Florida Fitness Blog

If the dawning of Spring weren’t enough, our First Lady has made bare arms a fashion trend. Not only will shorts and bathing suit weather soon confront us, but – if you want to be in style -- even more formal dress will expose areas a lot of women fight to hide.

Yes, there’s a lot of talk about the shapely shoulders, taut triceps and buffed biceps displayed when Michelle Obama applauds her husband from the gallery – without a jiggle!

But how do Ms. Obama’s 44-year-old limbs compare to those of various celebrities who walk the red carpet and pose for magazine covers?

We’re conducting a poll: Who’s arms would you want? Or, if you’re male, vote for the female arms you find most appealing.

We’ve put together a slide show of candidates, consisting of Madonna, Sarah Jessica Parker, Eva Longoria, Cameron Diaz, Kelly Ripa, Halle Berry, Serena Williams, and Jessica Simpson, as well as Michelle. Unfortunately, we couldn’t find enough arm-exposing photos of Governor Sara Palin – at least not legitimate ones -- but we’ve left space for write-in candidates.

To help remind you of their toned arms, we’ve put together the 2-1/2-minute slide show above.

Generally, the first place your body stores excess fat is the last place it leaves.

If that's not an entirely accurate statement, you can't prove it wrong by the millions of dieters with stubborn fat deposits that never seem to go away. Some are lucky to reduce fat stores proportionately throughout the body. But most of us are afflicted with stubborn areas.

Toned, shapely arms – as well as all areas of the body – contain lean tissue that includes muscle along with fat stores. Since there’s no such thing as spot reduction, if you want definition in an area you likely have fat issues.

You probably have fat cells in your problem area that simply will not release their fat. One theory is that there are small molecules on the surfaces of fat cells called alpha and beta receptors. The alpha receptors stimulate fat accumulation and the beta receptors stimulate fat breakdown.

While each fat cell has both receptors, one dominates the other. Women tend to have fat cells on their hips and thighs that have predominantly alpha receptors, which means they tend to accumulate fat.

It's important to be aware of the fallacy of so-called spot reduction, so that you put your effort into high quality exercises that increase the body's total muscle mass. A pound of muscle in your latissimus dorsi is just as likely to burn fat off your waistline as would a thousand abdominal crunches.

Remember, our goal is to increase total muscle mass throughout the body. Wasting time on one area will not be productive.

During the research studies for this program the average woman added almost four pounds of muscle to her body. This extra muscle mass raised each participant's fat-burning metabolism. It also improved her physical appearance. And most importantly, building muscle increased her probability of keeping the fat off permanently.

The reduction in circumference inches, incidentally, is more dramatic than the numbers on the scale. In just six weeks a woman can easily drop three dress/pants sizes!

Do not underestimate the importance of building muscle to burn fat. It works in a very dramatic fashion.

Most people who lose significant amounts of fat gain it back within the first year. Such individuals are willing to restrict themselves for only a few months, and several months won't last a lifetime.

The key to keeping your lost fat off is your muscle-fat ratio. The Muscle-Fat Makeover program provides the necessary guidelines and follow-up on how to stabilize your muscle-fat ratio at the optimum level for the rest of your life.

The program taught me how to be in control, said one of the successful research participants, in control of my eating, exercising, and total life-style. I'll never be fat again! Being in control does not mean that you are restricted by what you can and can not eat for the rest of your life. It means that you can now eat anything you want – in moderation and with certain short-range adjustments.

• When there is a net calorie deficit, and thus the body metabolizes stored fat for energy, the liver decides from where the fat is to come. Specific exercise has nothing to do with it.

An understanding of this concept, building muscle to burn fat, is the initial step in reshaping your body. You want to improve your muscle-to-fat ratio – adding muscle while reducing fat. This is the approach that will lead you to becoming FIRM & FIT.

Knowing your body fat percentage can give a unique insight into your diet, lifestyle and exercise goals. High levels of body fat are linked with high blood pressure, heart disease and diabetes. Likewise, too little body fat can disrupt basic body function upsetting body temperature, the storing of vitamins and the proper cushioning of major organs. Understanding your correct level of body fat, combined with regular measurement, will help balance your eating and the necessary levels of exercise.

Please Note: The information presented herein is given in good faith and is to the best of our knowledge accurate. However, anyone using the information in any way does so entirely at their own risk. Florida Fitness cannot accept any responsibility for any damage or injury incurred as a result of using this information.

If you are in any doubt about your health or fitness you should visit your doctor and advise them of your intentions. Remember, by starting exercise you are making a long term commitment to your health and well being. Taking time to prepare yourself, and seeking advice before commencing, will ensure you gain the maximum of benefit and enjoyment from your exercise.

In Western Hills and with training available also in downtown Newport, KY