Totorus

Photo credit by JaBB

Attaining a solid pair of slim hips isn't one of the easier goals to reach in the fitness realm. Slim hips not only require a great deal of dedication, but also a near perfect workout and eating regimen. Unfortunately, this can be a real pain to accomplish because most gym goers are doing something wrong. This something may be related to exercise, eating, or supplementation. Regardless, that little something is what will likely hold you back. Although both diet and exercise are important when it comes to slimming down your hips, we're going to take a heavier look at exercise with only a minor peek into the area of dieting.


Some of the best exercises to slim down the hips are the most unknown to the general population. Many lifters these days stick to the basics and the basics only - crunches and sit ups. While both of these exercises are great for abdominal recruitment, they won't be able to finish the job alone. Check out the following two exercises for a nice change of pace in your hip-slimming endeavors. Both of these exercises place high stress on the obliques, or love handles.

• Hanging Leg Raises with a twist. Grab onto a pull up bar and allow yourself to hang straight down. Keep your legs and feet glued together. From this position, contract your abdominals and raise your legs into the air while maintaining a rigid torso. Instead of pulling them up directly in front of the body, however, twist them slightly to the right or left side. When your feet become parallel with the floor, lower them back to the starting position. Alternate sides.



• Russian twists. Sit down on the floor in an upright position. Lean slightly backwards until you're back angling roughly 40 degrees to the floor. Hold this position and slightly bend the knees. With a medicine ball or light plate held between your hands, proceed to twist back and forth from left to right. Make sure to maintain the 45 degree angle for best results.

With the exercising portion out of the way, what should you be eating to slim down those hips? The following list is both short and simple. Remember that balance is key.

• Start out by stocking up on some high-quality protein. Try to stick with lean cuts of meat. Chicken, beef, pork, and fish are all great sources of protein. Although beef and pork are generally fattier, they provide you with a number of important nutrients, such as iron and creatine, that may be be pulled in from many other sources.



• Next, focus on bringing in the healthy fats. These include both mono-unsaturated and poly-unsaturated fats. A few crucial fatty foods you should be taking in include nuts, flax seed oil, and natural peanut butter. As stated above, meats such as beef and pork often contain a higher fat content. Be sure to limit these as best you can - the saturated fat found in these meats is linked to all sorts dangerous diseases. The final type of fat is trans fat. Try to avoid trans fat when possible, as it is an even bigger threat than saturated fat.



• Last but not least, we find ourselves face to face with the carbohydrate group. Take in plenty of whole wheat and multi-grain carbs - there are a lot of healthy recipes out there for sweet potatoes! Don't leave out the veggies, either.