What Causes Hip Dip PLUS 8 Tips for Healthy Hips

September 23, 2021

What Are Hip Dips?

Hip dips are the inward indentations along the side of your body, where the hip bone meets the top of the thigh. They are a normal part of your bone structure.

here's what hip dips look like

“Hip dips are not a sign of being healthy, unhealthy, overweight or underweight,” although the amount of body fat and muscle mass can make hip dips more pronounced. (1)

What Is the Cause of Hip Dip?

Hip dips (also known as “hip divots” and “violin hips”) are caused by the shape of your pelvis. And these “dips” are a normal part of how God designed a female’s curvy body.

anatomical illustration of the pelvic girdle

Image Source: MindMuscle

There are various factors that influence how pronounced your hip dips may be, including: genetics, anatomy, and lifestyle factors such as nutrition, weight, activity level, etc.

The internet is all about how to get rid of them, but we at Momsanity are about embracing our unique shape!

A Healthier Approach to Hip Dips

Many women are taking extreme measures to eliminate this God-given feature with injected fillers, liposuction, fat ablation, and cool sculpting. This obsession is dangerous to your health as well as your confidence.

Instead, we suggest focusing on having a healthy body which includes eating foods God grows, stretching, exercising with our Sisterhood workouts, resting enough, and staying hydrated.

We love the perspectives shared by Dr. Ross Perry and Lauren Clark on the normalcy of hip dips:

“Almost everyone has a degree of 'hip dip.' It is just more pronounced in some individuals… and I think we should therefore accept and celebrate how unique we all are.” - Dr. Ross Perry, medical director of CosmedicsUK (2)

“We’re all for fixating on our lower halves in a good way, including building up a peachy behind with glute exercises. But with the internet trying to make hip dips happen, all we really want to do is wiggle around to Shakira’s "Hips Don’t Lie." - Lauren Clark, author at My Imperfect Life (2)

8 tips for healthy hips

8 Tips for Healthy Hips

Tip 1: Avoid Smoking

Smoking is linked to early menopause and with that comes loss of bone density which puts you at greater risk for bone fractures including broken hips. (3, 4)

Tip 2: Drink In Moderation

Excessive drinking is linked to osteoporosis, or “thinning bones,” which puts you at greater risk for broken bones including hip fractures. (5)

Tip 3: Maintain A Healthy Weight

Excess weight puts extra stress on bones and joints which can lead to pain, inflammation, and arthritic changes associated with decreased range of motion and stiffness. (6)

While everyone typically focuses on the unhealthful effects of being overweight, many people don’t realize that being UNDERWEIGHT or having poor nutrition can create important health risks too!

When it comes to hip health, being underweight or having poor nutrition puts you at increased risk for osteoporosis from insufficient vitamin D and calcium. (7)

Tip 4: Eat A Balanced Diet

Eating a balanced diet ensures that your bones and muscles get enough of the vitamins and nutrients they need to stay strong and healthy.

Tip 5: Exercise Regularly and Stay Active

We all lose bone mass as we age. And, as we already mentioned above, loss of bone mass makes us more vulnerable to broken bones.

The good news is that exercise “can slow the loss of bone density that comes with age. Physical activity also reduces the risk of falling and injuries from falls” as well as helping to promote bone growth and bone strength. (8)

Tip 6: Practice Good Posture

Have you ever heard someone say, “Stand up straight, shoulders back, and suck in your gut?” It turns out there’s a good reason for that when it comes to hip health!

Physical therapists have found that people who have poor posture, known as swayback, also complain of anterior hip pain. (9) And this hip pain was able to be reduced by simply correcting their posture!

So to avoid annoying hip and back pain, practice good posture!

Tip 7: Make Stretching Part of Your Daily Routine

Stretching increases flexibility and mobility and reduces muscle imbalances that are associated with a higher incidence of injury. (10)

We love the 90/90 Stretch which is super easy, gentle, and only takes 6 minutes. If you do this stretch just 2 times a week, you’ll get noticeable results in 1-2 months!

Tip 8: Wear Shoes With Good Support

Walking with the wrong kind of shoes, or shoes that don’t offer good support, can place stress on your hips and knees, cause pain and inflammation, and place you at greater risk of injury. Choose the right shoe to help keep your feet healthy and your body safe from injury.

Exercises for Hip Health

Hip health is crucial, especially for mamas, so we are fans of strength, flexibility, and mobility. Some exercises to incorporate into your weekly routines are: exercises with resistance bands, single leg deadlifts, donkey kicks, bridges, lunges, sliding mountain climbers, leg raises, and wide squats. We at Momsanity make sure to incorporate these moves in our Sisterhood workout videos. Click here to learn more!

How Long Does It Take to See Results from Exercise?

Perhaps you’ve just had a baby, an extended illness, or other circumstances that have you feeling out of shape. It’s important to have realistic expectations as you strengthen your body using hip exercises.

It can take weeks or months to build up muscle and strength so consistency is key as you form a sustainable workout program. (11)

If You’re Struggling With Your Body Image Right Now

I get it! We’ve all been there at one time or another. And, especially during difficult times, we believe it’s super important to fill our minds and hearts with God’s perspective… which is always better than anything we could come up with on our own. So we’d like to share our 11 favorite Bible verses that help us see ourselves through God’s eyes of love and kindness.

Momsanity's favorite Bible verses to boost your self-image

CLICK HERE TO JOIN THE SISTERHOOD!

You May Also Be Interested In:

Glide Away: A 15 Minute Sisterhood Workout

What If You Stopped Stressing About Your Body?

Fitness Myth: Short Workouts Don’t Work

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