Spot Reduction On My Arms?

I recently received a question if concentrated weight work will help firm up the upper arms. The individual states; "My arms are not flabby but they are too big to feel comfortable in sleeveless clothes for the summer . . . It just makes me look so much heavier with these arms dragging about!" Ladies, it's starting to get hot and tops and dresses are short sleeved, sleeveless or maybe you're in a swimsuit. You want your arms to be sexy and firm during this time of year.
Spot reduction or toning does not work. If you want to change your body composition and have those sexy arms, you have to do a combination of three components; eat healthier, commit to vigorous cardio exercise a minimum of three days per week for 30 minutes a day and strength train at least twice per week.
If your focus is on your arms, you should include strength exercise for all of your upper body because everything is connected and supports one another. Chest, back, biceps, triceps and shoulders should be included. When you work your chest muscles, your shoulders and triceps are engaged and when you work your back muscles, your biceps and shoulders are engaged. A good workout plan includes multiple exercises to tone all body parts as a complete unit.
The other components, eating healthy and vigorous cardio exercise are equally important. Eating healthy is subjective. Do you need to start with eliminating all fried and processed foods? Or are you at the point to really embrace more fruits, vegetables, and whole grains? Do you observe your portions and try to eat three smaller meals and two snacks in a day? Everyone is at different stages with changing eating habits. Take one step at a time during your transition. See my blog entry on January 4, 2009 on Stages of Change.
Vigorous exercise is subjective, as well. Vigorous means increasing your heart rate past your resting heart rate for a sustainable period of time. Again, this will be different for each person based on the stage they are in. A beginner may need to work on 5-10 minutes at a time and work their way up from there. Are you sweating? You have to break a sweat to burn calories. In turn you will shed excess weight in an effort to reduce fat. This will help those arms look sexier in time. Be patient!