Will walking and dieting tone your thighs

Hi

I'm new to this community. I have worked out with weights for many years and walked for an hour a day. Then I pulled my back out needless to say I have a bulging disk. I can't do the weights much anymore but I do try to keep walking. I'm also doing the weight watchers diet because I gain 10lbs back from not doing the weights. When I was doing the weights my legs were in good shape and toned. Now they are not as toned as I would like them to be. Has anyone experienced that your legs got in shape and toned from just walking and dieting.

Any feedback I would greatly appreciate it.

Thanks Alli  

walking will def trim your legs--it helped me tons

i can tell a huge difference in my legs since i started running about a month ago 5 times a week 30 minutes each day.

Much more trim. = )

Not to sound negative, but I didn't think there was such a thing as spot toning?

hybrids05 i think you're mistaken. You can't spot reduce fat, but you can tone specific muscles with weights and/or resistance training.

Alli, could you possibly do some toning in other forms? weight resistance bands, pilates?

Learn something new every day :)

Alli, you can maximize your walking workout to tone your thighs and increase cardio by just walking on an incline. Whether you're on a treadmill or just walking up a hill, walking on an incline shifts the focus of your workout from the hamstrings to the quads, which results in moving more blood and burning more calories.

Also, a bulging disk indicates a greater need than ever for core training. Your physical therapist can help you further, but the stronger your core is, the less strain on your spine. Look for a pilates/yoga class in your area, or head to the local library and check out the Yoga Weight Loss for Dummies DVD. Never do any activity that causes you pain, but do as much as you can of what you can. It may save you from surgery later.

Walking def. tones up your thighs, I can vouch for this. Cycling is good too.  Mine are much slimmer when I'm walking  or cycling on a regular basis. 

Hi

Thanks everybody for your feedback. I feel much better now that there is still hope. I feel better knowing that walking does more than just cardio. I'm gonna check with my doctor about pilates also.

Thanks again for taking the time to give me feedback.

Good Luck! Alli

Walking is good, but with a bulging disk you may find it becomes difficult to keep up. I didn't realize that I had a bulging disk for several months - maybe longer - and when one disk herniated it was not initially diagnosed. Thus I now have two herniated disks.

If you can, Swim!!!!!

Being in deep water, even if you are just floating in it, acts like traction on your back. It will help stretch you out and allow your bluged disk to move back into place more easily.

Drink water. "Degenerative Disk Disease" is when the disks begin to flatten, and it often goes hand in hand with bulging, herniated, or ruptured disks. Water helps keep the disks from flattening, and getting enough of it every single day will help you avoid making your back worse.

The above advice to "strengthen your core" is really, really good; maintaining strong back muscles, and being careful, will be vitally important to avoiding herniating a disk.

If walking makes your feet numb or causes you any shooting pain, stop right away and make yourself comfortable until the pain goes away. lol I thought I was "tough" to keep going - and I suppse I was - but I have really been paying for it now. I'm learning it's better to be a "wimp" (i.e. not injur yourself!). While walking is good, it does involve some impact. Running is fairly high impact, and thus it my make your back worse. Walking in water is lower impact than walking on land, and it automatically includes resistance :). I hope you never have to face a herinated disk, but if you do, get into the pool; if you can, walk, and if you can't, then float. It is the absolute most effective pain relief I have found, so much so that I am now going to the pool twice a day because it makes such a difference.

Good luck, and I hope all this helps!

Water aerobics is also good for those with any sort of joint problem.  And you would be surprised how much all that water resistance tones you up!

I also was wondering if walking was really going to make a difference. I walk with my baby by pushing to stroller as fast as I can and as long as I can. I am glad to hear about the incline because the first 15mins. of our walk is nothing but UPHILL! And he weighs a good 30lbs. so I am pushing 30lbs. in a stroller uphill for about 30mins! I hope it works and I see a difference, but if not it gets us both fresh air! :)

*Amber*