[Article updated on 19/09/2023]
When we become overweight, the hip is one of the areas most affected by fat accumulation. These love handles can be unsightly and represent a real complex. If you want to get rid of them without resorting to surgery, I have prepared a complete guide for you to refine your hips through sport and diet.
Before reading on
I’m not an expert in this field, but I am passionate about nutrition and health.
The articles you’ll find on my site are the result of in-depth research that I’d like to share with you. However, I would like to stress that I am not a health professional and that my advice should in no way replace that of a qualified physician. I’m here to guide you, but it’s important that you consult a professional for specific questions or medical concerns. Your well-being is important. So be sure to consult the appropriate experts and take the best possible care of yourself.
Does this problem affect both men and women?
Fat that accumulates in the hips is commonly a love handle. These bulges are often accompanied by cellulite and more or less significant water retention. They occur when an individual is overweight. Women are the most affected by love handles. Why that ? The explanation is purely hormonal. Indeed, estrogen, the purely female hormone, promotes fat accumulation in the body of women, especially in the hips and buttocks. If these areas are naturally developed in a normal woman, they tend to easily accumulate fat when overweight.
However, there are cases where men suffer from love handles, although the cases are less common than in women. Their body does not naturally produce estrogen, men accumulate less fat than women for the same quantity of food ingested. In case of overweight, it is in the abdomen that fat tends to easily accumulate in men.
What causes love handles?
The main cause of the appearance of love handles is excess weight observed in a person. However, other factors such as body shape can promote this fatty accumulation. Indeed, it is noticed that in a person whose pelvis is naturally more developed, love handles appear more easily.
Wider hips and easy development of cellulite accelerate the accumulation of fat in the pelvis area. A poor diet also leads to the appearance of love handles. If you have a habit of eating foods that are too fatty, too sweet or processed, your body will store more fat which will, sooner or later, settle in your hips, your buttocks and your abdomen.
A sedentary lifestyle is also a cause of the appearance of love handles. The absence of regular physical activities leads to an accumulation of fat in the body. Energy expenditure is much lower than calories ingested, causing storage in the form of fat. Finally, age-related hormonal changes accelerate the accumulation of fat in the hips. A person in their 50s will gain more hips than someone in their 20s. Basal metabolism slows down with age, melting muscle mass and promoting fat storage.
Which sports should you choose to lose hip weight?
What matters most is moving to burn calories. Many types of sports will help you melt the fat located in your hips. Cardio exercises are among the most effective for weight loss. Choose skipping rope, running, cycling and swimming to lose weight in your hips.
These exercises maintain your entire body by targeting all the unnecessary fat. The important thing is to do it daily, at least 30 minutes a day and gradually increasing the intensity as you get used to the efforts. Also opt for interval exercises to optimize calorie burning. This involves performing exercise at high intensity for a period of time, then at low or moderate intensity before returning to high intensity.
Weight training is also recommended to melt the fat mass in your hips. There are a multitude of exercises targeting this area that will allow you to quickly achieve your goals. I will detail the best exercises to do in the next section.
What are the best exercises to lose hips?
Discover 6 exercises to do in the gym or at home to lose hip weight quickly and effectively.
Squats
The squat no longer needs to be introduced when it comes to building muscle or refining the hips, buttocks, thighs and legs. This is a favorite exercise for working the muscles in these areas. Its advantage is that it can be done without equipment and only with body weight. To properly perform a squat, stand with your feet slightly wider than shoulder width apart. Place your back straight and begin to descend by bending your knees. Your weight should be placed on the heels and not on the balls of your feet. Don’t stop until your thighs are parallel to the floor. Then come back up and do more repetitions.
Side lunges
This is a variation of forward lunges. It allows you to use the external area of the thighs and hips. To perform side lunges, stand with your feet wider than hip-width apart. With your torso and head facing forward, take a large step to one side and squat down. Lower yourself until the thigh of the leg that took the big step is parallel to the ground. Hold the position for one to two seconds, then return the foot to the starting position. Do the same with the other foot.
The step-up
The step-up allows you to work the muscles of the glutes, thighs and hips. This exercise requires a small stable support at height on which you will place your feet to perform the famous steps. One step of the stairs may be enough. Stand with your feet hip-width apart. Place your right foot on the support and support yourself as if you were going to climb stairs. Raise your left knee during your upward movement, then lower yourself back to the starting position. Then perform the movement with the other foot and so on. To increase the difficulty, hold weights in each hand or two water bottles.
The oblique cladding lying down
The lying oblique core is an excellent exercise for strengthening and refining the hips. It mainly uses the lateral abdominals. To perform the exercise, lie on your side on a yoga mat. The elbow and foot on the side facing the ground take support, ensuring that your pelvis does not touch the ground. To help you stabilize, the other hand can be placed in front of your stomach. Then raise the leg at the top as high as possible. Hold the position for a few seconds before lowering back down. Throughout the exercise, brace your abdominals. This will allow you to perform the movements correctly and use the oblique muscles as much as possible. The pelvis must remain stable.
The back sheath
Back cladding allows you to lose weight in the hips andslim your back as well as her buttocks and thighs. The exercise requires good support. To perform it, lie on your back. Bend your legs and spread your feet slightly apart. Slowly lift your butt off the floor until your back, chest and thighs are perfectly aligned. Wrap your abdominal muscles as much as possible and hold the position for a few seconds. Return to the starting position and repeat. For added challenge, place a resistance band around your knees.
A healthy diet: the secret to losing hip weight?
If you want to lose hips, doing physical activities is not enough. To obtain convincing results, you must adopt new eating habits without switching to a drastic diet. The important thing is to eat healthy food in sufficient quantity. Avoid excess and keep in mind that to lose weight, you must spend more than you earn. To help you, eat:
- More vegetables: especially those rich in fiber such as artichokes, leeks, celery, dandelion, cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, peppers or eggplant;
- Fruits as much as you like: pineapple, papaya, red fruits, oranges, grapefruit, apples, grapes, lemon, whole in juice or smoothie;
- Foods rich in protein: especially lean meat, defatted ham, white meat, chicken or fish in foil, steamed, grilled but with little or no fat;
- Low-fat, sugar-free dairy and cottage cheese.
On the other hand, limit the consumption of:
- Pastries and pastries;
- Sweet treats;
- Starches and bread;
- Dishes too salty;
- Processed foods;
- Sodas;
- Alcohol and wine.
Other Tips for Losing Hips Fast
There are other simple tips and tricks to follow to help you lose hip weight quickly. I suggest a few that you can apply to achieve your goals.
Be more active every day
All physical activity is essential for losing weight and slimming your hips. It’s not just about doing sports, but everything you do on a daily basis represents significant effort. For example, take the stairs instead of the elevator, walk or bike to the office if your workplace is not too far from home. Also get up from your chair regularly and walk around a bit or stretch. Finally, do some gardening, go shopping, do the cleaning periodically… You will burn calories while doing your chores.
Improve sleep quality
Sleep plays a crucial role in weight loss. In fact, by sleeping better, you release the stress accumulated during the day, which allows your metabolism to burn calories efficiently. Additionally, stress causes mental and physical fatigue, which makes you move less and eat fatty or sugary foods. Don’t forget to entertain yourself to relieve stress and sleep at least 8 hours a night.
Do hip massages
There are different massage techniques with oils to lose hips quickly in a natural way. The palpation-rolling technique is one of the most effective. Not only does massage improve blood circulation, it firms the skin and removes stored fat. You can perform the oil massage yourself. Tutorials are easily accessible on the Internet. On the other hand, to ensure the correctness of the movements, you can go to beauty institutes or specialized centers.
Drink green tea
Finally, if you want to lose hip weight quickly, I advise you to drink green tea without sugar. Indeed, green tea is known for its diuretic and slimming properties. This will optimize your overall weight loss and eliminate toxins from your body.