Although regular exercise is a key factor in terms of keeping us fit and healthy, many people commit to working with the goal of making aesthetic changes to their bodies. Getting rid of unwanted loose skin under the arm is one such change.
Known better as bingo wings, some focus on specific exercises to help reduce saggy skin and excess fat around the arms.
However, as we get older and our metabolism slows and skin becomes less taut it can be even harder to keep bingo wings at bay.
With this in mind, one expert shared a simple five-minute toned arms workout for women over 50.
Founder of Fabulous 50, Schellea Fowler took to YouTube to demonstrate her seven-step routine.
Speaking to her more than 1.7 million subscribers, she said: “This workout is perfect for you if you’d like to build strength in your arms.
“It’s only five minutes – there’s no equipment and you can do this at any time of the day plus you can tack it onto any of the other workouts that you do.
“We’re going to do seven arm exercises for 40 seconds each followed by a five second rest and during that rest shake your arms out and get ready for the next move.”
She added: “You can absolutely use dumbbell weights for more of a challenge but take it at your own pace and enjoy the workout.”
For the first exercise she placed her arms straight out to the front and then moved them out to the side and back to the front then up in the air, and repeated the process for 30 seconds.
The second exercise started with her elbows at right angles with her palms to the face.
Then she moved her arms out to each side while keeping her palms up.
Schellea rotated the arms down to place the palms face down and then brought them back to the centre again and repeated.
“As you create the movement with your arms, keep your elbows high, don’t let them drop and focus on your arms being tight and strong throughout the whole 40 seconds,” she explained.
“These exercises are not difficult but they will make your arms and shoulders burn, so keep going – you are amazing.”
Next she placed her arms fully extended out to the sides with palms up at right angles.
She pulsed the arms up and down in small controlled movements.
“Take your arms out wide and very strong and start pulsing upwards, keep your arms up high and don’t let them drop,” she said.
“You’ll increase the benefits of this workout if you fully engage your arms and when you engage those muscles we’re increasing our heart rate which means we’re burning more calories so strong arms for the whole time.”
Schellea then took her arms out to the sides and squeezed them in while making fists with her hands and creating a V shape with the elbows before moving them back out.
“Take your arms out wide and squeeze your shoulder blades as you bring your elbows in towards your waist focus on tightening your bicep muscles,” she said.
“As you bring your arms in and contract the muscles in your back and your shoulders this is really great for our posture too, so stand straight and hold your head high.”
Next she made fists and held them directly in front of her body with her arms extended. She swung her arms out to the sides to shoulder height and back.
She said: “Imagine holding two bottles in your hand and as you tilt that bottle downwards keep your elbows up high make sure that you pull your belly button in towards your spine and let your arms do all of the work.”
Finally Schellea placed her arms out wide with her elbows making right angles and palms to the sky. She held that position and pulsed them upwards.
She added: “Take your arms out wide, open your chest and start pulsing your arms upwards.
“Even though that was just five minutes I think we really maximised our time because my arms are burning and I’m sure yours are too so congratulate yourself on being so fabulous.”
To finish, make sure you spend 30 seconds stretching your arms and shoulders.
Her fans were impressed. One commented: “Just done this workout, my arms are burning. Amazing what five minutes can do. Thank you.”
Another said: “Been doing the different exercises daily for the last six months, and I can truly say I feel the difference in my body.”