4. Sun Salutation
If you’re not up for a high impact exercise but still want to work out your thighs, take a cue from yoga. The Sun Salutation is a sequence of moves that each rely on your thighs for stability. The move can be made more challenging as you improve.
How to Do It
- Stand straight with feet together and arms hanging at your sides. Distribute your weight evenly across the soles of your feet.
- Lift your arms out and up until they are over your head, raising your chin slightly at the same time.
- When your arms are straight up with palms facing inward, achieve mountain pose by stretching toward the ceiling with your fingertips.
- Then bring your arms down to your sides in a wide arc and bend forward until your fingertips (or palms if you are that flexible) touch the floor, one on each side of your feet.
- From this position, slowly raise your torso to waist height with your back flat. Bring your eyes up to gaze forward, keeping your head aligned with your spine and your belly button tucked in.
- The next move has you bend your knees and place palms flat on the mat in front of you about shoulder-width apart.
- Walk both feet backward and plant them hip-width apart as you lift your hips and settle into the downward facing dog position. Stretch your tailbone toward the ceiling and hold, breathing deeply.
- Reverse the moves by going back into the flat back pose, then forward bend, and finally sweeping your arms back above your head into mountain pose.