Slimming of Lower Legs

I read this great piece on MSN this morning, and as a certified fitness instructor myself it's one of the most common questions asked. Great info here...especially about intervals. For myself and others that have bad knees, treadmill/elliptical at a constant high rate may not be the answer. I do the "7s". What is that? I walk, say at about 4 mph for 6 minutes and then do a 7 mph rate for 1 full minute. I call it the 7s but it probably should be called the 4-6-n-1? Well the point is...the body does a better job of building the heart and eliminating fat if you do intervals of high intensity rather than a medium rate for a longer period of time. Try it next time you workout. See how much you sweat by doing the "7s" for 30 minutes or any combination of intervals that works for you compared to a standard 30 minute "same rate" routine.

Let me know your comments and thoughts.


Elliptical or Treadmill?
Which cardio machine is the best to slim down heavy thighs?
By Martica Heaner, M.A., M.Ed., for MSN Health & Fitness

Q. I walk on the treadmill every day for three miles at 4 miles per hour. I haven’t noticed any fat loss in my legs yet. Would I get leaner legs by using the elliptical trainer instead?

A. To decrease fat in your legs, you need to aim for body-fat loss all over since you can’t dictate to your body where it sheds fat. Fat loss is about burning more calories than you eat. Both the treadmill and the elliptical are great ways to burn extra calories. But how hard you work on either of them (and how long you stick to it) will affect how many calories you burn. That, in turn, will affect how quickly you see fat loss.

Elliptical trainers have different levels of resistance. To burn the most calories that you can in the time you spend in your workout, try to move quickly through higher levels of resistance. Aim to work out at the highest levels of intensity that you feel comfortable with.
When it comes to burning calories on a treadmill, there is a big difference between walking, jogging and running. Generally, walking burns fewer calories since you are working at a lower intensity—unless you add hills to your walk, speed up your walk, and even try to insert some jogging intervals into your walk.

You don’t mention how long you’ve been at your current routine. But keep in mind that lower body fat is resilient. It’s a healthy kind of fat, unlike ab fat, which is associated with increased health risks. Not only that, there is a decreased circulation of fat-burning enzymes in the lower body area, which also explains why it’s harder to budge.

Some research suggests that, for women especially, more high-intensity exercise is needed to help budge stubborn fat. So, is your walk too easy? Walking at 4 miles per hour may be a moderate pace if you are fit or over 5-foot-7-inches, but it might be a vigorous pace if you are new to exercise or 5-foot-4-inches and under. If you’re not pushing yourself, speed up to burn more calories.

And watch out for off-duty eating. Often, women who begin an exercise program in the hopes of losing weight, compensate for the calories they burned in their workout by eating more. You may only be burning about 300 calories on your three-mile walk. All you’d need to do to negate that burn is to sneak in an extra candy bar, or a couple of beers. Sometimes, people feel like they deserve to splurge as a reward for their workout. But if you do, you’re unlikely to see the fat loss you desire (although you’d still be getting all the health benefits of the walk).

To ensure that you’re not eating as much as you exercise off, keep a food and fitness log for a week to keep track of your energy input and output. Also, try bumping up your calorie burn by either walking faster, longer, or at a higher intensity (add inclines), or by inserting some jogging sprints.