I can tell we had a few nice days! Shorts sleeves are coming out and if you did not pay attention this winter it can come to a shock to some of you putting on those short-sleeve shirts.

Are your arms still waving long after you are done? A big part of that is your genes. If your family members have them, then wavy arms can become a bigger challenge. This also can happen when you have lost a lot of weight, your skin has been stretched out for a while and now is hanging and sagging. And yes, there is age too. The older you get, the less collagen you have and different skin structure, so the elasticity goes away the older you get. There a saying in Dutch that when you get older everything goes south except for your gums, they go north. Even your muscles in relaxed state hang more when you are older (with most people). When you move your arm back and forth, your skin and muscles moves back and forth. Now make a muscle, tightening your arm — when it doesn’t move, it is muscle. If it does move, they have “flab” (soft loose skin on a person’s body/fat ) or loose skin where the elasticity is gone, or after a big weight loss as mentioned above.

Unfortunately, we cannot spot reduce. Just because you are working your arms and shoulders, your fat will not go away right there. So with a total body workout, eating sensibly (less calories than you burn and healthier), your body fat will go down. Now can we tighten up our arms and shoulders by working out? You can, but be realistic. How long has your skin been stretched out? Your skin will not look the same as when you were young. And what is wrong with aging anyway? Better than the alternative! With hard work, dedication and patience, you can have firm arms. I see it all the time in my classes and my participants, and with people who regularly work out.

I recommend to get with any reputable trainer who will be able to put you through a safe workout geared for your body and explain the exercises. When working the arms and shoulder muscles, make sure you rest that muscle group at least 48 hours. And before you know it, your arm stops waving when you are done waving!

Ester H. Marsh is director of healthy living at the J.F. Hurley Family YMCA.