Stubborn fat in your arms? The arms are among the most common areas where excess fat is allocated by the body and, therefore, are a common target for weight loss. When trying to lose extra arm fat, techniques that slim down and tone the arms produce the most desirable results.
Try any of the following methods and you’ll be showing off your sexy arms in no time!
Overall Weight Loss Versus Spot Reduction
Most people who exercise do spot reduction without even being aware that they’re doing it. Spot reduction is the burning of fat in a specific problem area. However, there are conflicting claims regarding the effectiveness of this technique.
Many fitness experts recommend exercising for overall weight loss, rather than focusing on a specific body part. In fact, a number of studies have shown that exercising only a specific body part resulted in overall fat loss and minimum or zero impact on the specific body part used.
There is a difference, of course, between slimming down a body part and toning it. While losing arm fat through targeted exercise may not work, targeting the arm muscles for toning will.
Lifting Weights
Weight-lifting has been increasingly gaining a reputation as an effective weight-loss strategy, and not just a bodybuilding workout.
Resistance training – which also refers to weight-lifting – burns significant amounts of calories through muscle recovery, strengthening, and growth. Studies have discovered that the muscles actually continue to burn calories for energy hours after a resistance training workout. In fact, resistance training can lead to greater weight loss than aerobic exercise.
Lifting weights to target arm muscles will both increase overall fat loss and slim down and tone your arms. Even low-intensity resistance training can promote fat loss and increase muscle strength in as little as 12 weeks. Building muscles through resistance training also boosts metabolism, which further increases fat burning and weight loss.
You don’t need to join a gym to do resistance training. With a pair of dumbbells, you can perform simple bicep curls, overhead tricep extensions, and overhead presses to work out your arm muscles and tone your arms at home.
Perform Bodyweight Exercises
You can also do resistance training at home without any equipment. Certain bodyweight exercises – which make use of your body weight to create resistance – can also help tone your arm muscles and give you slimmer arms.
You can perform these exercises while watching your favorite movie or tv show at home, or even during downtime at work (if you don’t mind getting a bit out of breath and sweaty). Planks, push-ups, and tricep dips are just a few routines that will give your arms a good work out.
Don’t Skip the Cardio
Cardio exercises have always been the go-to strategy for overall weight loss. Cardio is an essential step toward fat loss and if you pair it with resistance training, you will definitely shed a lot more pounds each week and achieve slimmer arms sooner.
Aim for at least 20 minutes of cardio, at least three times a week. If you can do 40-60 minutes of continuous cardio, all the better. But you can also break down your cardio routine into smaller intervals spread throughout the day.
Choose an activity that you’ll enjoy so you’ll always be motivated. The best cardio exercises include hiking, jogging, biking, swimming, and dancing.
Eat More Protein
To lose arm fat and overall body fat, curbing appetite is one of the most common strategies. This can be a difficult approach, however, when it involves deprivation and hunger. The more effective way to do this is by eating more foods that actually help reduce hunger.
Eating more protein has been shown to reduce hunger by decreasing the levels of the hormone that stimulates it; in addition, more protein in a meal also increases satiety levels. Choose high-quality protein from lean meat, seafood, legumes, eggs, and dairy products to help accelerate fat loss in your arms and body.
Eat More Fiber
The most sure-fire way to lose weight in your arms is to aim for overall weight loss, and adding more fiber to your diet will help you do just that.
Fiber takes longer to move through the digestive system, which helps suppress appetite by making you feel full longer. With more fiber in your diet, you will effectively reduce your daily calorie intake and force your body to burn its stores of excess fat instead, including your stubborn arm fat.
High-fiber foods which you should eat more of every day include fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts, and seeds.
Avoid Refined Carbs
Alongside eating a healthy diet, you should also avoid foods that contribute to weight gain, and refined carbs are among the worst culprits.
Refined carbs are mostly processed carbohydrates with minimal nutrient and mineral content. So all they do is satisfy cravings and pile on the pounds. Loaded with calories, refined carbs cause spikes in blood sugar levels which, in turn, trigger hunger.
If you want to lose weight in your arms, you should avoid eating foods that will end up as excess arm fat. This means keeping consumption of the following foods to a minimum: cereals, pasta, white bread, sugary snacks and desserts, and most pre-packaged foods and ingredients.
How to Lose Weight In Your Arms – Final Thoughts
Targeting arm fat through spot reduction has been shown to be ineffective, as the results you’ll get will most likely involve overall weight loss instead of simply fat loss in your arms. But with the right strategy, you can target your arm muscles through exercise to get toned and slimmer arms.
Exercise combined with a healthy diet will give you the best results. After all, you’ll end up cancelling out your exercise efforts if you do not change your unhealthy eating habits. With simple changes to your lifestyle and your approach to weight loss, you’ll achieve the slimmer arms you desire and great overall health. Check out Modern Fit‘s 16-week course to get started on your lifelong journey to health and fitness.
