by Pat Lunsford

Created on: January 31, 2008   Last Updated: October 20, 2009

The first step in losing fat from thighs and hips is to reduce your caloric intake and the best method is to avoid those sugary drinks which will reduce bloating and rid you of excess water weight.

Aerobic exercise is essential to burn off fat, especially from thighs and hips, and you don't need to jar your frame out of whack by jogging or jumping all over the place.

Walking is a form of aerobic exercise that focuses on the calves, thighs and hips. A stiff-paced, thirty minute walk will burn a lot of calories and fat. A daily routine of walking and a few moderate exercises will tone leg muscles, trim hips and firm thighs.

Always do stretches before any kind of exercises and start off slowly doing only a few of each a day until you get your body in shape then increase.

Fat-burning, Thigh-firming, Hip-reducing exercises:

* Scissors:
Lying on your side, lift your legs simultaneously into the air and move them back and forth in a scissor-like fashion. Turn to the other side and repeat. Do this for about two or three minutes at first and increase each day.

* Reverse Scissor:
Lying on your side, lift the top leg and slowly lower it until it touches the other. This will really tighten those thigh muscles.

* Leg Weight Lifts:
Attach weights to your lower leg and sit in a straight-backed chair. Lift one leg, and then the other then both. This will not only tone your legs and thighs, it will also strengthen your stomach muscles. Do only a few at first and increase each day.

* Chair Crunches:
Holding onto the back of a chair, squat down as low as you can (slowly) and rise back up. This will tighten all of your leg muscles. Be sure to keep your back straight. Do only a few of these if you want to be able to get out of bed the next day. They are very effective and will leave you sore. Go slow and see how many you can handle.

* Upside Down Bicycle:
Lying flat on your back, hands beneath your thighs, elbows on the floor, raise your thighs and pedal your legs as if you were riding an invisible bicycle upside down. This is a very good exercise for the thighs while burning calories at the same time. You can also use the leg weights with this exercise. If you have a bicycle, by all means do ride it because it is absolutely one of the best ways to firm thighs while burning off calories.

The new health trend, dubbed the Jesus diet, spawned by Dr. Colbert's book, "What would Jesus eat?" has helped a number of people slim down and buff up. Based on the Mediterranean culture, the Jesus diet focuses on whole grains, fruits, nuts, veggies and seeds.

It is well documented that the Savior was a carpenter using ancient tools which made the profession very strenuous. Furthermore, He traveled great distances so evidently, He was in good physical shape. Most of the apostles also had strenuous occupations and traveled long distances as well. Likely as not, they ate what they found along the way which would've included foods such as figs, olives, dates, seeds, pomegranates and sardine-like fish.

Therefore, a healthy, well-balanced diet, coupled with exercise, is the key to overall fitness. Drink lots of water, green tea, cranberry juice and include fish in your diet. Nuts are healthy treats that are loaded with heart-healthy omega 3 acids and muscle building protein. But don't forget the veggies for those important vitamins and minerals.

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