How To Get The Perfect Pins

06th Feb 2012

To get great legs takes commitment to exercise and good nutrition – but the great news is, just wearing your favourite footwear can help tone up your pins.

Here, fitness expert Nicki Waterman reveals the benefits of the regular shoe choice of several stars.

Nicki says: "So-called 'super' shoes like the FitFlop do have fitness benefits. But style-conscious stars know their footwear is already keeping them in shape, from Victoria Beckham's killer stilettos to Blake Lively's comfy Uggs."

Ballet pumps: Kate Moss

The Science: The lack of support makes the muscles in your inner thighs and buttocks work harder than usual. You burn fewer calories than in some other styles – 240 per hour – but you can wear them for longer, which means you're likely to burn more calories in total.

The Exercise: Pump it up – for legs like Kate's, stand with your feet slightly more than hip-width apart and your hands on your hips. Squeeze your buttocks, slowly bend your knees and drop your hips down towards the floor (don't let your knees go further forward than your toes). Then slowly return to a standing position. Repeat 15 times

Ugg boots: Blake Lively

The Science: Uggs help to contract and lengthen leg muscles, without overworking them like heels can.They also make your toes curl to grip the sole, which works the front of your thigh and calf muscles, helping you to burn 264 calories an hour when you walk in them.

The Exercise: Ugg lift – for toned legs like Gossip Girl actress Blake's, hold on to the back of a chair and stand with your feet hip-width apart. Lift your right foot several inches off the floor, extending your leg in front of you. Tighten your abs and bend your left knee as much as you can, distributing your weight evenly for balance. Hold for two seconds. Repeat 15 times on each leg.

Stilettos: Victoria Beckham

The Science: The quads, hamstrings and calf muscles have to work harder in heels so your legs become more toned, even when you're standing still. Even so, experts recommend stilettos as a treat only – wearing them all day can cause knee and back pain as well as bunions, corns and calluses. Walking in stilettos can burn 312 calories and hour.

The Exercise: Stiletto stretch – for Posh-like pins, stand with feet hip-width apart. Hold the handles of a large, heavy handbag close to your chest with both hands, keeping a small bend in your knees, your spine straight and your stomach muscles tight. Bend forward from the hips to a 45-degree angle, hold for five seconds then return to a standing position. Repeat 15 to 20 times.

Platforms: Cheryl Cole

The Science: Platforms, or wedges, give you extra height and put less stress on the foot than normal heels. Walking in wedges works your core stability muscles, buttocks and thighs, and burns 228 calories per hour. You need to be sure-footed, however, because you can easily twist an ankle if you topple to one side in them.

The Exercise: Platform power – for legs like Cheryl's, facing upstairs, stand up straight and with your toes on the edge of a stair, your feet hip-width apart – hold on to the banister for support. Now rise up on to the balls of your feet, hold the position for one second, then slowly lower yourself back down so your heels go well below the stair you're standing on. Repeat 15 to 20 times.

This article first appeared in The Sun