We are all walking around with all these spot-checking body “shoulds” running on infinite repeat in the back of our heads. Stuff like “I should have arms that don’t jiggle”, or “I should have thinner ankles“, or “I should have a flatter stomach” — why?

Why “should” we have or be any of those things? The word “should” is really important to think about here.

The definition of “should” is “used to indicate obligation, duty, or correctness, typically when criticizing someone’s actions.” It’s a term that relates to what we believe to be our goals, and whether or not we are living up to them. But what goals do we actually fulfill by attempting to obtain arms that look like someone else’s arms, arms that might not be possible for our individual bodies to have? And what obligation are we really under to not have arms that move?

The key here is to stop looking at your body with the media messaging in mind. Why assume that once you start getting stronger and losing body fat, your arms would get slimmer…they won’t.  Instead, they’ll get firmer.

Your arms will bear the marks of the work you put in…not just in the way they look, but also in their capabilities. It’s enlightening to know that your body may not works in such a way that you’ll have slender, Jennifer Aniston-type arms. The way your body works, the way any of our individual bodies work is all that’s important.

Stop comparing yourself to others…because that’s not the way you “should” look. Figure out what works for your body….and love yourself.

Day 26 exercises:

• 50 Jumping Jacks
• Tricep Overhead Extensions – 4 sets of 15
• Tricep Dips – 4 sets of 15
• Tricep Swings – 4 sets of 15
• Plank – :30 – 1 min (2X)
• 100 Crunches

Bonus: #TankTopArms 

How our arms look in a tank top won’t be the way someone else looks in a tank top. But you can look fabulous in your own way. Get stronger and find your fabulous!

Speed Work: This week’s speed work is 6-10X 200 meters

• Start with six to 10 200-meter repeats at a one-mile to 5-K pace (or an 8 or 9 on an exertion scale of 1 to 10), with a 200-meter jog in between.
• 200-meter intervals should be run at 12% faster than your 5K pace.

Here’s another way to think about it. 200 meters is .12 mile so just over one tenth of a mile. Take your current 1 mile average time…then divide that by ten. So if you run a 10 min mile…your .12 mile is probably just over 1 min. For a 10 min mile, this speed work should be done FASTER than your mile time so someone who runs a 10 min mile should be running a 200 meter sprint in under 1 min. Make sense?

Another example: If you run a 12 min mile…your .12 time is about 1:20 give or take a few seconds….so you should be running this 200 meter sprint FASTER then 1:20.

Remember to get in about a mile warm up and a mile cool down…and if you do 10X 200 meter sprints…that’s another mile. All in all your speed work consists of about 3 miles…2 miles slow….1 mile fast. This is a quick workout so it’s over before you know it and should be your shortest workout of the week. Questions? Please reach out to me…I will be happy to help you find the times which are right for you.

Stretch out your arms and legs after these workouts! Your muscles are working hard and deserve to be pampered. Here are our 7 Stretches for Runners and our arm stretches are below.

Our body will never look like someone else’s. Stop comparing! We work out to get healthier and stronger…not to look like someone else. Remind yourself why you push so hard and love yourself for giving it all you’ve got!

Arm Stretches:

Bicep Wall Stretch

Tricep Towel Stretch