The Thighs Have It: But They Don’t Have To

This is the second post in a series that I hope will be useful to us generously endowed but would rather not. We need to get back to our bodies, ourselves, not that the bloody battlefield of electing our government is over, for now…..

Several weeks ago thighs were in the medical news. Too small, too bad. Your risk of heart disease increased. Yes, good news for us who are genetically generously endowed. The magic number, if you cannot recall, was 60 cm circumference just below the buttock fold. If your thighs measured less, you had another thing to worry about.

While I looked at this revelation as only our just desserts, and we know that it took a lot of those to get them, those of you who commented wanted to know the secret to slimmer thighs. A dozen years before, I had inadvertently stumbled upon a discovery that my knee rehab was really an exercise program for my not-so-pleasingly plump pulkies (Yiddish for thighs).

So, here it is. (Disclaimer: Do not attempt these exercises without checking with whomever you regard as the keeper of your fitness and health. I take no responsibility for injury, health (mental or physical), well-being, etc. Nor do I guarantee results. But it really does work. Just no guarantees.)

You start gradually and increase day by day. You start without weights and as you find the exercises to get easier, then add one pound of weight at a time. Invest in an adjustable 20 pound ankle weight with one pound increments. Should be easy to find online.

Remember to do both legs every day, otherwise asymmetry of the thighs might result in an undesirable outcome and an unimaginable effect on the risk for heart disease. Thirty reps, twice daily, until you get to desired circumference.

Lay on your back. Start without any weights. Keep the leg straight and raise it to about 45 degrees and the lower it slowly with resistance down to the ground. Repeat 30 times.

Lay on your side. Keep the same leg straight and raise it to about 60 degrees and lower it slowly with resistance. Repeat 30 times.

Lay on your other side. Put the top leg on the edge of the seat of a chair and lift the leg on the ground up to meet the let on the chair. Slowly lower it with resistance. Repeat 30 times.
When you start the weights in this series, the weights are placed above your knee.

The standing exercises are as follows:

Stand straight and hold on to the top of a chair. You can use the same chair as for the reclining poses or another if you like. Take one leg at a time. Keep the knee straight and raise the leg back as high as it will go while you still maintain an upright posture. Repeat 30 times.

The last exercise requires you to maintain a straight posture, still holding on to the back of the chair. Bend your knee until your heel almost touches your buttocks. Repeat 30 times.

When you start the weights in this series, the weights are placed above the ankles.

Yes, it is a bit boring, so listen to music, TV, books on tape. Whatever. But if you stick to it, by the end of three months, not only will you have very strong knees, but you will also have slender, sculpted thighs. It’s a small price to pay for a healthy heart!