Dear Fun and Fit: How do you get rid of bulgy knees? Are there special exercises that focus on that area?
— Nancy in Santa Barbara
Kymberly: First and foremost, you need to sit down, get the remote and watch the 1965 movie Battle of the Bulge. All the secrets for winning bulgy battles are covered in the film. For $19.95 we will reveal those secrets (see “Deep Breath — Lose 5 Pounds. Myth or My Ohmmmm My?” for the secret to my “secret” comment).
Second, I’m going to go on a wild guess here that by “bulgy knees” you mean knees that have fat above and behind them in the thigh area. ‘Cuz last I checked, joints themselves can’t be slimmed down.
But my oh my, the areas around the knee can store some pretty nice lipose padding, eh? So we’re back to the eternal and infernal question of how to reduce fat and “tone up” surrounding muscles. Where we stored extra fat is largely determined genetically. Apparently your parents were upper thigh, knee area storage types — bummer for you. But they probably gave you a nice waist, great hair or a car — something to make up for the genetic predisposition to knee (aka “thigh”) fat.
Alexandra: So true, so cardio, so in need of de-bulgifying. I must contradict Kymberly. Well, I don’t have to, but it’s a quick thrill for me, and I say that you should not sit down with the remote. You need to watch the movie while walking on a cardio machine that has a television screen on it. You’re OK with watching Henry Fonda for about 90 minutes, aren’t you? Robert Shaw — we could understand a 30-minute commitment.
If that sounds inconvenient, or you don’t wish to be spotted on the treadmill eating your popcorn, just do 10 nine-minute spurts, broken up with trips to the fridge for wee-knees and tiny buns. Which is what you will have if you get moving. Poof! De-bulgified.
K: Well, not quite yet de-bulgified, though I did like Alexandra’s bun puns. And I think Shaw deserves at least 60 minutes.
Nancy, you are well served to engage in lower body strength training along with that cardio workout. After all, having strong quad, inner thigh and hamstring muscles underneath the stored fat will add to the tighter, toned, leaner look your upper thighs will have as you work off fat excess through cardio. Two separate actions needed: 1) burn off stored fat through cardio, and 2) contract the muscles underneath with strength training. Hey, we did not say this would be easy! But aren’t wee-knees with tiny buns worth it?
Readers: Do you battle your bulge, or did you wave the surrender flag? Do you have a favorite old war movie — better yet, a favorite exercise video?
— Identical twins and fitness pros Kymberly Williams-Evans and Alexandra Williams have been in the fitness industry since the first aerobics studio opened on the European continent. They teach, write, edit, emcee and present their programs worldwide on land, sea and airwaves. They co-write Fun and Fit: Q and A with K and A. You can currently find them in action leading classes in Santa Barbara and Goleta. Kymberly is the former faculty minor adviser at UCSB for its fitness instruction degree offered through the Department of Exercise & Sport Studies; Alexandra serves as an instructor and master teacher for the program. Fun and Fit answers real questions from real people, so please send your comments and questions to info@funandfit.org.