From Marilyn Monroe in the ‘50s to celebrities like Sofía Vergara today, curvy women have long been considered sexy. While genetics has a lot to do with whether you can achieve an hourglass figure, concentrating on your best assets will allow you to play them up. Diet, exercise, and your board-certified plastic surgeon can help you achieve a curvier, sexier physique.
As far as your diet goes, if you want to add curves, you still need to be careful of what you eat because you don’t want to add on too much fat. Stick to foods that are high in protein, which helps build muscle. Healthy dairy options like Greek yogurt and cottage cheese are good too, as is drinking lots of water to stay properly hydrated.
In the gym, lower-body workouts will help tighten and tone both the butt and thighs. “That’s why you need to constantly engage the quads and glutes to recruit as many muscle fibers as physically possible, which releases natural growth hormones, too, to get the shape you want,” says Travis Steffen, founder of WorkoutBox.com. “Cut down a little on the cardio and crank up the resistance training.” Try dead lifts with no weight. New York celebrity fitness instructor Kristin McGee adds that high-intensity intervals on the treadmill and stair climbing will shock the system and help strengthen and tone the lower half. “Pilates is also really good for toning up the lower body because it will create definition and give some lift.” If your structure is naturally thin, Steffen says it’s easier to achieve a curvy look, especially if you’re trying to build up the butt, which can be done with squats and lunges.
If diet and exercise can’t create the shape you want, your plastic surgeon can. “Curves are created by building up or reducing a feature,” says Reston, VA, plastic surgeon Robert K. Sigal, MD. Liposuction streamlines the lower body. “It’s about creating a good breast-waist-butt ratio. Focusing on the overall shape is how a curvy figure is achieved,” says Miami plastic surgeon Constantino Mendieta, MD. Some body types naturally retain fat in the lower body and the only thing that helps is liposuction, which streamlines the waist by removing the fat. For a cohesive look, the back and flanks need to be treated too.
A sexy, hourglass figure is associated with a shapely butt. If you need to add some oomph to your backend, Miami plastic surgeon Sean Simon, MD, says a Brazilian Butt Lift is the best way to do so. “This is body-sculpting at its best. The combination of liposuction and improving the shape and fullness of the buttocks can make a profound difference in the overall appearance.”
Which curvy celebrity is your inspiration?
