It has been suggested that Nicole Kidman’s face must have been frozen in time, devoid as it is of the lines and general signs of ageing that might be expected at 42. But have her legs been blessed with a similar fate? On the cover of the latest GQ magazine, Kidman appears to have the slim, toned thighs of a teenager: no flab spilling over her thigh-high boots, no thread veins. Where others have fluid retention and cellulite, she has alabaster skin and superb muscle tone.

So what’s her secret?

Kidman is not one to shirk exercise. She continued to work out in the gym until a few weeks before daughter Sunday Rose was born last year, displaying barely a bump throughout her pregnancy and shrinking back into shape with improbable swiftness afterwards. Now she does regular 55-minute Pilates sessions and a weekly spinning class, and favours cardio workouts on the Cybex arc cross trainer when she is not outdoors running 7-12 miles or power walking. Then there is the weight training, swimming and yoga sessions . . .

What you can do:

The bad news is that you can’t outwit your genes. For hormonal reasons, many women store excess fat on the hips and thighs and are just not destined to have Kidman-esque limbs. But you can streamline your thighs with running, cycling or Nordic/power walking 3-4 times a week. Using the thigh abductor and abductor weights machines at the gym will accelerate the loss of saddlebags, while squats and lunges will improve firmness and tone. A simple toning exercise is the cushion squeeze. Lie on your back with your legs bent and feet flat on the floor. Place a cushion between your knees, breathe in and contract your abdominals. As you breathe out, squeeze your thighs together without moving your pelvis. Hold the position for 5 seconds, slowly release and repeat 12-15 times. The move can also be performed sitting on a chair. Repeat every other day. Expect results after 8-10 weeks.

Peta Bee

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