Menopause

Mother of the Bride Update: Wedding Arms

Pink Weight

Nine and a half more weeks until my daughter Laura’s wedding.

Yikes!

And my MOB dress is SLEEVELESS.

Like Meg Tipper, I’m wondering how my arms will look.

Shiny pink hand weights weren’t enough to inspire me to pump those arms…

Until I decided to indulge in one of my greatest vices: situation comedies from the 60s.

I cut myself a deal.

And it’s working!  (And most of the deals I cut with myself fail within two days.)

I’m allowed to watch the Dick van Dyke Show IF I lift weights while I watch.

Arms

Shout out to the Lauras!

Laura Younger for helping me select the dress.

Laura Petrie for entertaining and inspiring me as I work on my Mother of the Bride bod.

Before you know it, I’m going to be escorted down the aisle with Laura Petrie arms.

Well maybe they won’t be Laura Petrie arms, but some of the jiggle really is gone.

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What about you?

Any tips for keeping your arms in shape?

28 thoughts on “Mother of the Bride Update: Wedding Arms”

  1. Bravo! I hate weights but should do them, I know. I rely on yoga for all the core strengthening and that too isn’t enough to fight the flab and jiggle. You’ll look gorgeous no matter what!

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  2. Even my skinny little arms have jiggle. I don’t think there is any getting around weights. I want to try the stretchy bands.

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  3. Me too Gail…skinny arms that jiggle, despite a lifetime of exercising. I don’t have the discipline to do enough reps. on my own; I used free on-demand fitness shows for pilates, yoga, strength training, etc. and try to keep up with the 20 somethings…RAD tv and exercise Sportskool have good ones.
    Not as much fun as Mary Tyler Moore though!

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      1. On RAD tv there are some free episodes of a Fitness after Fifty series that are a little tamer.

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  4. Haha – weightlifting to Laura Petrie. Her arms are inspiring. And arms? Who’s have ever thought we’d even consider arms as a problem? I don’t know – I do tricep dips and bicep curls and Kathy Anderson has a really good DVD that uses no weights but instead reaching out to the sides and using the weight of your arms alone to stretch and twist at the wrists and move back and forth and hold one arms out while the other is working and it’s crazy but it works and your arms feel like they’re going to fall off by the time you’re done. Well, at least mine do by the time I’m done. Good luck – I’m sure your arms will be fantastic. Stopping in from GenFab.

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      1. Tracy is a terrible instructor. She moves too quickly, doesn’t recommend lifting anything heavier than 3lbs, and offers minimal guidance. She also doesn’t tell you how many reps, so you constantly have to have your eye on the screen o ensure you’re doing it right. It’s tedious. I regret buying her “Method”.

        What IS good is everything from Jeanette Jenkins, The Hollywood Trainer. Her yoga, Pilates and cardio sculpt DVDs have given me a brand new body. I cannot recommend her highly enough. 🙂

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  5. Tricep dips- find a bench or chair and do 30 tricep dips Every day. Make it a routine just like brushing your teeth. Start a yoga practice. Find a local studio and get into a class a couple of times every week. Both of those along with the weights.

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      1. Yes that is it, just a very basic exercise you can do almost anywhere. I happen to have a bench in my mud room so when I put on my running shoes to go out for my morning walk I do 30 dips.

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  6. I’m following up on all these tips considering that I’m going to be worrying about 52-year-old BRIDE arms in 6 months!

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  7. You’ll look fabulous, I’m sure. I like to do over the head thingies (whatever they’re called) laying with my back on my floor ball, holding weights, reach up over your head, then just bend at the elbows down, back up, down. What is that? Tricep curls? Something like that. Of course, you can do that standing up, but the floor ball just adds another exercise – balancing core stuff. I also like those dips with hands on a chair seat behind you, although those are harder to do at first. But, you’re tough! I know you’ll do it. 🙂

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  8. It’s discouraging to work out and still have arms that jiggle! Recently I joined a “body power class” (weight lifting) and was amazed at the difference it made. It helps me to push beyond what I would normally do on my own. At 52 I finally have biceps!

    Buff arms or not you are sure to have a wonderful time at your daughters wedding…after all that’s what it’s all about!

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  9. Hey Barb! It’s Heather here. I am sure with weights or no weights you will look beautiful for Laura’s wedding. I think my arms looked the best when i was swimming 3-4 times a week. It really is great exercise. Good luck with the wedding! I will look forward to seeing picts on this and Kath’s blog.

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    1. Hi Heather! Thanks for nudge to start swimming again, which I think about often and never do. We have a pool in town and I used to enjoy it, except for hair issues and having to change.

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