Question about running and my figure..

CarolinaAttaway

So right now, I have a pretty nice, coke-bottle shape and I don't wanna lose that..but in just the last week of running, I've noticed my legs slimming down a LOT. Will running take my figure away? Or will I still have thick-ish thighs and stuff?

stephcthomas

How exercise effects your body is related to only how your body reacts to it. If you consistently run you're likely build your muscle in your legs which will make them tighter, but you can't spot reduce fat. So running won't make you lose fat in your legs only, unless that is normally where you lose your weight from.

LilRedRooster

Well, the more calories you burn, the more fat will come off. Your body genetics is what dictates WHERE the fat comes off, though, so it's not dictated by the specific exercise that you do. Running is just another way to burn calories, but if you did another form of cardio, you would still lose fat there, because that's where your body decides to pull from. It might just happen faster with certain forms of exercise than others.

So I suppose if you really want the same thickish thighs, you could just stop doing cardio, because what slims down your thighs is losing fat through cardio. Or you could work on doing some cross-training with weights, like squats, lunges, and other lower-body exercises to keep all the muscles working and toned, so you don't rely too much on the ones targeted through running.