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Ever since Jessica Simpson gave birth to son Ace Knute almost a year ago in June 2013, we’ve watched her shed dozens of pounds of baby weight. And just when we thought Jessica couldn’t look any fitter or healthier, we saw this snap she recently Instagrammed of her strong, toned legs during a sweat session:

That’s some serious sculpting going on there. She wrote in the caption: “These are my legs during a workout today! I’m proud of myself.” We’re proud of her, too, and very inspired (if this isn’t proof that that calf and thigh workouts can really pay off, we don’t know what is). 

“I definitely go up and down with my weight, and I’m really honest about it,” Jessica reportedly said at the Forbes’ Women’s Summit: Power Redefined. “I feel like we all deserve to enjoy life. If I’m five pounds heavier, if I’m 50 pounds heavier, or five pounds lighter, I just don’t think it should define who you are. But I was proud of myself throughout that time period for not going out and doing every crash diet and trying to get as skinny as I could or not eating.”

We couldn’t agree with that philosophy more; healthy lifestyle changes that are sustainable for the long-term are always smarter than extreme and/or super restrictive plans. Simpson has trainers who helped her score her toned physique, but you can sculpt your own sexy leg muscles with these lower-body workouts. 

MORE: Jessica Simpson’s Weigh-Loss Secret