Introduction Are you too shy to wear miniskirts and shorts, even in the heat of summer?

Do you find your legs too far from ideal, therefore you're reluctant to show them to the world? Are beautiful legs still an unachievable dream of yours? You are not alone in this! Millions of people on the planet are also upset because of the imperfections of their bodies. They hide their legs under spacious skirts and pants, and they keep from visiting and pools and beaches. Many of them firmly believe that if nature didn't reward them with beautiful, straight legs - it's a waste to even do anything about it. And the truth is they turn out to be wrong, because there is a way out. Many people find it easier to live with the fact that their body is far from ideal and to cherish and settle with the imperfections. But strong, goal-oriented people are never satisfied with what's given to them by nature. They're the self-made individuals those who chose to make a step forward. Of course, for that you need lots of patience. You'll have to turn into a sculptor of your own body and to work very hard, not just a month-or-so. But you end up with real pride for your achievements.

If you are serious about working on yourself, then this book is definitely for you. In it you will find lots of information on the issue that interests you, as well as effective exercises for training. In the modern world, too much attention is dedicated to way we look, external beauty. That's why we're all very sensitive about appearance. Sometimes even those naturally-attractive feel uncomfortable under this pressure of people falling under glamor- and fashion-based ideal looks. And what can we say about the young people who have real physical defects, not ones made up when misled by the fashion world? And while for the stronger sex the society's been always more tolerant as to external imperfections, certainly young women don't get away that easily. Based on doctors' observations, the more perfect gender has to use more drastic measures to get the results they're looking for. That's why the goal of this book is to demonstrate with examples why it's not worth it to allow frustration to take over. Everything can be fixed; you just need to give your best effort. You're not promised that everything will be fast and easy. On the contrary - you will have to work, and work very hard. But then, when it's over, you will be more proud yet of the result that you'll have achieved.

Now, before we move on, let's retire our good -old friend, the scalpel. See, many people mistakenly assume there's only one way to fix bowlegs via surgery. Let's perform a detailed analysis. What are the ways to fix bandy legs using a scalpel? The operations to correct O-type or X-type legs are performed under general anesthesia and needs long-term rehabilitation. A sensible person may not need explaining why general anesthesia is dangerous for the body. The doctors themselves agree that, though the methods of this type of surgery have been developed long ago, the risks of encountering certain complications will always exist. One way to fix the curvature of the legs would be with aid of shin implants. There is also a high risk of the surgery not going well, or actually being performed badly, not to mention that these types of surgeries don't come cheap. It basically comes down to a decision: are you ready to sacrifice your health for the sake of beauty? Not to mention, whats a more pleasant way for you to spend time in a pool or a gym, or on a hospital bed? Keep in mind, at same time, that no ones asking you to let your body suffer from overlyintense training and extra strenuous exercise. To

the contrary, all this should be enjoyable for you at the very least; otherwise, there is no point in the exercises later described here. All thats asked of you is to overcome your shyness and skepticism and start doing training sessions. And after a short period of time - you will see that you don't need any operations to get arrowstraight legs.

Regular training sessions are like a deposit toward success. Everyone is likely familiar with the saying: fitness strengthens not just the body, but the spirit, as well. At the beginning, you heroically overcome your own laziness and unwillingness to start. Then training sets become a habit, and you begin feeling uneasy without them. This happens fairly soon. In just one month your body gets used to a certain way of life. That is why, in order not to start everything from the beginning each time, I suggest you try not to stop your training sets, and not break down the schedule thats already been formed. Believe me - once you start slacking, youll lose the battle to laziness. That's the psychologi-

cal factor, but there is also the physiological factor. In order for your muscles to grow and get stronger, they need constant strenuous workout. This is the adaptive nature of muscle fibers. Unless human physiology goes through a series of serious changes, the basic process of muscle building will not change. In the absence of constant pressure, your muscles can actually decrease in volume. And this, as you can understand, nullifies all your efforts. Without regular exercises, your dreams about an ideal figure might virtually vanish into thin air. So, make the journey toward the goal that youve made for yourself, but be prepared to put in a fair amount of work. Remember to take a look back at how much youve already done and what youve achieved. Let your first success be a motivation for your further studies. If you ever feel like pulling the plug on the whole thing, ask yourself: Wont I feel bad for the work Id already done? Now on to the goal youve already established You have decided to bring change to your body, and you clearly see that itll take a fair

amount of work. The goal has been set and the means to achieve it were decided. But between the present you and the ideal you in the future there lies a huge abyss. Its called time. How do we not stop ourselves from going the distance before seeing the positive changes? The athletes that practice regularly have come up with lots of methods to support their combative spirit. Let us borrow from their experience. 1. Training sessions should be enjoyable. Thats why you must get yourself as comfortable during your exercises as you can. Choose your favorite music. Buy yourself fancy and trendy sports clothes. Promise to reward yourself something for a job well done. Visualize your ideal body image. Place a photo of a celebrity that suits the image to where you can see it best, and say to yourself: In a year I will look just like that. 2. Believe in your success. In your case, this is not just a blind belief of a naive simpleton. There simply arent such people people in the natural world who werent able to change their body through intense training. Sooner or later, you will achieve what you desire.

3. Keep track of all your achievements on paper, even if they seem insignificant. Even a small step will make your road to the ideal body shorter. 4. Always keep your goal in mind! During the training sessions, don't forget what youre working for and why youve started with the whole ordeal. If you dont always keep this on your mind, you risk losing your goal altogether, not to mention - the temptation to drop everything you started during the moments when the work strain seems to outweigh the benefits. Try to visualize the results. The realization that all your efforts arent fruitless and will not go in vain should help keep you from breaking away and quitting the training. 5. Find people with a similar state of mind and an equal spirit. It's much more enjoyable to partake in the training as a group. Besides, if someones already expecting you, the temptation to skip training might cease. Lets recap - we have created three success components for ourselves: setting specifics of the goal, the motivation component, and regular training exercises.

Curvature of the legs what types can there be? Leg form is as unique as fingerprints. You can debate endlessly on what beautiful, ideal legs should be. The opposing sides in standards of beauty have often changed; when that would happen, they would turn out being diametrically opposite. But nobody would go to argue with the fact that truly beautiful legs must have a proportionally-developed silhouette. It was medical doctors who first brought the leg beauty standard to any kind of definition. The ideal form of the legs is characterized by the presence of three empty spaces in the internal contour of the thigh, limited by the crotch, enclosed by knee-joints, and an massive solid of soft tissues of shins and ankles - this is how the definition of the ideal standard of leg beauty sounds (picture A).

If two of the adjacent points are missing, orthopedists can label it a curvature of the legs. If

there are no adjacent points in the area of shins and calves, the defect is called an X-shaped curvature (picture b). In the case where there is no adjacency in the area of knees and calves it is the so-called O-shaped leg curvature (picture c).

The leg form is determined by genetics and other inherited factors. Bowlegs can be the result of illnesses endured at an early age. Whats not included and need separate labeling are the defects formed as a result of an incorrect bone inter -growth after a fracture. The true curvature of the legs is a peculiarity of the anatomical structure of lower limbs and is related to the deformation of the shin bone. The wrong curvature is caused by an incorrect distribution of soft tissues in the body. Overly thin, undeveloped calf muscles don't look too attractive (picture d). Crooked legs dont only cause an aesthetic defect, but pose a threat to the whole body. Your legs have a direct impact on the health of your

spine, joints, and lumbar bone. Crooked legs are most simply fixed with the help of physical exercises. But even if the curvature is real, you can achieve desired results with persistent training, changing the actual silhouette from the visual standpoint. The ideally-beautiful, straight legs are in most cases not natures gifts, but the results of work put into them. The new, rapidly-advancing century is in a way setting a fashion trend with beautiful, proportionate bodies with prominent and developed muscles. That is why the current, modern image of beautiful legs is not just limbs, straight to an ideal standard, but also proportionately-developed shins and thighs. The best example for this is Madonna - the hugely-popular singer who keeps showing off to the world her harmonious, sculpted, and trained body even after all the years shed been topping the charts.

Before starting the training sessions Before your start the training, Id like to bring your attention to the general methods of having exercises. Heres a few pointers to keep in mind:

What do we need the warm-up for? Light stretching is necessary for any training session. It helps greatly to warm up the muscles and get the heart to pump the blood faster, providing oxygen to the muscles more effectively. The stretching not only increases the effectiveness of the training sessions, but also helps us avoid injury. Why must we stretch after each exercise? Stretching is also considered a warm-up exercise. That is to say, stretching is in some ways opposite to the warm-up exercises. So, why is it necessary? Stretching relaxes the muscles, as well as improving their elasticity. If you don't stretch right after your a power workout, your muscles will contract with time, and then increasing their volume will prove to be a challenge. Why do our muscles need rest? When working on increasing muscle mass, you must include proper rest. The truth is that muscle growth doesnt happen during training, as

many young athletes believe, but during the resting period. Thats why the most reasonable schedule for weight training is around three times a week. A diet for your muscles Protein is the main building block for your muscles. Thats why people wishing to increase their muscle volume must eat food rich in protein immediately following training. These foods include: cottage cheese, meat, and eggs. If you train out of the house, substitute protein-based meals with a cocktail or a certain energy drink. In order to get the most out of training, youll also need carbohydrates. Thats why its recommended to to eat rice, buckwheat, or macaroni one an hour or hour and a half before your training session. During your training, don't forget to drink water frequently, but in small amounts. On average, in one hour of physical exercises you have to drink no less than half-a-liter of water. Professional bodybuilders say that 50 percent of the time, training success depends on the right diet. We might as well take their advice.

Correct breathing When performing power exercises it's very important to control your breath. It has to be deep and slow. Squat when breathing in and straighten-up when breathing out. This relates to other power exercises, too.

Humans Lower Extremity Anatomy The structure of our legs and feet Our Lower Extremity basically consist of a 3 parts: Thigh, Shank, and Foot Thigh the section of the leg between the joints of the knee and hip. The thigh has one bone Femur, and there are 4 groups of muscles, which control its different ways of movement (bending, rotation, abduction, and adduction). Shin (Lower leg) the section of the leg from knee to the heel, which bones are Fibula, Tibia, and also Patella (knee cap) at the front of the knee. At the lower part of Fibula and Tibia

there are bony prominences called Medial and Lateral Malleolus. Foot the lowest section of Lower Extremity. Foot (and ankle) is a strong and complex mechanical structure containing more than 26 bones, 33 joints (20 of which are actively articulated), and more than a hundred muscles, tendons, and ligaments.The foot acts as a lever to move the body forward when we walk or run. This structure gives the foot its flexibility and strength. The Muscles of the leg and foot The legs make up a large part of the bodys muscular mass. The quadriceps is a large muscle group that includes four prevailing muscles at the front of the thigh. They called Vastus Medialis, Intermedius and Lateralis and finally the Rectus Femoris. All four parts of the quadriceps muscle attached to the patella (knee cap) via the quadriceps tendon. At the back of the thigh there are three

muscles of the posterior (or back) thigh (semitendinosus, semimembranosus, biceps femoris), which flex (bend) the knee, while three of the four other muscles extend (straighten) the hip. The Shin muscles surrounding Fibula and Tibia are basically divided into two compartmentsAnterior and Posterior. The muscles in the anterior compartment include the tibialis anterior, extensor halluscis longus, extensor digitorum longus, and peroneous tertius. This group of muscles primarily extends the toes and dorsiflexes the ankle. The most important of a Posterior compartment muscles include Gastrocnemius and Soleus those are the most power muscles of the lower leg. The Posterior (Calf) muscles and the Achilles tendon working in link for flexing and extending motions of the knee to the movements of the ankle and the foot.

The most important foot muscles are extensors, which allow your toes and feet to extend up and generally run from the top of the toes and feet and up the front or outside of the legs, and the flexor muscles, which allow your toes and feet to flex down and generally run along the bottom of your feet and up the back of the legs.

Moving on to the physical exercises

Fixing false curvature of the leg: False curvature is the least harmful case. This defect is the easiest to correct. To relief of patients with this ailment - this case does not deal with bone deformations. Therefore, having worked hard on the calf muscles, its very feasible to achieve great results. The calves consist of two muscles: the sural and the soleus. For calf muscles to have more volume there is one simple but effective exercise - getting up on the toes. Doing this exercise in a standing position develops the sural muscle. The same exercise, when done sitting down, trains the soleus muscle.

An important role in these exercises is played by the position of the foot. When the feet are naturally-pointed outward, the load is concentrated on the outside of the sural muscle. When the feet are pointed inward, the inner parts of the muscle are at work. In order to make the legs noticeably straighter, the internal parts of the calf muscles should be worked on. There is necessary equipment available to perform this exercise in a fitness center; but you will be able to do them easily at home with dismounted bar-bells or dumbbells, and a metal or wooden bar with the thickness of three-to-four inches (or books as an alternative). Before starting the exercises, it's important to warm-up the muscles. Start with a few simple stretching exercises. It might be wise to add some aerobics here such as walking in place or using a jump rope. Keep in mind that power exercises are effective only if your pulse is not less than eighty beats a minute. Thats why - if you want to make sure your exercises count in the long run, dont skip out on the aerobic part of training. The first exercise: getting up on the tiptoes while standing:

Get up with on tiptoes on any kind of platform you can find thatll hold you three-to-four inches off the ground (a couple of books might do the trick, but try them for sturdiness first) and hold on to a barbell (a size just heavy enough to feel it pulling down on you) with one hand while the other holds unto something for balance. Slowly get up on your toes as high as possible and go down slowly the same way. Hold your position as youre on your toes and as youre down for a few seconds each. This exercise is performed with no less than thirty repetitions. Altogether, you have to do the exercise three-to-four times during the workout. You should have no less than thirty seconds of rest between each set of exercises. The second exercise: getting up on the tiptoes while sitting down: Sitting in a chair, put your toes on the chosen platform. Rest the dumbbell on one of your knees. Extend your feet and raise your legs as slowly as the previous exercise, and then down. Try to accomplish the maximum range possible. The exercise is performed in three sets of exer-

cises, thirty times each. The last exercise in each set should be very challenging and straining on your muscles. If you don't feel it, you might wish to take a heavier dumbbell or increase the number of repetitions. Dont forget to end your training with the stretching exercizes. This will improve the blood flow to your muscles; therefore, theyre more likely to grow faster in size. Now, keep in mind that some noticeable shakiness in the muscles in sessions of power training is quite normal. But if in thirty-to-forty minutes it doesn't go away, then your load is too high. That's not ideal, either, since tired muscles dont perform as well. In order to reach good results in the least amount of time, you have to keep changing the load. Our muscles are formed in the way that theyre able to easily adapt to repetition in exercise, instead of having bad reactions. That is why its suggested to change the weight of the dumbbell and the number of repetitions monthly at the very least. The optimal frequency of performing power training is three times a week. But try not to put away the training the rest of the time in daily life. Walking, for one, trains calf muscles really well, especially when walking up the stairs.

So, do yourself a favor and forget elevators even exist. Simple walking is great on the calves. If you can afford it, get yourself a treadclimber or a very basic stepper (even non-electric might work) and train for at least 30 minutes daily. I'd like to note that the calf muscles are hardest to train. No every bodybuilder can proudly show off his-or-her calf muscles, even after significant training. Those serious about bodybuilding often would say that calves are the most resistant to training. Thats why it is believed that in order to reach results, a lot of effort has to go into calf training, and lots of time. Don't be surprised if you don't notice any serious changes in one-or-two months. In order to achieve the necessary shape, the calf muscles need more time than others. You will have to work with them a lot more than with other types of muscles. While trapezoidal muscles need training once or twice a week, power training for calves is performed every other day. The number of sessions and repeats is much greater here. The fact is that our calf muscles are used to the pressure - they carry our bodies around every day. They also support most of its weight. Therefore, lets repeat again - you can achieve the re-

sult only through regular and intensive training sessions. Correcting an X-shaped curvature: To correct an X-shaped curvature of the legs, it helps greatly to go biking or practice regularly on a stationary bike. If possible, take up horseback riding. You can achieve great results with running or breast-stroke swimming just as well. The best training for you is a simple jump rope; start with 30 jumps and slowly get the number of repeats to the most your body will allow. Sit on the ground, crossed your legs and try to get up without using hands. For the start, perform one session in 20-30 repetitions. Then, progressively keep increasing the number. Try to sit down in a Turkish position more often (legs intertwined and bent, like in yoga). Perform daily exercises to improve the shape of legs. These can be simple shakes of the legs to the front, to the back, and to the sides (stand on one foot and perform this with the free leg). The-

se exercises are carried-out in thirty repetitions in two-three sets. To increase the load one can use a thick, elastic rubber band (similar to one Gaiam sells with the Balanceball) that gets wrapped around the ankle of the stationary leg and tied around the one being worked on.
Power exercises

Crouching with a barbell or dumb-bells: Stand up straight, bring your legs to the width of your shoulders, and spread the toes outwards. Put the barbell on your shoulders and slowly lower yourself, crouching, as if youre trying to sit in a chair. Stretch-out your legs slowly the same way. Perform the exercise 10-15 times in 2-3 takes. Do not forget to rest between the sets for thirty-to-sixty seconds.
Lunging:

Take two identical dumbbell in your hands and lung forward. Lower yourself by bending the knee as much as possible, and then slowly get-up the same way. Do the same on the other leg. Perform this exercise ten-to-fifteen times in twoto-three sets.

-shaped leg curvature: This curvature is the hardest to correct. In this case the effective exercise would be the deep sit-ups with widely stretched-out legs. The exercises for the internal surface of the thighs Many girls with slender bodies are shy about the fact that their inner thighs is not well-enough developed and because the space between the legs is too great. Getting rid of this drawback can be done using the following exercises: Lying on the floor, raise your legs and squeeze a large rubber ball between your knees. Put the knees together in order to feel the pressure in the muscles. Stay in this position for some, then relax again. This exercise can be done within one minute. Another simple exercise, fittingly named scissors, can give decent results if performed with an elastic rubber band. Lie down on your

back and perform leg stretches as many times as you can, overcoming the band's resistance. To help make this work, tie the band around your feet. Deep sit-ups with your toes stretched outward also impact the inner surface of the thighs. It's better to perform the exercise with something holding down your feet. The following exercise is for a front surface of the thigh Barbell sit-ups: Spread your legs to the width of your shoulders and keep your feet pointed forward, parallel to each other. Put the barbell down on your shoulders and slowly sit down, leaning forward. Dont do extra-deep sit-ups - it's enough to bend the knees just a bit more than a 90-degree angle. The back thigh surface: Laying on the floor, bend your legs at the knees. The feet have to be at the width of the shoulders. Put the dumbbells or the barbell disk

on your stomach. Raise the butt area up and down, slowly. Hold your body as youre above floor for a few seconds. Stretching exercises Stretching the muscles of the back thigh and shin surfaces: Put one leg in front of the other and transfer the weight of the body to the back leg. Prop yourself on your knee and bend the foot with your toes in upward motion. Stay in this position for ten-to-fifteen seconds and repeat the exercise for the other leg. Stretching of the inner area of the thigh: Stretch the legs out wide. Bend one leg in the knee and transfer all the body weight onto it. You will feel the inner thigh muscles stretch out and tense up. Do the same thing but with the other leg. Stretching of the front area of the thigh: Place one leg behind you. Put your hands around your ankle and pull it back towards the

buttocks. Stay in this position for ten-to-fifteen seconds and repeat the exercise for the other leg.

Conclusion

Following these simple pieces of advice, after just a little bit of time you will see noticeable, positive changes. The biggest part of this is not to give up and to stay determined and move towards the initially-marked goal. Your physical perfection rests entirely on your shoulders. Think of the idol and standard of beauty of millions Marilyn Monroe. She may be considered the ideal of femininity. But at same time, her figure was actually far away from the ideal beauty standards. She didnt have the straightest of legs; on the contrary, they were a bit crooked, and her thighs a bit thick. Marylin had made image on her own. What helped was her charm, charisma, her confidence, and constant work to improve herself. Any one of us might choose to follow her example. The truth is, working to improve yourself and your body is a much more alluring hobby than looking at own flaws in a mirror. After getting on

the road of self-improvement once, do not divert from it. Keep on only moving ahead, step by step. Your perseverance and work can cause a lot of changes in your life, and your body is no exception. Of course, the results of your training sessions will depend lot on your natural abilities, too. But if the recommendations are followed closely in terms of nutrition, and performing the training routines, the result you seek may not require much patience before showing sighs sooner than later. Soon, you wont have to camouflage yourself, so to say, in clothing without form;you should soon be brave enough to put on what you like. Besides, in several months of training you will notice that your walk has gained more confidence, and your posture became straighter. Let this small victory over your own body inspire you to new heights and achievements.