Back/ Arm Fat Exercises for A Socially Anxious Girl?

iochta
iochta Posts: 8
in Health and Weight Loss
I want to get rid of back/ arm fat the most at the moment, but I'm not entirely sure of the quickest way to do that!

I don't have the money for any equipment (I'm a student without a job for now), and I prefer to stay at home... I've tried running, since I heard it targets all areas of your body, but then I get too self-conscious and chicken out. Lately, I've been jogging at least 20 laps in my driveway when it gets dark (20 laps up and down my driveway = 2km - around 1 mile?), but I also want to do something indoors, since it's been raining a lot these days (it's Spring here in October).

I've been told cans of food are good for upper arm exercises, just raising them above the head in a certain fashion for a dozen or so reps. Is that true?

I currently am doing 2 reps of 20 abdominal crunches, cleaning (vigorously) for about 60-120 minutes per day, as much meditating as possible (I've heard it's great for weight loss), and whatever else I can do during the day, around my busy homeschooling schedule.

I just need advice on how to get rid of back fat/ upper arm fat as soon as possible. I'm sick of not being able to wear tshirts because I'm ashamed of how fat my arms are!

Help?

Replies

  • sallysuze
    sallysuze Posts: 65 Member
    Youtube Jillian Michaels :)
  • BernadetteChurch
    BernadetteChurch Posts: 2,210 Member
    I don't know how quick it will be, but try some dips and push-ups. Have a search on YouTube for someone to show you the correct technique.
  • iochta
    iochta Posts: 8
    This may help. :) Thanks!
  • iochta
    iochta Posts: 8
    BernadetteChurch: Thanks! I will! I've never been very good at pushups, but practice makes perfect, right?
  • zebisis
    zebisis Posts: 157
    You have to lose overall body fat, and then you can tone. Pushups, tricep presses, definitely look on youtube. But you can't lose from just one spot. Your arms and back will slim down, but you need to be eating at a calorie deficit and exercising in some way.
    No one is going to make fun of you for running! Go out and walk at a fast pace if you prefer. It all counts. :)

    Feel free to add me- you can do this- it just takes time and determination.
  • iochta
    iochta Posts: 8
    zebisis: Oh, alright, I get it! My mum downloaded this program called "Insanity", although I'm not entirely sure how well off it is. :L For the sake of wanting to actually like looking at myself in the mirror, I'll try to suck it up and get out there! Thanks! :)
  • dancerom
    dancerom Posts: 174 Member
    Hey Iochta

    a good way to tone your upper arms is a not so well known exercise for your rotational muscles. It's the one I give all my clients and students for nice toned arms and it also helps to prevent (or even release) shoulder pain. I try to explain it.

    Stand there and stretch your arms to the side on shoulder height. (but don't overstretch your elbows). Now start turning your arms in and out. This means your palms are facing up and down or front and to the back, depending on how flexible you already are in your shoulders. It is important that your elbow is turning too and not only your hands and that the shoulders stay low. So the rotation is in your shoulder joint between your upper arm and your upper body.
    Do you get it till here?
    If you found that rotational movement you can start moving slowly your whole arms around you. So bring them forwards then up, than totally down, to the back and so on. Try to cover all the places around your body with your arms, always rotating in and out.

    Go so till you really feel the heat in your upper arms. do this daily once or twice.

    Feel free to ask if you didn't get my explanations (I'm not native english, and explaining movement only by words is super hard...).
    And if you like this exercise and feel like it helps, I can give you more advanced exercises for your arms.

    Good luck and enjoy!
  • BernadetteChurch
    BernadetteChurch Posts: 2,210 Member
    BernadetteChurch: Thanks! I will! I've never been very good at pushups, but practice makes perfect, right?

    In theory!

    I'm not very good at them either. And they hurt! But I just do the half version, knees on the floor, feet in the air. If you have stairs in your house that are wide enough to accommodate your bent arms, try using them. I kneel at the foot of the stairs with my hands on the second or third step. There's slightly less strain on your wrists that way.

    With all of this advice you'd think I'm an expert at these, but I haven't done any for weeks. So maybe this is a timely reminder that I need to start some exercise beyond walking!
  • aldalilja
    aldalilja Posts: 17 Member
    Here are some home exercises (including Jillian's workouts) > http://www.youtube.com/user/BeFit?feature=g-u-u
    :)
  • JesterMFP
    JesterMFP Posts: 3,596 Member
    Unfortunately you can't "spot reduce" fat - meaning you can't choose where the body loses it first. You have to lose fat overall, and hope that it comes off where you want it to. The way to lose fat is to create a calorie deficit through diet, and adding exercise to that will help you. There are lots of exercises for arms, but none of them will guarantee getting rid of that fat.

    Although you can't target areas to lose fat, you can target areas to work the muscles. If you do some strength training exercises that target your arm muscles, you can get them in good shape for when the fat goes down. You will probably find that there will be some improvement in shape even while they still seem big. You won't have much of a change using food cans, maybe a little to start with, but you really need to progress to heavier and heavier weights to see a difference. Heavy weight lifting! Not as scary as it sounds, and as long as you're eating at a calorie deficit, you're not going to build any significant amount of muscle mass, or get big, bulky muscles. Those women you see who are bodybuilders spend a lot of time and effort working out to look like that, and they have to eat at a calorie surplus to build those muscles. That doesn't happen by accident. Heavy lifting at a deficit will just make things appear tighter and, dare I say it, "toned". On top of that, strength training (all over, don't just isolate the arms) will help with the fat loss. It will also help to preserve the muscle that you already have, which can be lost through weight loss. So, if you want to give it a try, you should be able to pick up some cheap dumbbells - don't go for the lightest ones aimed at the female market - get some that are adjustable so that you can build up the weight over time. If you decide to do this, come back to the boards and ask for advice, but there are lots of free videos on the internet that show you how to lift with good form. Check out this group: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/forums/show/788-women-strength-training

    If you don't want to go the heavy-lifting route, workout dvds that include circuit training can be good, the Jillian Michaels ones for example. You can also have success with just using your bodyweight. There are lots of free bodyweight workouts on the internet if you google them. However you do it - starting to work on your muscles now, and not waiting until you've lost the weight, is definitely recommended!

    I'm a new runner, and I still feel very self-conscious about it, but I would definitely recommend just trying to get out there and do it! Honestly, most people won't even notice you. Some people will look at you with admiration. If they're not runners, they'll probably thin "wow, I wish I could do that", and if they are runners, they'll remember what it was like when they started. I can't promise that no one will ever make some stupid comment to you - that's life sadly. If you put your headphones on (if it's safe to do so) you can just ignore the outside world and concentrate on running. I am in the middle of the Couch to 5K programme, and as soon as I started that, listening to the instructions and focusing on my breathing means I barely notice the other people out there. Running is so good for building confidence! Get out there! Also, this: http://flintland.blogspot.co.uk/2012/05/hey-fat-girl.html :flowerforyou:

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