Articol publicat in "UNICA" - Iun. 2000 - Provocative and seductive by Bianca Brad The summer is here again and we have to expose our legs more than ever. But most women are unsatisfied with the looks of their legs: either they are too short, too thick, too thin, either the proportions are not adequate, either they have varix, or cellulite is ... much too visible. If we can only lengthen them by optical illusion (clothes and shoes), we can change their shape with gymnastic as massage. We can do the same with the cellulite, but an important aspect here is the nutrition. Of course, the success depends on ... the raw material (tissue structure) and on the perseverance. I have already written about cellulite, so this time I will speak about other factors that influence the aspect of our legs. If your legs are too thin you need to make exercises to increase the volume of the muscularly mass: genuflexions, bicycle ridding (even simulated in case you don’t have a bicycle) climbing the stairs in the tip of the feet. To form the shanks and thin the ankles: put the tip of your feet on a stair or some thicker books and, alternatively wave and descend the heels above and under the stairs/books level. If your legs are too thick you must give up bicycle ridding and genuflexions and make elongation movements, meaning altering the fast and slow movements and combining them with calanetics (staying for a certain period in the same position). In order to stimulate water elimination, wrap your feet in a plastic foil and then put on cotton tights. The elongation exercises are also welcome; they are useful not only to improve mobility, but also for thinning the relevant part and strengthen the muscles. It is recommended to avoid using thin heals shoes, which emphasizes legs thickness. If you have swelled feet the cause may be water retention due to endocrine reasons, tiresome excess. Should it be necessary, see a physician or rub your feet with a cream containing camphor; tae warm baths with sodium bicarbonate and eliminate excessive salts by drinking cleaning tea of: Achillea millefolium, tassel, cherry stalk. Occurrence of varix must be early discovered and, even if there is a hereditary predisposition, some measures may be taken. Pay special attention to it, because neglecting them may lead to thrombosis. So, attention to: overweight – leads to over-solicitation of veins, due to pressure. lifting weights – tensing the abdomen muscles shall push blood to the feet; crossed legs – it may be elegant and sexy, but it is not healthy; too tight clothes – sexy, but not healthy; excessive bronze – it may be avoided by using selftanning creams or oils for legs (and the rest of the body); hot baths and sauna, where it is recommended to keep the feet higher than the body level and to take a cold shower at the end. massage – too strong, it may have harmful instead of good results.