Can Walking Fast and Running on the Treadmill Reduce the Size of Your Hips?

The hips are a common fitness trouble spot, especially for some women, who accumulate fat primarily on the hips and thighs. You can't reduce the width of your actual hips, and genetic factors can affect how easy or challenging it is for you to shed weight in this area. However, cardiovascular exercise on a treadmill can be an important weapon in the battle against hip fat.

  1. How You Burn Calories

    • You can't lose weight in just one area of your body. Instead, you have to burn fat throughout the body. To do so, you'll have to burn more calories -- through exercise and daily activities -- than you take in. Cardiovascular workouts such as running and walking burn more calories than weightlifting and calisthenics, shortening the amount of time it might take you to lose weight in your hips. As you shed fat along your hips, you'll also lose weight throughout your body.

    Working Out on the Treadmill

    • You'll burn more calories with more intense exercise on the treadmill, so fast walking is superior to slow walking, and running is superior to jogging. However, it can be challenging to lose weight with exercise alone. For example, a 160-pound person running 5 mph on the treadmill will burn around 300 calories in 30 minutes. You have to burn 3,500 calories for each pound you want to lose, so to lose a pound a week with only exercise, you'd have to run about six hours a week.

    The Importance of Diet

    • A healthy diet can make weight loss go more quickly because when you reduce your caloric intake, you have to burn fewer calories. Replace sugary drinks with water, and cut back on alcohol, which is a high-calorie drink. Rather than snacking on potato chips or cookies, try nuts and berries, and eat lean proteins such as fish rather than unhealthy meat such as hot dogs.

    Other Hip Exercises

    • Hip-strengthening exercises can help you build muscle in your hips, and muscle burns more calories than fat. Consequently, strengthening your hips can help you lose weight more quickly. Try performing squats, and for an even more challenging workout, do one-legged squats or hold a weight as you squat. Lunges are also effective, and can be amplified with hand weights. Leg lifts -- which you can do lying on your back, stomach or side -- can help tone your hips and thighs.