5. Add some toning. To give your legs shapely definition, Hildebrandt recommends using toning exercises. Squats, lunges and weight training all help.
“With anything like that you’re going to be building up that muscle underneath,” she says.
The best way to get results is to do 10 to 12 repetitions of a moderate weight. “Do it to where it’s challenging, so by the last couple repetitions you would be challenging your muscles and feeling those muscles working,” Hildebrandt says.
6. Hop to it. Plyometric exercises, which involve hopping and jumping, also bring out the best in your legs, as do explosive moves such as sprinting. Some classes, such as boot camp or step classes, routinely incorporate these exercises.
“You don’t want to be doing those every day, it’s better to do them a couple times a week,” Hildebrandt notes. “If you do it too often you could get injured.”
7. Tan without the sun. Enhance the look of your muscles with a self-tanner.
For a bronzed look without risking skin cancer, use a product such as Jergens Natural Glow Daily Moisturizer or Neutrogena MicroMist Tanning Sunless Spray. Buss recommends Fake Bake, an oil-free product that will not clog pores. “It doesn’t turn you orange. You get a nice bronze look right away,” she says.
8. Remove spider veins. Spider veins, those little bluish clusters of threadlike veins, can be an annoying mark on a great set of legs.
Heredity, pregnancy, menopause and obesity can all cause them, and people with jobs that involve a great deal of standing, including teachers, nurses and beauticians, are more likely to get them.
The good news is they can be easily taken care of. “The veins are superficial and close to the surface,” Buss notes.
The vein can either be heated to close it or a saline solution can be injected to achieve the same effect through a process called Sclerotherapy, Buss says. A laser can also be used to remove it.
Recovery time for the procedures varies, but typically a person who goes through Sclerotherapy will have to wear compression stockings for three days to keep things nice and tight. The only restriction with laser therapy is not exercising for about two days.