Before women experience menopause, fat settles around the hips, buttocks and thighs. Hormonal changes after menopause redistribute fat from these areas to your abdomen, explains the Mayo Clinic. The upside is that fat in the lower region of your body is less dangerous than abdominal fat. The downside is that it usually appears as cellulite---dimply lumps of fat that can be quite unsightly. Along with diet, daily exercises can slim and tone your hips.
Aerobic Exercise
Activities such as walking, running and biking help to burn fat all over your body, including your hips. Get moving to start burning fat and losing inches from your hips and elsewhere. According to research published in a 2010 issue of the "Journal of the American Medical Association," women need the equivalent of one hour of moderate-intensity activity daily to prevent weight gain. Their findings suggest that to lose weight, you should put in more than one hour of exercise a day. However, if you're currently not doing any exercise, even walking 30 minutes a day will start to shrink your hips.
Squats
These hip-and-thigh burning exercises use the largest muscles in your body, including the quadriceps, hamstrings, hip adductor or inner thigh muscles, hip abductor or outer thigh muscles and the gluteus muscles. After a warm-up, do two to three sets of 10 to 12 repetitions. Stand with your legs shoulder-width apart. Holding on to a chair or with your arms stretched out in front of you for balance, bend at the knees until you're in a squatting position. Do not let your knees go past your toes. Hold for a few seconds, then return to a standing position.
Lunges
As with squats, lunges also work out the large muscle groups. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and place your hands on your hips. Make a long stride forward with your right leg. Slightly raise the toes of your left foot, and then slowly lower the knee of your left foot to the ground until your legs are at a right angle. Your left heel should be off the ground. Keep your back straight and don't let your right knee go past your toes.
Glute Bridges
Lie on your back on the floor. Place your feet hip-width apart and keep your hands down by your sides. Pull in your tummy muscles. While you exhale, slowly raise your hips off the floor. The American Council on exercise recommends keeping your abdominal muscles contracted to avoid arching your back. Inhale and slowly lower your hips to the floor.
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