leg Slimming Exercises

Walk:  We can all do this one, right?  Walking might seem like such a simple exercise, and many people think its effects will not be great.  However, if you walk around 10,000 steps a day, you can achieve slim leg results in around a month.  When you are walking, make sure that you have a good pair of sneakers or flat shoes to keep your feet comfortable.
Run:  Walking is a good start, but running is definitely going to help you burn more fat if this is your goal as well.  Running requires a lot more energy than walking, and you can aim to start running once a week and then transition up to three times per week.  When you run, choose a running route that is flat so you can build up your quad and calf muscles.  This will help you slim down your legs.
Biking:  If you enjoy wheels, try biking or stationary biking at the gym.  Bike riding burns a lot more calories than people think (500-600 an hour).  This is one of the best ways that you can hone in on slimming your legs down, because they are going to be constantly pedaling at those wheels.
Floor exercises:  Simple floor exercises can also help you slim down your legs.

1. Lie flat on your back with your legs flat on the floor.
2. Place your arms out and bring your knee up as high as you can.
3. Now kick your other leg as high as it can go and return it back to the floor.
4. Try about 60 of these kicks on each side.

Leg Rolls:  Leg rolls are also an easy leg exercise to do to slim your legs down.

1. Lie on your right side with your left arm on the floor for support.
2. Raise your left leg to hip level.
3. Do a circular motion with your leg for about 60 circles.
4. Switch sides and do about 60 more.

Thigh Squeezes:  If you have a stability ball at home, you can try out some inner thigh squeezes to tighten and tone your leg muscles.

1. Lie on your back and elevate your legs.  Keep your knees bent and your buttocks pointing upwards.
2. Position the ball between your legs and give it a forceful squeeze lasting one full second.
3. Release your squeezing pressure and then squeeze again.
4. Repeat this about 15 to 20 times.

Trampoline:  Trampolines do not just have to be for kids.  If you have one available, try rebounding on a trampoline.  This will burn a good amount of calories while working your leg muscles into a more slim and toned appearance.  To top it all off, this exercise is a lot of fun!
Pilates:  Pilates is a nice and easy way to build lean, long leg muscles.  There is a lot of stretching involved in palates, and it will burn fat in your trouble areas.  If you do not want to attend a Pilates class, there are plenty of online Pilates classes that you can take in the comfort of your own home and on your own time, such as this one.

Method 2: Gym Leg Slimming Exercises

Swimming:  Swimming works out your whole body, and is an excellent way to burn leg fat as well as build up some leg muscle.  If you plan on kicking around, be sure to go to a public pool that is not too crowded so that you can move around freely.
Stability Ball:  To try out one of these exercises at the gym:

1. Lie on a mat or bed and place the stability ball in front of you.
2. Put your legs up on top of the ball and roll the ball in towards your hips until it can no longer go any closer.  Be sure that your hips do not hit the floor.

Elliptical:  The elliptical will help you build your calf muscle if you use an incline.  However, if you want to keep your legs slim, long, and lean, use your elliptical trainer without an incline and keep the resistance to a low.

Method 3: More Leg Slimming Exercises to Try

Here are some more exercises that require a bit more balance and concentration.  However, they will work to tighten and tone everything from your legs to your butt, ankles, and everything else in between.
Warrior III:  This is a yoga move that will tone both your legs and your core.

1. Stand with your feet together, and lift up your left leg while pointing your toe.  Put your body weight on your right leg and lift your left leg while dropping your head to form a horizontal line from your head to toe.
2. Tighten your core and make sure your thigh, hip, and toes are aligned.  Also, make sure that your back is as straight as possible.
3. Hold this position for 5 breaths and then return to standing.  Switch legs and repeat.

Chair Squat:  This is a great way to tone your legs without much equipment.

1. Stand with your back to a chair and your feet hip-width apart.
2. Draw in your abs and push your hips forward while lowering your butt toward the chair.
3. Pause in a sitting position and engage your core.
4. Return to standing position.  Do about 3 sets of 10 to 15 of these exercises.

Low Lunge:  Use this hovering move to work out your legs and your butt.

1. Stand with feet hip-width apart.
2. Lower your body into lunge stance with your left knee over your ankle.
3. Bring your arms above and over your head while you push forward from your waist.
4. As you do this, lower your chest forward and use your arms to reach forward.
5. Finally, lift your right leg while keeping your left leg completely straight.
6. Hold this position for 3 breaths.

Leg Lift:  This leg slimming exercise will target your quads.

1. Stand facing a chair and raise your right leg with your knee facing up.  Keep your foot flexed and place your heel on the chair’s seat.
2. Lift your right foot off the chair and straighten it.  Do this until you feel your quadriceps tighten and engage.
3. Keep your lifted leg in the air and bend your other leg on the floor slightly.  After you do this, slowly straighten it back out.
4. Do 10 to 15 of these, switch sides, and repeat for 1 full set.  Aim to do a total of 3 sets.

Method 4: Healthy Diet

Although leg slimming exercises will do a lot to slim, tone, and straighten your legs into how you want them to look, your diet is also going to play a large part in helping your legs slim down.  Here are some important diet tips to remember while you are exercising to slim down your legs.

• Eat protein:  Protein is essentially for everyone, and especially for people who are working out regularly.  Protein is going to help you maintain the muscle tone on your legs.  Protein is also filling and will help you feel full for a longer time than other foods.  Make sure that you are sticking primarily to lean proteins, such as: fish, chicken, or turkey.
• Fruits and veggies:  The food pyramid suggestions about 3 to 4 servings of fruit a day.  Include fruits and vegetables in each of your meals.  Both of these essential foods are going to provide you with your daily dose of dietary fiber, which is going to help your legs slim down by reducing the amount of fat that your body stores.
• Water:  Water is important, and you need to drink a lot of it.  All of us should be drinking around 8 to 10 glasses of water each day.  Water is going to help flush out any harmful toxins in our body, keep our skin hydrated, and ensure that our bodies stay slim, toned, and glowing for the summer.
• Avoid high-fat and sugar-laden foods:  This is a tip for anyone looking to slim down or lose weight.  Foods that are high in fat and sugar are packed with empty calories.  Empty calories are void of energy, and the fat content in foods such as: cookies, ice cream, cake, and chocolate are just going to go straight to your legs and thighs.
• Avoid salty foods:  Salt will make you bloated and will make your skin dry and dehydrated.  Some overly salty foods are peanuts, popcorn, and most frozen or pre-packed meals or snacks.

 

 

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