How to Keep Your Arms Firm
Since most people carry extra weight around the midsection and hips, arms are pretty easy to tone up, regardless of total body weight and fitness. If you do these exercises three times a week, in just one month you’ll be armed, and dangerous!
How to tone up your arms
Nothing makes a girl’s arms as sexy as sculpted triceps, biceps and shoulders! Whether it’s swimming, dips or push ups, just a little exercise goes a long way. The trick is to keep your activities relatively consistent. You’ll quickly start to notice that your arms, and particularly your triceps, may start to get a little wobbly if you don’t.
A balanced diet
A balanced diet means that you make sure you get plenty of fruit and vegetables; whole starches like whole wheat bread, rice, pasta and potatoes; some meat, fish, eggs, beans and other non-diary sources of protein like nuts and tofu; and some milk and dairy, unless you’re intolerant.
If you’re vegetarian or vegan, or aspiring to be, simply replace the animal products with more pulses, nuts and seeds and high protein supplements like maca, spirulina or chlorella. You can replace the dairy with nut and seed milks you make at home or buy, like soya milk, almond milk or rice milk. The main thing is to make sure you get plenty of fresh plant foods and avoid letting cheese, grains or chips and crisps take over. The same goes for meat eaters. Keep an eye on the quantity and regularity of junk food consumption.
Exercises you can do outside
Get yourself down the park and make good use of the different equipment there. It’s free and you’ll get plenty of fresh air too.
Exercise 1
Grasp a high bar with your hands shoulder-width apart and your palms facing away from you. Jump up as you bend your elbows and pull yourself up – until your chin is above the bar and your legs are extended toward the ground. Hold for up to 10 seconds, then lower yourself to the ground. Do 5 to begin with, or as many as you feel able to do without tiring yourself too much. Consistency is the key.
Exercise 2
Grasp onto the side rails of a bridge with your hands slightly in front of you and with your feet together. Jump forward as you lift your legs up to hip height in front of you. Hold for 2 seconds, then return to the starting position. Do 5 until you feel you want to add reps!
Exercise 3
Get into a plank position with your feet on a swing and your hands shoulder-width apart on the ground. Bend your elbows a little, without collapsing, into a push-up position, then rise back up. Do 5 until you feel stronger and would like to do more.
Exercises your biceps
Stand with your legs slightly wider than hip-width with a 5-8 pound dumbbell in each hand (or tins of soup or another weight). Keeping your spine upright, squat and circle your left hand up and in towards your shoulder in a circular motion, like you’re beckoning someone towards you. Reverse to lower hand. Do 16 of these circles, then swap sides and repeat.
Exercises Your Triceps
Ever done pilates? This is pilates boxing! Stand with your feet hip-width apart and bend your knees and hinge forward from your waist, keeping your spine in a neutral position. Raise your fists up to your shoulders with your elbows up and box your right hand forward, clenching your abs. Bring hands to centre and swap sides. Box 20 times on each side.
Arm Dips
The tricep dip is great for strengthening your upper body and giving you defined arms. Stand in front of a sturdy table or chair-back, facing away from it. Reach behind you and take hold of the table or chair and put your weight on your arms, lower your body down a few inches, then come back up. As you gain strength you can lower down further.
Don’t Forget these Details
Don’t forget to warm up and gently stretch before you exercise. Cooling down is also important. Walking is a great cool-down activity. If you haven’t exercised for some time or feel discomfort which exercising, stop and consult a doctor or exercise professional before you get started. Be safe and enjoy the results of your exercises!
