What are cankles? It's a slang term for the fat that deposits above the foot making it impossible to tell where the calf ends and the ankle begins. The are 3 reasons why you might have annoying cankles...1. your weight 2. your genes 3. poor circulation, but kidney disease, heart failure and pregnancy can also cause wide ankles. Whether you are carrying a few extra pounds or were just born that way there is a solution for you. I’m sure you can guess what I’ll say EXERCISE! Like I’ve said before you can’t spot train. Body Fat is Body Fat and all of it operates the same way no matter where on your body it is. Be it your belly, thighs or buttocks your body burns fat the same way but the pattern you burn fat depends on your genes. So by all means, tackle cankles with a enthusiastic workout, but whether your ankles are going to lose fat before your thighs is strictly up to your genes. Don't get frustrated.
Here are some ways to sassify your ankles:
Begin by walking. Walking is the best form of exercise to reduce weight all over your body equally. It helps with your appearance, muscle tone, body composition and over all health. Slowly begin jogging and then running. Once you feel your fitness is better try running at a top speed for short distances. Short distance running but at a faster speed will help reduce plumpness around calf muscles.
Jump squats will help in reducing cankles. Stand with feet shoulder-width apart and hands on your hips. Lower your body down into a squat position with back erect and curved backward at bottom level. Your thighs should be parallel to the floor and with chin held straight, jump as high as possible, land with soft knees. Once you land, lower your body back to the squat position. Repeat this approximately 5 times and work your way upwards to a point where it is possible to perform 2 sets of 10 repetitions each.
Doing a Calf Raise will increase your chances of helping those cankles out too. Stand a few feet away from a wall facing it. Place your feet hip-width apart and palms on wall at chest level for balance. Slowly raise your heels away from ground to a point where you are standing on balls of feet and toes. Pause for 10 seconds and then lower back to original position in a slow manner. Repeat this 3-5 times gradually working up to 20 repetitions. Then try this involving only one foot at a time keeping the other tucked behind you.
Ankle inversion is another helpful exercise form. Seat yourself in a chair with some back support and stretch your right leg forward. Rotate your ankle inward and hold in this position to a count of 6. Repeat this 8-10 times. Now lower your right foot and follow the same process in your left. You can follow this up by practicing eversions where each foot is rotated outwards with the same amount of repetitions.
Jumping jack step exercise is great for calf muscles and helps to reduce cankles. Stand at the bottom of your staircase, feet placed together and hands on hips. Jump up onto the first step using both feet and back again to floor. Jump back and forth for about a minute or so to strengthen your calf muscles. A simpler version would be to stand erect, feet together, and hands at sides. Jump and place your feet slightly wider than shoulder width pulling your hands upwards together simultaneously. Jump again to original position lowering your hands down at sides. Perform this rhythmically 5-10 times gradually working upwards.
Remember a sassy girl always gets a doctors approval for before beginning any exercise program. You want to be sure you don’t have any underlying conditions that are undiagnosed. Especially in this case. Water retention and weight gain in your ankles might be to blame for a disease. It’s always better to be safe then sorry. Make an appointment with your PCP today!
Here are some ways to sassify your ankles:
Begin by walking. Walking is the best form of exercise to reduce weight all over your body equally. It helps with your appearance, muscle tone, body composition and over all health. Slowly begin jogging and then running. Once you feel your fitness is better try running at a top speed for short distances. Short distance running but at a faster speed will help reduce plumpness around calf muscles.
Jump squats will help in reducing cankles. Stand with feet shoulder-width apart and hands on your hips. Lower your body down into a squat position with back erect and curved backward at bottom level. Your thighs should be parallel to the floor and with chin held straight, jump as high as possible, land with soft knees. Once you land, lower your body back to the squat position. Repeat this approximately 5 times and work your way upwards to a point where it is possible to perform 2 sets of 10 repetitions each.
Doing a Calf Raise will increase your chances of helping those cankles out too. Stand a few feet away from a wall facing it. Place your feet hip-width apart and palms on wall at chest level for balance. Slowly raise your heels away from ground to a point where you are standing on balls of feet and toes. Pause for 10 seconds and then lower back to original position in a slow manner. Repeat this 3-5 times gradually working up to 20 repetitions. Then try this involving only one foot at a time keeping the other tucked behind you.
Ankle inversion is another helpful exercise form. Seat yourself in a chair with some back support and stretch your right leg forward. Rotate your ankle inward and hold in this position to a count of 6. Repeat this 8-10 times. Now lower your right foot and follow the same process in your left. You can follow this up by practicing eversions where each foot is rotated outwards with the same amount of repetitions.
Jumping jack step exercise is great for calf muscles and helps to reduce cankles. Stand at the bottom of your staircase, feet placed together and hands on hips. Jump up onto the first step using both feet and back again to floor. Jump back and forth for about a minute or so to strengthen your calf muscles. A simpler version would be to stand erect, feet together, and hands at sides. Jump and place your feet slightly wider than shoulder width pulling your hands upwards together simultaneously. Jump again to original position lowering your hands down at sides. Perform this rhythmically 5-10 times gradually working upwards.
Remember a sassy girl always gets a doctors approval for before beginning any exercise program. You want to be sure you don’t have any underlying conditions that are undiagnosed. Especially in this case. Water retention and weight gain in your ankles might be to blame for a disease. It’s always better to be safe then sorry. Make an appointment with your PCP today!
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