Obviously, a lot changes with age.  That is especially true for those who didn’t take the extra time to take care of their bodies.  Poor diet and minimal physical activity will show on your body and your face.  Of course, we can only see the exterior, but the interior of the body is also suffering with those lifestyle choices that we made all along.  You will definitely see a change in the upper arms, which will only worsen as you do get older.  They become flabbier if they are not properly exercised, to the point where you wave hello and they continue to greet others without your consent.

So, if you want nicer arms, you will simply have to work on them.  Thankfully, it won’t take much, nor will it take a lot of effort.  What you do need is to use light weights and target the various muscles in the upper arms: the triceps and the biceps, especially.

The biceps can be exercised by holding the dumb bells directly in front of you.  Work them out one repetition on the right and then one on the left, alternating.  Either standing or sitting, simply bend the elbow, raising the weight to about shoulder height.  Start off slow and gradually increase the sets and the repetitions.  A good start would be 20 reps between both arms, for a total of 3 sets.

The triceps are properly exercised using similar weights.  There are different methods and we will cover two of them here. The first requires you to sit with legs firmly on the ground and slightly apart, with your back straight. Then you should hold one weight with both hands above your head.  Slowly lower the weight behind your head by bending your elbows.  Repeat 10 – 15 times, take a break and then repeat the set 2 more times.

Or, you can place your left leg on the couch or bench, bent and leaning forward and supporting yourself with your left arm.  Then hold the weight in your right hand.  Your right arm should be positioned parallel to your body, bent at the elbow. Slowly extend your arm backwards, simply by straightening your elbow and not moving your upper arm.  Repeat the exercise 10 – 15 times, switch arms until you accomplish 3 sets.

After a few weeks, you will notice visible results and your arms will be firmer allowing you to bare your arms, wave hello and good-bye without being self conscious of them.  Additionally, you will have stronger arms.

Aging involves weight gain, muscle loss and especially, belly fat. For some reason, at or about age 40 makes fat rest at the belly area. This is unhealthy and can cause many problems. For example, those who have belly fat are more likely to develop cardiovascular diseases. In addition to that, having weak abdominal muscles and extra weight around the waist often leads to back problems.

So, how can anyone workout their abs while working? Invest in a stability ball. The term invest is used loosely as these balls are available at any discount department store for under $20. Sitting on the ball while at your desk will force you to keep your balance thereby keeping your abdominals contracting and building your core strength.

Building your core strength is building the foundation of good abs and a flat belly.  Always keep in mind that having a flat belly will reduce the risk of developing any kind of serious and possibly life-threatening conditions.

Cardio fitness training can fight premature aging by strengthening your heart. In a cardio workout, your heart rate is elevated.  It will clear your mind, and help you to lower the risk for heart related diseases.  But, it doesn’t end there.  You will also be building muscles with this type of training, as well as burning fat.

For beginners, keeping it light is optimal.  This will help you to train enough to reach the next level.  For those who are already fit, advanced cardio fitness training is probably the best for you.  This would require about an hour for at least five times a week.

Before beginning any fitness regime, get the okay from your doctor to make sure that the exercises you’ve chosen are not too advanced for you or unsafe.

To gain health benefits, muscle-strengthening activities need to be done to the point where it’s hard for you to do another repetition without help. A repetition is one complete movement of an activity, like lifting a weight or doing a sit-up. Try to do 8—12 repetitions per activity that count as 1 set. Try to do at least 1 set of muscle-strengthening activities, but to gain even more benefits, do 2 or 3 sets.

Learn how to strengthen your muscles
• at home
• in the gym
Muscle strengthening at the gym

You can do activities that strengthen your muscles on the same or different days that you do aerobic activity, whatever works best. Just keep in mind that muscle-strengthening activities don’t count toward your aerobic activity total.

There are many ways you can strengthen your muscles, whether it’s at home or the gym. You may want to try the following:

* Lifting weights
* Working with resistance bands
* Doing exercises that use your body weight for resistance (i.e., push ups, sit ups)
* Heavy gardening (i.e., digging, shoveling)
* Yoga

Start slowly. Cardiac events, such as a heart attack, are rare during physical activity. But the risk does go up when you suddenly become much more active than usual. For example, you can put yourself at risk if you don’t usually get much physical activity and then all of a sudden do vigorous-intensity aerobic activity, like shoveling snow. That’s why it’s important to start slowly and gradually increase your level of activity.

If you have a chronic health condition such as arthritis, diabetes, or heart disease, talk with your doctor to find out if your condition limits, in any way, your ability to be active. Then, work with your doctor to come up with a physical activity plan that matches your abilities. If your condition stops you from meeting the minimum Guidelines, try to do as much as you can. What’s important is that you avoid being inactive. Even 60 minutes a week of moderate-intensity aerobic activity is good for you.

The bottom line is – the health benefits of physical activity far outweigh the risks of getting hurt.

If you want to know more about how physical activity improves your health, the section below gives more detail on what research studies have found.

Intensity is how hard your body is working during aerobic activity.

How do you know if you’re doing light, moderate, or vigorous intensity aerobic activities?
For most people, light daily activities such as shopping, cooking, or doing the laundry doesn’t count toward the guidelines. Why? Your body isn’t working hard enough to get your heart rate up.

Moderate-intensity aerobic activity means you’re working hard enough to raise your heart rate and break a sweat. One way to tell is that you’ll be able to talk, but not sing the words to your favorite song. Here are some examples of activities that require moderate effort:

* Walking fast
* Doing water aerobics
* Riding a bike on level ground or with few hills
* Playing doubles tennis
* Pushing a lawn mower

Build up over time
If you want to do more vigorous-level activities, slowly replace those that take moderate effort like brisk walking, with more vigorous activities like jogging.

Vigorous-intensity aerobic activity means you’re breathing hard and fast, and your heart rate has gone up quite a bit. If you’re working at this level, you won’t be able to say more than a few words without pausing for a breath. Here are some examples of activities that require vigorous effort:

* Jogging or running
* Swimming laps
* Riding a bike fast or on hills
* Playing singles tennis
* Playing basketball

You can do moderate- or vigorous-intensity aerobic activity, or a mix of the two each week. A rule of thumb is that 1 minute of vigorous-intensity activity is about the same as 2 minutes of moderate-intensity activity.

Some people like to do vigorous types of activity because it gives them about the same health benefits in half the time. If you haven’t been very active lately, increase your activity level slowly. You need to feel comfortable doing moderate-intensity activities before you move on to more vigorous ones. The guidelines are about doing physical activity that is right for you.