Killer Arms

Today I have a special guest for you, but first I need to preface it with: I have small arms.  Born with it.  So when people ask me what to do to shrink their arms, besides telling them to eat healthy and exercise (which we all know is really the general answer), I don't know what to say.  So I asked my Instagram (@theturquoisepiano) friend, Lori (@fattofit41), to talk about how she slimmed down her body, specifically her arms.  Now listen up.  I will always say that there is not a way to lose weight in one specific area  (like "lose belly fat") without losing in other areas and Lori won't say that either.  However, she has some rockin' awesome arms and she's going to tell you how she got them.  Ready, go.

Hi guys! This is Lori, from fattofit41! I am doing a guest post, for the lovely Kelli! 

  

Just to give you a little background on me, I am a 41 year old, working mommy of 2 that grew up overweight. From about the age of 5, I started on the path of obesity. I was this way until about 22, when I finally woke up and had my "ah-ha" moment. I had hit rock bottom. I was in an abusive marriage and had enough. I was married to a man that introduced me as his COUSIN, because he was ashamed of me.

Yeah, that is enough to send a person off the deep end. But instead of falling, I put on a pair of tennis shoes and went for a walk. From that moment on, my life changed. I did a total lifestyle change. I stopped eating crap and began to exercise. I did all of this without a specific diet and to this day, I have yet to step foot in a gym. It took a lot of hard work and dedication, but I did it! I have lost, and kept off, over 115 pounds!

SO....with this weight loss came saggy skin. Specifically, saggy arms! In the recent months though, I have finally started to get the arms I have always dreamt of having. I honestly NEVER EVER thought I could achieve them. I have always had flabby fat arms. Just plain awful. You know the kind that keep waving even when you stopped moving! I mean even after I lost 115 pounds, my arms were still an issue. I would lift weights and try and get them to firm up. Well this did firm them some, but they still weren't lean. I did 2 rounds of P90x and one round of P90x2. I thought for sure THIS would get me those "guns". NOPE! Just made my already big arms, tighter but still big. The pics you see of me with undefined arms are from 2.5 years ago. I was working out, but not daily. I was eating healthy but not accounting for all the snacking I was doing.

Now I use myfitnesspal and track it ALL! Because man, I wanted lean, strong arms. I don't need big ole muscles. I wanted arms you see on a dancer, tight,toned and lean. So I decided I would start doing some kickboxing, after I read this, online (yes, I was desperate and hit up my old pal GOOGLE): Kickboxing engages the upper body in a variety of moves. The punch, upper cut, cross, hook and jab are all powerful moves that you throw using a combination of your deltoids, biceps and triceps. While the power of each move is driven using your entire body, the upper arms are actively engaged in each of these, making for an effective exercise to work your upper body. 

I figured what do I have to lose, so I started the next day. HOLY CRAP...I really started to see results!!!!!! My arms were leaning out. And they felt nice and tight. My favorite to date, is Jill Coleman. She is awesome! Her workouts are fun and I have yet to get bored. AND...I am still sore after doing them for 2 months. I think I am just getting better with my form and pushing myself a bit more. I also got out my old Tae Bo dvd and started hanging with Billy Blanks again. Not only did this help with my arms, it REALLY tightened the core. This is something I so needed. I lost 115 pounds and had 2 babies in 18 months, ummm....talk about loose skin! So.....since I started to finally lean out the old arms, I decided it was time to get some definition. This is when I decided to call upon my old friend Jillian. She and I have a love hate relationship. I LOVE to cuss at her and hate that she makes me want to barf when she talks too much. OMG shut up please!

I am now on week 4 of Ripped in 30 and 30-day shred. The results speak for themselves. She knows what she is doing. My arms no longer continue to wave, when my arm is at rest. I now have a pretty decent bicep, a noticeable tricep AND my delts are starting to shine. I ONLY use 3-5 pounds. For me, this is what keeps me lean and tight. I'm just not one that can stand there and do specific arm moves. I want someone to yell at me, and tell me exactly what to do. This is why I chose Jillian. Oh and I want it to be quick and fun! Even though Jillian is a hard ass, I love her!!

I tried heavier weights with p90x and all it did was build upon the fat. I prefer low weights, high reps. BUT...that is just me. I also stick to eating clean. Don't get me wrong, I am not a 100% clean eater. I doubt that day will ever come! But I am eating a lot less processed foods. Just recently I stopped eating my lean cuisines and smart ones. I am not giving them up forever, they are just too convenient to do that. I just want to see what results I get by cutting them out for a bit.

After my 30 days are over I think I will start back up but start with weeks 2 and level 2. I will do 2 weeks of level 2 week 2 and then incorporate weeks 3 & 4 with level 3. I will continue to take progress pics and go from there! I can honestly say that as far as arm progress goes, kickboxing and Jillian are miracle workers!! I have done SO many workouts and I have never seen results like this. I mean when you throw in my age, the amount of weight I have lost, the odds really are stacked against me. The absolute best part, is that it doesn't take a long time, to do the workouts or....to see results. My workouts range from 20-41 minutes. I do them in my living room or in my daughter's room. Boy can that get interesting!! I am pretty sure my sight is starting to go and her tv is tiny...LOL I simply refuse to make up excuses as to why I can't workout. Heck there are many nights when I am doing my video in the living room (after working from 8-5) and I have to get on the kids for attacking each other or telling on each other OR asking me if I can get them a snack. Not to mention all the times I have had to hit pause so I can put them both in timeout after the behavior is just NOT acceptable anymore.

I will do whatever it takes to keep them in check and keep me a lean, mean fightin machine! I am at a point in my life where I am truly content with how I look and feel. I feel so strong and pretty darn confident. I even love to wear ALL of my clothes now, including sleeveless! Tank tops will no longer be the enemy! :)