Hip fat, or thigh fat, is not as dangerous as the fat packed around your stomach, but excess fat of any kind comes with health risks. “Any excess weight can pose a health risk and affect one’s daily life,” says Dr. Walter Willett, professor of epidemiology and nutrition at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, via Harvard Health. “When you carry extra pounds, you also are more susceptible to joint pain, low energy, and problems sleeping… It’s easy for five pounds to quickly turn into 10 pounds and then 15 pounds, and as the weight increases, so do the health risks.” If you want to burn hip fat and get fit, help is at hand—here’s what the experts recommend.
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HIIT Workouts
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HIIT workouts are highly effective for burning fat and getting fit, fast. “There’s a growing consensus that interval training helps people lose weight and may have cardiovascular benefits,” says cardiologist and HIIT-enthusiast Dr. Stephen Wiviott, associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School. “Even though I was exercising for shorter periods of time, I lost body fat and felt better.”
Strength Training
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Strength training, especially lower-body moves such as squats, lunges, deadlifts, and hip thrusts, are a fantastic way to lose fat and build toned, tight muscle. “As your muscle mass increases, so does your metabolism, which is key to burning calories,” says UMMS Health.
“Our resting metabolism is based upon our fat-free mass, most of which is muscle. Certain strength training exercises, such as push-ups and squats, are especially effective at helping you burn fat and build muscle because they target multiple body parts at once.”
Cardio Exercises
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Running, cycling, jumping rope… choose whatever cardio you love for fat-burning. “Zone 2 cardio focuses on maintaining a specific heart rate zone or intensity level during exercise, typically ranging from 60% to 70% of your maximum heart rate,” says Rosalyn M. Salstrand, RCEP, M.S., via the Mayo Clinic. “This ensures a light to moderate intensity throughout the workout. Zone 2 is also known as the fat burning zone. During exercise in this zone, the body primarily uses fat as its fuel source. This enables increased fat burning compared with higher intensity exercises that rely more on carbohydrates and protein for fuel. Additionally, engaging in Zone 2 training enhances overall cardiovascular fitness levels.”
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Circuit Training
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“As you become comfortable with strength training, you can try harder variations and doing circuits—moving from exercise to exercise in quick succession during one workout,” says UMMS Health. “Strength training circuits can help boost your calorie burn by getting your heart rate up and serving as a way to do both cardio and strength at the same time.”
Pilates
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Pilates is excellent for your core, and for toning hips and thighs. “Since Pilates is a low-impact exercise that doesn’t break down muscle fibers like some other strenuous workouts, you can do Pilates more regularly than some other exercises,” certified Pilates instructor Sarah Brooks tells USA Today. “Pilates will also burn many calories per session.”