If you are concerned about not being able to get rid of that extra layer of fat in your inner thighs, you are certainly not alone. This is usually the first area to accumulate fat, but it is also the last area to respond to your weight loss efforts. Your thighs will become toned once you lower your overall body fat percentage. It means that it is not really possible to "spot reduce" the inner thighs, but you can certainly take steps that put more emphasis on your thighs. Walking is a great exercise, and offers numerous health benefits. It lowers your risk of osteoporosis, diabetes, and coronary heart disease. But you may have to tweak your routine a bit to get desired results with your thighs.

Will Walking Tone My Thighs?

Yes, it will. It helps tone your thighs to some extent because you use the quadriceps and the hamstrings when walking and running. You also use your buttock muscles at the same time. You use your quads to push your leg forward and your hamstrings and glutes to move your legs backwards. The activation of these muscles really helps tone them down to a certain degree.

If your body weight is 160 pounds and you walk at 2mph pace for 60 minutes, you will end up burning 204 calories. If you increase your speed and walk at a 3.5mph pace for an hour, you are going to burn 314 calories. You can lose a pound of body fat only when you burn 3,500 calories. It means you should be burning 500 calories a day to lose a pound in a week. You can burn these calories only when you walk for about 2 hours at a pace of 3.5mph.

Even if you do not lose 500 calories a day, you will still notice some results after months of walking. Walking burns fat and even when you lose that fat across your entire body, you still manage to have increased tone and muscle. It means that regular walking will help tone your thighs over time, even though it may require quite a while to see results.

How to Better Tone Your Thighs by Walking

Will walking tone my thighs? It certainly will, gradually; but you can enhance its effect by putting in more effort. Here are a few ways to help tone your thighs.

1. Side Step

Walking in a straight line is a great exercise, but you can make it even better by taking side steps. The idea is to change your position in a way that you end up using more of your buttock muscles as well your calves and outer thighs. You simply need to walk sideways. Be sure to use both the sides when walking on the treadmill.

2. Walk Uphill

Instead of walking on a flat ground, consider walking uphill. You should be walking both backwards and forwards on an incline. The idea is to make your workout more intense, which in turn is going to tone your glutes, quadriceps, and calves. If you are walking on a treadmill, simply change its setting to the highest incline. You should be walking forward at a speed of 3.0 and then walking backward at a speed of 2.5.

3. Interval Training

You can take your walking workout to a new level by trying interval training. The idea is to get your heart pumping while burning more calories. In interval training, you have to change the intensity of your workout throughout the session. It could be like a 5-minute warm up set at a slow pace followed by a brisk 10-minute walk at a moderate pace. You can use different inclines when working on a treadmill to mimic climbing up the hill. It is better to start with a 20 minutes routine and then make it more intense by extending to 60 minutes.

4. Try Walking Lunges

One way to enhance the fat-burning effects of walking is to include walking lunges in your routine. You can start with walking and after five minutes, do 25 walking lunges. Lunges stretch your muscles, improve your balance, and work your butt and legs. Just be sure to maintain proper form throughout your exercise session. Here is how to do it:

• With your feet hip-width apart and hands on your hips, take a step forward.
• Be sure to plant your foot firmly and then lower your body until you reach a 90-degree angle. Never let your front knee go past your toes.
• Bring your back leg forward and return to the standing position.
• Repeat the same with your other leg.

Moves to Target Your Inner Thigh

Will walking tone my thighs? You ask. Yes, it certainly helps, but you also need to pay attention to your diet and try other ways to burn more calories. Here are some exercises to help you target your inner thigh more.

1. Chair Pose

• Stand with your legs together and arms extended over your head.
• While dropping your tailbone, fold your chest a bit towards your knees. Be sure to squeeze your legs together.
• Hold this position for a while and then return to the starting position.

2. Ball Raises

• Lie on your side and use your bottom arm to support your head.
• Get a large exercise ball and put it between your feet. Slowly lift the ball up to the ceiling. Engage your hips to complete the movement.
• Return to the starting position and repeat.

3. Penguin Walks

• Get in a wide plie position while keeping your toes and knees turned outwards.
• While maintaining the same position, walk forward two steps and then backwards two steps.
• Keep doing it for one minute and then relax.

4. Glider Side Lunge

• Maintain a comfortable stance. Place a towel on the floor and put one foot on it. Extend your hands in front of you to maintain balance.
• Now, lower your body while putting your load on one leg – you will be squatting on the leg that is on the floor.
• Slide your other foot to the side while straightening the leg on the floor.
• Do ten reps.

5. Bridge

• Lie on your back with feet hip-width apart and knees bent.
• Get a small pillow and put it between your knees.
• Slowly raise your buttocks upwards while squeezing the pillow between your knees.
• Do 15-20 reps.