Chafing and irritation can sometimes hamper your efforts to get in shape. Chafing occurs when something irritates your skin. It can lead to minor irritation, raw areas, open sores and even blisters. Your inner thighs are subject to this more than other body parts when walking, but it can also happen to your underarm areas, nipples, groin, feet, and anywhere your skin rubs against other skin or even clothing. The moisture from sweat or even rain makes chafing more likely and often, worse.

To treat chafing, clean the area with antibacterial soap and water and keep the area as dry as possible for a few days to let it heal. If you need to bandage an open sore, choose a light, breathable bandage.

Here are five tips to prevent inner thigh chafing:

1--Wear longer, fitted shorts, such as bike shorts or runner’s pants. Fitted shorts or pants that cover your thighs will protect them from building up friction when they rub together. The clothing absorbs the friction for the most part. If you wear loose shorts, they move a lot and this movement against your skin can cause some pretty bad irritation.

2--Wear shorts or pants made in a wicking fabric. Wicking fabrics (such as Coolmax) pull moisture (sweat) away from your skin, which helps prevent chafing and also helps keep you more comfortable. Moisture next to your skin causes you to be hotter in the summer and colder in the winter, in addition to causing chafing. Stay away from cotton fabrics as cotton retains moisture for a very long time.

3--Use a lubricant such as petroleum jelly or Body Glide, or even a thick moisturizing lotion like bagbalm. These will reduce friction, too. Probably not as well as fitted shorts, but if you only have minor irritation, these barrier lubricants just might be enough.

4--Stay hydrated. When you get even minor dehydration, your sweat forms salt crystals and those can be very irritating and cause chafing, so make sure to drink a glass or two of water in the hour before your walk, and if you walk for over 45 minutes, take water with you.

5--If you are overweight or obese, you are more likely to suffer from chafing. (Skinny people do chafe, too.) So, losing a few pounds can help reduce chafing quite a bit.

Chafing happens to even elite athletes, so it’s not just a beginner’s malady. If you do feel yourself starting to chafe, don’t try to “walk through the pain”. Stop and go home. Treat the irritation and walk again when it is healed, following these tips.

If you need wicking shorts, try these by Champion:



And, Body Glide is great for any area of chafing. I often use it when I get a new sports bra.