Cankles: Thick Ankles Despite Slim Legs

Almost every woman will probably find some problem area on her body – and some are annoyed by so-called cankles. But how do they arise in the first place?

There are many people who don’t like feet. But with the part of the body that sits just above them – the ankle – you shouldn’t have any problems with it… should you? Yes, there are some women who think their ankles are too thick – even though their legs are slim. And that is supposed to be a problem? Well – imagine you couldn’t slip into your favourite ankle boots anymore because they are suddenly too tight. At least an unpleasant idea, isn’t it?

The phenomenon has a name

In the English-speaking world this phenomenon even has its own name: “Cankles”. The word creation comes from the US blogger Leandra Medine, is made up of the English terms “calf” (calf) and “ankles” (ankle) and is basically meant to describe that calf and ankle seem to merge into each other. Leandra had to struggle with this phenomenon during her pregnancy.

How are Cankles created?

And with this we have also directly found a possible cause of the cankles: They are often caused by illness or hormonal changes, such as during pregnancy. In many women, the estrogen causes increased water retention in the tissue, for example in the arms, hands, legs or feet. But there are more causes for cankles:

• Taking certain drugs (e.g. antidepressants or the pill)
• Genetic predisposition

Both causes, similar to pregnancy, cause more water retention and can therefore trigger or intensify the cankles.

Bye-Bye, Cankles: How to get rid of those big ankles

First of all, a relieving message for all expectant mothers: After the pregnancy, the problem usually resolves itself because the water retention decreases. For everyone else (or also for pregnant women who don’t want to wait 😉) the following tips could be helpful in the fight against cankles:

• Leave out salt: Salt binds water in the body – and thus supports its storage. Unfortunately, processed foods are full of salt. So eat them only in moderation or preferably not at all. When cooking, you should also make sure that the food is low in salt – and not add salt later.
• Sporting: Specific training for the muscles of the feet and calves helps to promote blood circulation and can make ankles look thinner. This can help especially women with a genetic predisposition for cankles, as they often also have underdeveloped calf muscles. Sensible sports units for calves and feet consist, for example, of jumping jacks, rope skipping or sprints on the spot.
• Put your legs up: Make sure that you put your feet up more often so that the blood does not circulate too slowly and sink into your legs – this can cause swelling. Compression stockings can also help.
• Drink water: Only if you drink enough water from the outside will the body be able to detoxify and flush out toxins. Besides mineral water, you can also drink dehydrating tea.