How to Reduce Hip Fat
If you’re looking to reduce hip fat and tone your hips, there are some easy steps you can take. Reducing hip fat is all about keeping up a healthy lifestyle—eating right, exercising regularly, and getting enough sleep. Read on to find out some tips and tricks to help you reduce hip fat.
1. Increase Protein Intake
Eating high-protein foods can help reduce hip fat by increasing metabolism and helping build lean muscle mass while simultaneously burning away excess fat stores in the area. Eating protein also helps keep you feeling fuller longer, so it’s easier to resist cravings throughout the day. Good sources of protein include lean meats and fish, nuts, and seeds, eggs, and dairy products like Greek yogurt and cottage cheese.
2. Cut Out Empty Calories
Empty calories are those calories that provide little to no nutritional value but still contain calories that can contribute to weight gain over time if they’re not burned off through activity or exercise. Examples of empty calories include processed foods like chips and candy as well as sugary drinks like soda and juice beverages that contain added sugar or artificial sweeteners. Cutting out these types of food from your diet is essential for reducing hip fat over time.
3. Cardio Exercise
Cardio exercise is essential for burning off excess fat from any part of your body, including the hips. Aim for 30 minutes of cardio per day to get started. This could include walking, running, cycling, swimming, and jumping rope. You can also mix up your cardio workouts by trying new activities, such as yoga or kickboxing, for a change of pace. Whatever type of cardio exercise you choose, make it fun so that you’ll be motivated to stick with it over time!
4. Add Strength Training To Your Routine
Strength training is another great way to reduce hip fat and build muscle tone. Focus on exercises that target your lower body, such as squats and lunges. These will help build muscle in your glutes (the large muscles of the butt) while burning off excess fat stored in this area too. Doing strength training two or three times per week will give you great results.
5. Sleep Well
Ensuring that you get enough sleep each night is important for both physical health as well as mental health when it comes to weight loss efforts, including reducing hip fat specifically. Research shows a clear link between lack of sleep and higher body weight due in part because lack of sleep affects hormones related to hunger signals which can lead you to eat more than necessary throughout the day even when not hungry at all! Aim for 7-8 hours per night, if possible, for the best results with your weight loss goals!
Exercise To Reduce Hip Fat
1. Squats
Squats are one of the most effective exercises for reducing hip fat. All you need to do is stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and then bend your knees and lower yourself down into a squatting position. Hold this position for 10 seconds, then stand back up and repeat ten times.
2. Lunges
Lunges are another great way to target those hip fat areas. To do a lunge:
- Stand with your feet together, then take a large step forward with one leg while bending both knees until they form 90-degree angles. Make sure that both knees stay aligned over your toes as you lower down into the lunge position.
- Push off with the front leg to return to a standing position before repeating on the other side. Do three sets of 10 reps per side for best results.
4. Glute Bridges
This exercise is great for strengthening your glutes and reducing hip fat at the same time!
- Start lying flat on your back with both feet planted firmly on the ground about shoulder width apart; keep your arms relaxed by your sides or crossed over your chest throughout this exercise (whichever is most comfortable).
- Slowly lift up off the floor using only your glutes until you have formed a straight line from shoulders to knees; hold this “bridge” position for 3 seconds before slowly lowering yourself back down to starting position again.
- Repeat 10 times in total!
5. Clamshells
Clamshells work great to target stubborn hip pockets of fat while also working out stabilizing muscles around hips, thighs, and core as well!
- Lie on one side with legs bent slightly in front of the body; keep knees facing forward throughout the entire exercise (i.e., no twisting!).
- From here, slowly lift the top leg away from the bottom leg—exhaling as you lift—until form an opening similar to an open clamshell; hold the position briefly before slowly closing the clamshell again—inhale as you close—and repeat 15 times per side (for max results!)
6. Fire Hydrants
This simple yet effective exercise works wonders when it comes to targeting those hard-to-tone areas around our hips!
- Start off in an all-fours position on the floor with hands directly beneath shoulders and knees directly beneath hips; maintain a neutral spine throughout the movement as you lift one leg outwards in a circular motion towards the side (similarly to a dog/cat “fire hydrant”).
- Pause at the highest point before returning back inwards towards starting position; repeat 15 times per leg for best results!
7. Side Lunges
This exercise helps stabilize muscles around the hips while burning extra fat in the process.
- Stand with your feet together and step out to one side with one foot about two feet away from its starting position (you should feel a stretch in your inner thigh). Keep your chest upright and push off that same foot to return back to starting position before switching sides to do the same number of reps on the other side as well (3 sets of 10 reps on each side).
Learn More: 5 Exercises to Reduce Back Fat