Toned Legs

As summers approach, women want to replace the pants and long dresses in their wardrobe with something sexier like mini skirts and shorts. To wear them, besides a whole lot of confidence and attitude, a woman needs to have well sculpted and toned legs. Many magazines proclaim that to get toned legs a woman needs to go to the gym regularly, do pilates, weight training, yoga and what not. But do you know that the same results can be achieved at home, with a little effort from your side? Here are some useful tips on how to get toned legs at home.

Walk, Run, Jog
Walk for thirty minutes everyday. Once your stamina builds, you can switch to running and jogging for the same amount of time.

Indulge in Sports
If you love sports, more than exercising in a gym, then start cycling. Regular cycling will not only tone your legs, but will improve the blood circulation in the area too. Swimming, which helps in building muscle mass, is another leg toning exercise that you can undertake to get well sculpted legs.

Swing your Legs
Yes, swinging the legs is one of the best leg exercises. To do this, stand straight and you may hold a wall or a heavy furniture item with your hand for support. Now, swing one of your legs in the front and then back. While swinging, bring the leg up only till your hip level and keep your upper body, including your shoulders, back and stomach, straight. Start with ten swings per leg initially and later increase it to thirty.

Do Squats
Squats can easily be done at home itself and prove to be very effective exercise for toning the legs. Stand with your back against the wall. Then slowly, lower your upper body by bending your knees to squat down. Stop when your thighs are parallel to the floor. Remain in this position for around thirty seconds to give time to the leg muscles to work and then come back to the normal position. Repeat this exercise ten times.

Climb Stairs or Do Step-ups
Climb up and down the staircase, a number of times in a day. But this can get weary after some time. So a good substitute for this are "step-ups". To do step-ups you will need a sturdy platform which is around eighteen inches above the floor. You may use a strong table or even a staircase for doing this exercise. Start with placing your left leg on the platform and then with a little effort, bring your right leg up, keeping the right leg straight all the time. Then change the legs and repeat the same exercise. Do this ten times with each leg. To make this exercise more effective, you may hold a filled one liter bottle of water in each hand.

Exercising has to be combined with a healthy, well-balanced diet to get a trim, fitter body, including well-toned legs. So eat healthy foods and eliminate high calorie, fried and sugary foods from your diet. Drink lots of water and exfoliate and moisturize your legs everyday to reduce cellulite, varicose veins and stretch marks. And most importantly, stay focused and stick to your exercise routine to get and maintain your toned legs.