The hips are areas of the body that store a large amount of fat, particularly in women. But why is it so difficult to target the hips? And what are the best solutions to look after this area day to day? Diet, exercises for the hips (cardio, squats, lunges…), cosmeto-textile garments, body care, lipomassage or, as a last resort, medical solutions: let’s explore all the options, starting with where hip fat comes from.
Why do we gain weight on the hips?
What exactly are the hips?
The hip is a joint that connects the pelvis to the thigh, enabling a wide range of rotation and flexion movements.
It is the area of the body where the famous love handles are found. These appear as an accumulation of excess fat sitting just above the hips. These rolls, the source of many body insecurities, are subcutaneous fat deposits often caused by a poor diet or a lack of physical activity.
What causes fat to build up on the hips?
Fat storage is driven by cells found in adipose tissue, known as adipocytes. These cells grow and multiply particularly in sedentary individuals or those with poor dietary habits. Women are genetically more prone to these fatty deposits.
While curves are often seen as a sign of femininity, fuller hips can sometimes become a source of self-consciousness.
These fat deposits act as reserves that allow women to cope with pregnancy or breastfeeding, both of which require additional energy. During pregnancy, the hips are among the first areas of the body where weight gain shows.
In some people, the hips are wider than the shoulders — this is known as a pear-shaped body type. People with this body shape are more predisposed to storing fat on the hips.
Excess fat and volume around the hips can also be linked to an imbalance in the body’s water cycle, leading to water retention.
Even though all these causes of hip fat storage are physiological, there are many habits and solutions available to look after this area.
Everyday solutions for your hips
Caring for your hips starts with a healthy lifestyle: a balanced diet, good hydration, regular and targeted physical activity and, if you wish, cosmetic body care.
A balanced diet
It is important to adopt good eating habits so that the body stores as little fat as possible, particularly around the hips. If you feel peckish between meals, a handful of nuts or a piece of fruit can provide the energy you need. The basic idea is to keep a good balance between what you eat and the energy you use.
Losing body fat requires a healthy diet, low in sugar, salt and fatty foods. Starchy foods, fresh vegetables and fruit, fibre, and protein should all feature regularly on your plate.
It is also recommended to favour lean proteins such as fish or chicken breast, and to drink enough water (at least 1.5 litres per day). Good hydration is one of the good habits worth building into your daily routine.
Regular physical activity
To build muscle and feel good in your body, regular physical activity is strongly recommended. Cardio exercises are ideal for getting the whole body moving, while targeted workouts help work specific areas. Combining both is therefore an ideal approach to caring for the hip area.
Cardio exercises
Endurance-based sports are great for getting the heart working and for using up energy. These exercises are also easy to include as part of a regular routine. Cardio activities help you get moving all over the body, including the hips.
Opt for jogging, cycling or HIIT, and start at a moderate pace before gradually increasing the intensity. This is how motivation builds day by day, and how you’ll keep pushing yourself to do better.
Exercises for the hips
Specific exercises work the hip muscles. The advantage of these workouts is to strengthen the area in depth, at your own pace. Practised regularly, they fit easily into your routine.
Standing leg raises
This exercise strengthens and works all the hip and glute muscles. Balance on one slightly bent leg and raise the other, keeping the thigh and knee engaged. Alternate between tension and release while breathing steadily; repeat the movement 10 times and complete 4 sets. You can use a stick for support to help maintain your balance.
Squats
Standing with your arms extended in front of you, lower yourself by bending your knees and pushing your glutes back. Rise back up by pressing through your heels, keeping your back straight throughout. This exercise works the hip and glute muscles. To work the hips even more, try a variation called sumo squats: the same movement, but with your legs wider apart and your feet turned slightly outwards.
Lateral lunges
This is an ideal exercise for working the hips, thighs and glutes all at once. Stand with your legs apart and toes pointing outwards, then bend one leg out to the side. Alternate legs and complete several sets of repetitions.
Hip bridges
Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor, then lift your hips in line with your knees, as if forming a bridge. This exercise can also be performed with a ball placed between your thighs.
Cosmeto-textile garments
Are cosmeto-textile garments really a miracle solution? No: these textiles are designed to be worn alongside a balanced diet and regular physical activity, not instead of them. Cosmeto-textile garments also help hold the body in place: Their close-fitting knit supports the area and provides a pleasant feeling of support every day.
The fibres used to make these garments rely on cosmeto-textile technology. These smart fabrics are all the more activated when the wearer is on the move. The friction of the garment against the skin triggers the release of micro-encapsulated active ingredients.
Read also: Are slimming garments really effective?
– Cosmeto-textile leggings: designed for the lower body, they cover the whole leg. Easy to wear, discreet and comfortable against the skin, they are meant to be worn regularly over several weeks. Their main drawback is that they can feel uncomfortable in warm weather, and may feel restrictive under trousers.
– The shorty: it covers the buttocks and thighs, as well as the love handles and hip area. Versatile and easy to style, it can be worn under a skirt or dress without being visible.
Why choose the Cellublue Slimming Shorty?
- Worn over the buttocks, thighs and hips
- Designed to be used alongside a balanced diet and regular activity
Wear it regularly, as part of a complete routine.
Cosmetic body care
Body care treatments contain active ingredients chosen to care for the skin, especially when it has lost some of its firmness after a diet, pregnancy or weight fluctuation. They are designed to look after skin tissue.
These products are a complement to good lifestyle habits, not a substitute for them. Their formula and texture also make applying them a pleasant moment.
They fit into a regular routine, alongside diet and exercise.
Common active ingredients in these treatments include caffeine, elastin and vitamin E.
Why choose Cellublue care for the belly and hips?
The Cryo Slimming Gel for Belly & Hips relies on a cold sensation when applied. The Cellublue Night Slimming Treatment for Belly & Hips is applied to the belly and hips before bed, so you can build it into your evening routine. At night, when the body is at rest, it is a good time to take a moment for yourself.
The evening treatment with Ginger & Slimsize® for the belly and hips
- Targeted night treatment for belly & hips, to massage in every evening before bed
- Ginger & Slimsize®, with a patented active ingredient at the heart of the formula
- Helps smooth and firm the skin
The cooling gel that leaves the skin on your stomach firmer
- Arctic Algae, Prosveltyl® & Menthol, combined in a formula designed for the stomach and hips
- Sorbet texture: it absorbs faster and makes the fresh sensation last longer
- 🍃 98.3% natural-origin ingredients
Lipomassage
Caring for your hips also involves massaging the targeted areas using specific devices. A daily hip massage helps work the area through the effect of high-frequency vibrations. It is also a popular massage solution for those prone to water retention. The skin looks toned and firmed.
Lipomassage is a mechanical massage technique that works on the skin and the hypodermis, where adipocytes (or fat cells) are located. By applying pressure to specific areas, lipomassage works the skin in a targeted way. It is a beauty treatment for the body, and it does not replace good lifestyle habits.
Lipomassage treatments are carried out in beauty centres, wellness clinics or by physiotherapists. These are mechanical massages performed using specific devices. The number of lipomassage sessions required is determined with the specialist, as some areas of the body often take longer than others.
It is worth noting that lipomassage can also be performed at home using a massage device. This allows you to adapt sessions to your own schedule and massage the hips, as well as the thighs, buttocks, belly and arms.
Why choose the Cellublue massage device?
- Can be used on the belly, thighs, buttocks and arms
- Short sessions that fit into your routine
Use it for 15 minutes a day, at your own pace.
The cordless massager: 2 900 rotations per minute to stimulate your skin
- A deep mechanical massage: rotations and vibrations, up to 2 900 turns per minute, knead the skin on your thighs, stomach, arms and bottom
- 2 complementary heads: the ball head kneads deep down, then the wave head smooths and tones the surface
- 5 intensity levels on a touchscreen, a blue light, cordless and quiet
Medical options
Cosmetic medicine and surgery are options to consider if what you achieve through diet, exercise, cosmetics or devices does not meet your expectations for your hips. Speak to a doctor first.
Liposuction
Liposuction is a cosmetic surgery technique that can be used on the hips. Also known as lipoaspiration, this procedure is performed under local or general anaesthetic, depending on the case. It removes deep-seated excess fat from the hips that is otherwise difficult to shift. Before considering this procedure, seek advice from a doctor.
Coolsculpting
This technique targets localised fat deposits without surgery, using cold. In practice, it involves a device of varying size connected to suction cups that deliver cold when applied to the areas being treated.
Coolsculpting, or cryolipolysis, is performed by specialist practitioners. A gel pad is placed on the target area, and the suction cups grip the skin while drawing in the fat. The targeted area is essentially frozen, and the patient rests under a blanket for one to two hours.
At the end of the session, a draining massage is performed to redistribute the cooled fat across the treated area.
Ultrasound
This technique is often considered by those who are apprehensive about surgery, and is also known as morpholiposculpture. The procedure involves injecting hypo-osmolar solutions through needles, after which ultrasound waves target the fat cells. Only a doctor can tell you whether it is right for you.
The main drawback of these medical solutions is their very high cost. Before considering any procedure, seek advice from a doctor.
Frequently asked questions
How can I take care of my hips day to day?
There’s no quick fix: the hips are an area where fat is easily stored, especially in women. Consistency matters more. Combine a balanced diet, good hydration, cardio and targeted exercises such as squats or lateral lunges. Body care, cosmeto-textile garments and massage can round off this routine.
How can I lose hip fat without exercise?
Physical activity remains a cornerstone, but other habits count too: a balanced diet that keeps sugar, salt and fatty foods in check, and at least 1.5 litres of water a day. Body care, cosmeto-textile garments and massage can go hand in hand with these habits, but they don’t replace movement.
How can I lose belly and hip fat?
Cardio activities such as jogging or cycling work the whole body, hips and belly alike. When it comes to body care, the Cellublue Cryo Gel and Night Treatment for Belly & Hips are designed for both areas. The massage device can be used on the hips as well as the belly, thighs, buttocks and arms.
What is the best diet for losing hip fat?
Rather than a strict diet, opt for balanced eating: starchy foods, fresh vegetables and fruit, fibre and lean proteins such as fish or chicken breast. If you feel peckish between meals, a handful of nuts or a piece of fruit will do. For personalised guidance, ask a doctor.
How can I lose fat from my hips and thighs?
Several of the exercises described above work both areas at once: squats, lateral lunges and standing leg raises engage the hips, thighs and glutes. The Cellublue shorty is worn over the buttocks, thighs and hips, alongside regular activity.
Related articles
- Love handles: causes, diet tips and targeted exercises
- 5 Best Sports to Slim Your Waist
- How to slim your hips after giving birth?
Useful categories: Slimming the Hips.
