I must confess to being in a bit of a quandary when approaching the topic of loving your legs in shorts. Should I tackle it with the view to improving how our legs look, or am I dishing out platitudes about acceptance?
The thing is, lovely readers, we are moving away from self-doubt and negative thoughts in the direction of body freedom, are we not?
Forgive me if I go all therapist on you, but we can and should rock whatever outfits we like. We are all gorgeous, and we all have something to offer this world that doesn’t begin and end with a pair of killer pins, so let’s start with a rule: We pledge not to say anything to ourselves that we wouldn’t say to our best friend.
Right, let’s crack on with some practical advice.
1. Pick a confidence-boosting style of shorts
First, a quick word about the type of shorts you could choose to wear this summer.
I think denim is always a good option, as they’re never out of fashion, have plenty of pockets (to hold things like dog-poo bags, a phone and even a cheeky lipstick) and the tough material contains any wobbles you might be worried about.
Think high-cotton content and minimum stretch, if any at all. A large dose of elastane doesn’t help the shorts hold their shape and you’ll have soon discarded them to the back of the wardrobe.
I’m no stylist [though woman&home has spoken to fashion experts for their How to style shorts advice article], but aiming for a slight kick-out flare on the bottom hem can give a much more flattering shape and make your waist appear smaller. Fingers crossed, as I have one of the tree-trunk variety.
2. Tone your leg muscles for confidence and strength
If you want to improve the muscle tone of your legs, there is plenty you can do, so long as you don’t expect overnight results. And (stands on an apple crate to shout this), remember that muscle and fat are different types of tissue.
You can certainly isolate leg muscles to work on, which will make them firmer and stronger, but it won’t get rid of the fat on top (I’m just calling a spade a spade).
Losing fat from your legs comes from being in a calorie deficit, and you can find out how many calories you need to lose fat by using an online calorie calculator to work it out.
In short (pun intended), a healthy diet high in protein and adequate carbohydrate, and low in sugar, combined with a decent step count and two to three sessions of strength training per week, gets results.
To build muscle in your legs (don’t be frightened of that term – it just means making your muscles denser, not looking like an Olympic weightlifter), then a short programme, three times a week, of squats, lunges, walking lunges and wall squats, will do wonders.
3. Try this legs workout
Stand against a wall, walk your feet forwards a little and slide your back down the wall, so your hips are level with your knees. Hold for 30 seconds.
Then do 10 squats and 10 lunges on each leg. Do all of that once.
Take a 30-second rest, then do it all twice more.
Repeat this move two days later.
Remember two things, though:
1) Don’t forget to stretch
2) The shape and the size of our thighs do not define us!
Annie is a fat-loss and fitness coach, and creator of theblastplan.com, which is an online programme of exercise and nutrition guidance aimed at midlife women. Follow her on Instagram @anniedeadmantraining for health tips and lots of laughs too.
Shop for new shorts
You can't go far wrong with simple white shorts like these, that remind us of Kate Middleton's pair, and the tailored design and pleats make them feel polished.
If you prefer shorts you can run around in, our fitness writer Susan Griffin raved about these hiking shorts in her review, which come in Black, Solstice Purple, Wild Botanist, Thermal Blue, and Rock Melon
The high waist of these classic denim shorts means it will flatter your figure, while the length won’t drown you. See how to style shorts including these in our fashion guide.
This article first appeared in the August 2024 issue of woman&home magazine. Subscribe to the magazine for £6 for 6 issues.
