We all know that there are many individuals, both men and women who are desperately looking for options to lose leg fat. If this is something that is holding you back, then you’ve most probably clicked on the right post. When you’re able to lose leg fast, you will soon notice your self-confidence increasing as you will again be able to wear shorts, tight jeans and skirts without having to worry about what others will think of it.
Hence, without much ado, let’s check out how leg fat accumulates and what you can do in order to shed those unwanted fat in your leg area. Read on.
Development of leg fat – How does it happen?
First of all, it is both healthy and normal to have body fat and as per the American Council on Exercise or ACE, men who have a normal weight have 18-25% body fat in an average and women have 25-32% body fat. Usually body fat gets distributed evenly but there may be few areas where fat accumulates more and these are due to genetic factors. Leg fat can comprise of various types of fat cells.
- Intramuscular fat: This is fat that is dispersed within the muscles, very similar to the marbling that you see in meat.
- Subcutaneous fat: This is mostly common around the thighs and it is located just under the skin.
Few ways to tone your legs and bid goodbye to leg fat
- Aerobics
The foremost step to burn overall body fat is aerobics. The American College of Sports Medicine recommends 30 minutes of exercise 5 days a week. Irrespective of whether you swim, walk or cycle, it’s vital to choose some form of exercise which can be completed at a moderate intensity to put your heart rate up. Cycling can help your hamstrings, calves, quadriceps and gluteus.
- Strengthen your leg muscles
Only losing fat will not do, as you also have to strengthen your leg muscles at the same time to avoid getting a flabby leg look. Invest some time in doing exercises which define your muscles. Rowing machines and weights are effective leg strengthening exercises and you can work on leg muscles without any special equipment.
- Reduce your calorie intake
Exercise is one of the most effective ways of toning your leg muscles but along with exercises, you also have to fight against your fat cells within your body. Firstly, reduce the amount of calories as your body naturally uses up excess fat as the next source of energy. You can consider the calories as a budget and try your best to stay either within or under your body during most days of the week.
Ultimately, you won’t find any magic diet which can help you eliminate your leg fat but if you just keep a watch on what you eat, that will do. Before you make considerable dietary changes, you need to talk to your dietitian or doctor to know about the underlying medical conditions. You can even read this to know about the 30-days leg challenge.