Totally Thin Thighs

A leggy tutorial on what it takes to get firm, shapely thighs.

Every celebrity has them, and you want it for yourself. Fortunately, shapely thighs are not a pipedream or reserved for those who can afford to have their pictures tossed in magazines and touched up beyond recognition. In fact, even little old you can get the sleek, sexy thighs your heart desires. But you can't keep doing what you're doing right now if you want to reach your goal. You've got to make some life changes, so get to work!

Don't Eat Late

It may be a hard adjustment, but to keep your thighs thin and shapely, you're going to need to cut back on late-night snacks. A good rule of thumb is to stop eating after 7 p.m. Otherwise, your body may fill up on calories right before bedtime, and if you're not awake to work them off, those calories will go wherever they want. And yes, this includes going to your thighs. If you must eat something late, make it something light, such as a salad. Before giving in and eating something late in the night, grab your discipline and go to bed.

I have flabby thighs, but fortunately my stomach covers them. - Joan Rivers

Go Cardio Crazy

Okay, so you don't want to go completely psycho over your cardiovascular routine, but you'll probably need to pump up the amount of cardio you subject yourself to on a regular basis. How much cardio should you be getting each day? Shoot for an hour, but get at least 30 minutes. While you may want to push yourself to your limit the entire time, doing this may add bulk to your legs. If you prefer thin, shapely legs, you'll get the best shape if you stick with a low or moderate intensity for your routine.

Work Your Entire Thigh

Though your thighs are often thought of as a single muscle, they're made up of a number of muscles: adductors (inner thighs), quadriceps and hip flexors (front of thighs), abductors (outer thighs), and hamstrings (back of thighs). If you don't know whether you're working the entire thigh, listen to your legs. If the pain is all concentrated on the front, back, or side of your thighs, then you need to get some new thigh-trimming exercises in your repertoire. If, on the other hand, your entire thigh is screaming in agony after a workout, you're doing a good job.

Always Exercise

The great thing about your thighs is that they can be exercised with relative ease, whether or not you're in the gym. A good exercise to begin thinning your thighs is wall sits. With your feet about a foot from the base of a wall, push your back against the wall and slide down the wall to a sitting position, stopping when your thighs are parallel to the ground. Hold as long as possible. Another smart way to keep your thighs in shape is to skip the elevator and escalator and go for the stairs when shopping or making your way through an airport. A good third exercise is to begin sitting in a chair, only to stop in midair right before landing in the chair. Hold for as long as possible, plop down in the chair, and smile knowing your thighs are getting stronger and thinner as a result of a few small steps. For an added thigh-thinning boost, slowly raise yourself back to your standing position, or hold a couple notebooks full of paper for added pressure on your thighs.