Expert: Ken Alan - 5/21/2009

Question
Hi - I've been exercising more often for about eight months now in order to slim down to a size 4. I'm 5'5 - started at 145 and now I'm down to 137. Not as amazing as I'd like - but I don't like counting calories and I don't always have time to drive out to my favorite exercise spots during the week - which leads me to my problem. I've done a lot of hiking because there's some great mountain trails near where I live, my thighs are naturally strong (I think it's genetics - my mom also has "power thighs"), and it's low impact which is easy on my neck (this has deterred me from jogging in the past, but since I've been working on neck strengthening, I can handle longer and longer jogs now without any pain). So this hiking sounds all great and dandy, but my pant size doesn't seem to be going down at all because my thighs are actaully growing - bigger than they ever were before! This is the opposite of the look I'm going for. I'm a student, and summer's here now - I'd like to do some catch up work on my exercise. If I want my thighs to slim down to that long/lean look but they have the natural tendency to bulk up, what kind of exercise would be best for me? I'm not so worried about my upper body and waist, because those usually tend to shape up nicely on their own with regular cardio. Should I try to do more running? Swim laps? Elliptical? What's the best way to achieve this result?

Answer
Hi Lisa,
I did respond to your inquiry a few days ago, but apparently it did not go through.  Here's an abbreviated version!
You need to try the different exercise modes to see which one is best for you for "slimming down" your thighs.  How intensely you exercise will have an effect on muscle size, so running, swimming, or eliptical can either "build up" or "slim down" depending upon how much resistance there is (with running, hills change intensity).  You may wish to alternate between modes each workout, or try a different one for a month or two to see how you like it.

Glad you're motivated to exercise.  Hope this helps.