Over 40 and Going Sleeveless

You're lying if you're over 40 and say you've never had a moment when you've looked in the mirror at your arms and thought, "I need something with sleeves." Between the joys of flab, dry skin, crepiness, wrinkling, age spots and Lord knows what else, going bare and going sleeveless over 40 start to veer over into that "Glamour Don't" category of beauty tips.

I don't believe in defeat, however, so every year around this time I go on a quest to get my upper arms in shape so I can go sleeveless with some level of comfort. Now, first off, a couple of caveats...

One: this includes exercise and I am not a doctor. So should you opt to try anything here, consult your physician first.
And two: given that exercise is involved, I have long learned to accept that when I do either muscle-toning or muscle-building (or any combo thereof) exercise, I tend to bulk up. So what?

So here's how to go sleeveless when the spirit is willing but the arms simply are not...

Exercise to Go Sleeveless (the slacker way)

No need to hit the gym and pump some iron. Sure you can do that, but I prefer the whenever-I-feel-like-it type of workout that requires absolutely nothing but myself as an implement. My favorite tricep exercise in this category is this one.
Step 1: Get on the floor on all fours in this position--keep your elbows on the ground and shoulders above your elbows. Hands are facing down, flat on the ground.

Step 2: Use your hands to "push" down onto the floor so that you lift your elbows off the ground--but do so by leaning onto your hands and pushing through your hands--not by lifting from your hips or torso. Keep your knees and feet on the ground at all times. Do 2 sets of 10 reps. If you're doing it correctly, you'll feel it in your triceps.

Another exercise--remember, this is the slacker route here--is to move right into modified push-ups (aka, "girlie pushups") from the tricep exercise. Heck, you're on the floor on all fours anyway, so why not do the biceps now, right? So just extend your upper body forward a bit and come up on your hands--leaving your knees on the floor still; some people prefer to lift their feet up off the ground while doing these, others keep toes on the ground. Either way, again do 2 sets of 10 push up reps.

I have to disclose that I do from time to time use free weights--maybe 10-15 lbs in each hand--when I'm feeling that inner woman-hear-me-roar thing. But admittedly, it's because my doctor now advises me to do "weight bearing exercise" (over 40? you've heard that one I trust) to help keep my bones strong as I get older--not because I'm thinking of going sleeveless. I also swim and do some other sports which help keep my arms in shape--but again, for the sleeveless thing, it's the above on-the-floor-exercises I prefer.

Buyable Beauty for Going Sleeveless

No beauty blog post would be complete without a beauty product remedy to cure whatever beauty ill we're talking about, and going sleeveless is certainly no exception. Here are my picks:

1. Grab a Loofah. (and use it) Pour a quarter-sized dollop of your favorite shower gel onto it and lightly loofah your arms. Don't scrub--the idea is to gently exfoliate the outer, dead and drab skin cells that are causing your arms to look drier and crepie--or even ashier--than they need to.

2. Grab Eucerin Plus Smoothing Fast-Absorbing Essentials lotion. I'm a Nivea gal through and through, but this Eucerin lotion contains alpha-hydroxy acid to help promote skin's natural sloughing ability--ie, to help continue what you started with the loofah. Eucerin Plus Smoothing Fast-Absorbing lotion is also...fast-absorbing. Some other Eucerin lotions can go on and feel like they're just sitting atop your skin, leaving that tacky feel. Fast-absorbing's the way to go. Use this at night.

3. Grab Nivea Sun-Kissed Radiant Skin gradual self tanning lotion. Last year, it said "firming"--this year not so. But regardless, apply this--it slathers on quite smoothly and even though it does contain self-tanner, you don't really have to worry about screwing up as it "tans" super gradually and its maximum several-days-strong level of tan will never leave you looking like Paris Hilton or Courtney Cox coming out of a bad spray tan session. Still, remember to wash your hands after applying. Nivea Sunkissed Radiant Skin will help even out skin tone and give your skin some slight color to help tone down "imperfections". Use this in the morning, after you've showered, on clean skin.

Both the exercise (even the slacker type) and the beauty product regimen take some level of commitment and consistency--alas, there is no silver bullet in the quest to go sleeveless over 40. And hey, you can always kick things up a notch and head to a gym, get yourself a personal trainer, or even hit the cosmetic surgeon's office for some lipo. But this works for me. For now.