24 Mar 2016
Strong legs can help build your confidence and, now that Spring is here, it’s the perfect time to start thinking about getting or keeping your legs in shape! To all the ladies (and men!) in Hereford, whatever your leg shape – long and slim, short and stocky – there are many ways to tone and enhance them.
Sculpting leg muscle
If you want to target legs specifically, the best leg sculpting and strengthening exercises are squats, calf raises, lunges, box jumps and step ups. A class like our Legs, Bum & Tum concentrates on those areas you may be self-conscious about. Our main objective is to boost your confidence as you exercise, so you can learn to love having your legs on show.
It’s been shown that stretching your leg muscles after workouts can help to keep them supple. Yoga and Pilates are a calmer way to strengthen and tone the legs through peaceful but challenging stretches and poses.
Keeping your motivation up
If you’re looking for something more dynamic, a great cardiovascular workout can work muscles in the leg you don’t usually hit and keep your motivation going strong. Dancing, boxing, running and circuit training are all examples of fun, fast ways to get shapely legs. With our enthusiastic teachers in Zumba or Holmer Attack, you won’t even notice how hard you’re working!
Swimming is another great way to tone your legs and it makes a difference from sweating away in the gym or studio! If you don’t fancy swimming lengths by yourself there are other fantastic, instructor-led ways to exercise in the pool, like Aqua Aerobics. As water is 800 times denser than air, taking your workout to the water means effective resistance training and leg muscle building with a smaller risk of injury.
What you eat is just as important
Although working out is the only way to create muscle definition and shape to your legs, it’s still just half of the battle. A car won’t run efficiently if it’s not using the right fuel – eating a balanced, varied diet will help your exercising achieve maximum results. Between beautiful legs and excessive carbohydrates… one has to go!
One problem you might often experience is bloating, or feeling inexplicably larger than you were the day before. When this occurs in the legs it can produce the dreaded cankle… no, thank you! Oedema, or water-retention as it is most commonly known, does have an easy solution and it involves cutting down on sodium.
Sodium is in just about everything these days, even things you wouldn’t expect, like biscuits or cakes! But if you can decrease the sodium in your diet and increase your water intake it will reduce the appearance of puffiness in your legs as well as your whole body.
Pamper your pins
There’s not much a good pampering in our Hereford spa won’t solve…. It’s a great way to de-stress, boost self-confidence and make yourself look and feel fantastic.
Shaving your legs is a hassle and it can really irritate the skin. We recommend using coconut oil as a before and after lotion for the smoothest legs – it doesn’t contain parabens and many claim works a lot better than store-bought shaving cream. However, waxing - when done professionally - leaves you with silky smooth legs for a much longer time, lifting dead skin cells as it removes the hair. Our qualified therapists know how to make waxing the quickest and most painless waxing you can possibly get, so there’s no need to fear a torturous experience!
There are all sorts of amazing scrubs and wraps that can exfoliate and firm your skin, transforming tired, dull legs into fresh, bright and tight ones. We know a thing or two about how powerful a good wrap is, like our anti-cellulite firming treatment with rich blue-green algae. The right treatment can dramatically improve the smoothness and firmness of your legs.
Stimulating circulation and relieving tension
One of the oldest forms of therapy, a massage can be relaxing but it’s also great for leg shape. Manipulating soft leg tissue not only relieves muscle tension but boosts circulation, moving blood and lymphatic fluid away to reduce any swelling. From our Raindrop Massage to Sensory Massage, it’s an easy route to perfect legs!
You can also try a foam roller, a device the Holmer Park fitness instructors are particularly fond of. Foam rollers let you give yourself a deep tissue massage whenever and wherever you want! Like a mini massage, benefits include smoothing and lengthening the leg muscles (which makes them appear longer and slimmer!), circulating fluid and breaking up scar tissue and adhesions.
The art of illusion
Squatting and lunging to perfection can take you a long way but sometimes we all need a few extra tricks to help boost what Mother Nature gave us…
Did you know they make Spanx for your legs! They’re no substitute for toned legs achieved through hard work of course, plus you can’t wear them at the beach (!) but under a pair of tight trousers they smooth any lumps and bumps that might prove hard to shift.
The length of your hemline and the position of your waistline can take you a long way towards longer looking legs. Try a higher waist to elongate the lower body and a higher hemline to show off more of your legs – you can always ease into a shorter skirt inch by inch, building up your confidence before wowing the world! The all-powerful high heel, especially in a nude colour, gives instant height and length and will push up and tighten your calves.
The appearance of healthier legs
When you want to whip out your bare legs they can look a little pale or dry. Using an instant glow product or moisturisers with shimmer or fine glitter in them can do incredible things! They highlight the contours of your legs, while making the skin look healthy and young.
A good tan makes everyone look healthier and lessens the white look legs can have. An airbrush or spray-on tan, like a moisturiser, can also accentuate your legs’ natural contours and give them a more slender appearance.
If you would like to talk about leg workouts or spa treatments, please call 01432 370222 or fill out the enquiry form below.