If you’ve got cankles you’d probably like to do something about them. You may even hate them. And you’re not alone, because we haven’t heard a single person say that they love their cankles. And with a name like cankles who would? It just doesn’t sound good.
So where does the word even come from? Well, it may have been around for longer, but it was made popular by the movie Shallow Hal – not a great movie by any stretch of the imagination, but for some reason the word just stuck. It does a good job of describing the issue: a calf that blends into the ankle without definition.
We always try to promote a healthy body image even when there are things you want to change about yourself. You can love what you’ve got while you’re working to improve it too. Don’t hate your cankles, or any other part of yourself, embrace it all. Remember: what you resist persists, what you embrace dissolves.
What Can You Do About Cankles?
Still, you want to get down to brass tacks, what can you actually do – if anything – about them? The solution is going to be found in the cause; not all cankles have the same cause and the possible solutions will be determined by what’s causing them.
Cankle Causes and Possible Solutions
So the cause will determine the course of action you should take, and of course you should always check with your doctor for definitive answers. Another thing to bear in mind is that you could have a number of causes at play, the only way to find out would be to
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Weight
If you’re overweight then you’re going to have excess fat covering most areas of your body, possibly including your ankles. The good news is that as you lose weight you’ll discover a shapely pair of legs being sculpted with consistent workouts and a clean diet.
Remember though, that you can’t spot reduce fat, so doing thousands of calf raises isn’t going to get rid of them, you need to aim for total body fat loss to get the results you want.
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Water Retention
If you’re not getting enough water, have too high a sodium intake or for a few other reasons, it can cause you to retain water in your ankles and give them a swollen appearance.
Some solutions are to make sure you’re drinking enough water, cut down your sodium intake (it’s in everything!) and clean up your diet. Cutting out alcohol also helps. Obviously, some things such as menstrual cycle and pregnancy, also result in water retention – and for those, you’ve just got to wait it out.
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Swelling
Swelling of the ankles can also be the result of poor circulation, and you should check with your doctor. If you’re stationary for long periods of time then regular intervals of activity – walking, running, working out – are a great way to increase your circulation.
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Genetics
Last port of call is the genetic predisposition to thicker ankles. If your mom has them, your grandmother has them, your dad has them and his dad… then chances are it’s genetic. You could go the surgery route (ankle liposuction) if you wanted to or you could embrace the long line of cankles in your family and flaunt them with pride.
To get you started, why not try this lean and sexy leg workout, remember to combine it with a good clean diet and you’ll soon sculpt yourself some fine looking legs whether you’ve got cankles or not!
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