Two of the “3 Surprising Exercises” don’t even require you to use your arms in order to help you burn the annoying extra layer of fat off of them. Surprised? If you are, this is likely due to a common misconception that you can train, or workout, a certain area of your body in order to reduce body fat from that particular part of your body. For example, many people believe that if you do arm exercises, then the fat on your arms is burned as you gain and develop the muscles by working out—this simply is not true.

As discussed in a previous TOP TIPS article titled “Want Abs? Got Abs,” Your body utilizes body fat from wherever it chooses. By doing exercises that burn a ton of calories—even exercises that don’t involve your arms—you can reduce your overall body fat; this includes the fat on your arms.

So try adding one or more of these three calorie burning cardio exercises to help you get the tight and toned arms you have always wanted.

3.  Running – Whether you go outside to enjoy some fresh air and nature, or opt for the convenience of a treadmill, running is a great way to burn calories. One hour of running can have your body burning 590 calories at just 5 miles per hour[i]. The faster you run, the more calories you will burn.

2.  Cycling – If you have the need for speed and want to cover more ground, then cycling is the thing to do. At a pace of 10 mph for one hour you can burn 590 calories[ii].

1.  Swimming – Swimming could be your number one option because strokes like the freestyle are also a great way to sculpt your arms.  Go swimming to turn your body into a calorie burning machine while tightening and toning your triceps at the same time! FYI – Doing a slow steady pace of freestyle swimming can burn 510 calories in one hour[iii].

This doesn’t mean you should stop your arm defining routine. A solid weekly regimen of arm sculpting exercises will make your arms look more defined, and give you arms of steel as you shed the fat. Keep up the hard work and continue Living Healthy!

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