Arm Muscles Care

be graceful, expressive, good to look at and good to touch. Long, slim arms with soft skin, firm muscles and delicate wrists are very much a beauty asset, particularly when they are revealed by well cut sleeveless blouses, sweaters and evening dresses.

To begin with, it is important to understand the basic structure of your arms. The bones of the arms form a remarkable piece of practical engineering. The long, upper bone stretches between the shoulder joint and the elbow. At the upper end it articulates neatly with the shoulder girdle at the shoulder joint to enable us to move our arms forwards, backwards, sideways and in circular movements. From the knobbly elbow joint, two slightly shorter lower bones stretch to the wrist. They Lan be twisted over one another so that the palm of the hand can face upwards or downwards. At the wrist, eight small, irregular shaped bones fit very closely together to make a very flexible region indeed. If you move your wrists about loosely, you will feel just how flexible they are and it is worth considering just what an asset this is for activities like playing the piano, typing, painting or even waving.

Five main sets of muscles are concerned with arm movement. They are grouped around the bones to push and pull them into action and to give the familiar shape to the arms. Flabby muscles tend to attract fat. This is particularly true of the upper arm muscles: the brachialis, which stretch across the front of the lower part of the upper arms, and the triceps and biceps, which stretch across the back and the front of the upper part of the upper arms.

Unfortunately, these muscles are not used as much as the wrist flexors and wrist extensors, which stretch along the front and back of the forearms. Flabby forearms are not nearly as common as flabby upper arms. But how many of us can say that activities such as digging, shovelling earth and weight lifting are part of our daily routine? These are the kind of activities which exercise those fat prone upper arm muscles. Anyone who has a weight problem in this area must exercise. There are some very effective exercises which form a practical substitute for the very infrequent 'heavy duty' activities.

Have you really looked at your arms lately? If the answer is yes, then you probably mean that you have looked at the front or possibly the sides of your arms but probably not the backs. Try studying a close, all round view of your arms by using two mirrors.

Sit or stand comfortably, facing a large wall mirror or dressing table mirror, about an arm's distance away. Stretch out both arms in front of you and study them directly, and look at their reflection in the mirror.

Examine the texture of the skin closely. Is the skin smooth and soft, or hard and flaky or scaly? Are. the backs of the upper arms mottled looking, bluish in tone? Is the crease at the front of the elbow joint dry and very lined?

Now look at the shape of your arms. Are the forearms and wrists slim and narrow or do the forearms bulge just before the elbow joint? Are the upper arms bulging or slim? When the elbow is bent at an angle of 45', do 'handles' of flesh appear each side of the joint?

Now take a small hand mirror in your right hand, raise your left arm slightly and hold the mirror below the left elbow at such an angle that the elbow and upper part of the back of the arm are clearly visible in the mirror.

Again examine the skin texture. Study your elbow. Is it knobbly, rough and dry looking? Is the bone very redlooking? Is the back of the upper arm near the shoulder tough and rather pitted just like orange peel?

Look at the shape as well. Does the upper arm form one slim, straight line, or is it bulging slightly or a great deal from the top of the elbow to the shoulder joint?

Repeat these observations for the right upper arm. Now, turn sideways on to the mirror, left arm closest to it with the arm hanging straight. Take the small mirror in the right hand and study the arm from the side view.

First check the silhouette. Does the arm form a smooth, slim line or is there an ugly bulge of dry flesh at the elbow, and another ugly bulge just above it? Are the shoulders round or straight?

Then look for unwanted hair. Can you see small 'whiskers' of underarm hair appearing at the front of the arm, even though you were sure that these had been thoroughly removed? Repeat these observations for the right arm.

If this close up study revealed more arm beauty problems than you previously realized, do not despair. It is better to recognize the problem, and then to tackle it sensibly than to go around completely oblivious of the ugliness that is on clear view to other people. It simply underlines the fact that, in beauty, vigilance and observation are vitalwhatever your age. Here is a guide to treating those problems, from the shoulders downwards.

Round shoulders

If your arms hang forwards from rounded shoulder joints, then this one simple defect can mar your appearance in a sleeveless dress. From the front, your reflection in the mirror may look finefrom the side, you can be assured that it certainly does not. Unfortunately, rounded shoulders often start in childhood with bad posture and slouching at school. The developing bones become set abnormally forward in the shoulder girdle and this unnatural development is probably never corrected. However, fast improvements can be made if you are determined to straighten things out. This should start with an awareness of correct walking and sitting posture, and continue the good work by doing some very simple posture exercises in the privacy of your bedroom.

Underarm hygiene

The large concentration of sweat glands under the arms is responsible for underarm odour. Regular, twice daily washing and the use of a good deodorant can generally overcome this problem. If underarm perspiration is persistent despite these simple precautions, stronger measures can' be taken, including discarding badly stained or sour smelling clothing, using impregnated deodorant pads frequently during the day, and even having the sweat glands removed surgically.

Unwanted hair

It Is also important to remove unwanted underarm hair in winter and in summer. Bacteria becomes trapped in this hair, so getting. rid of it is a good way to tackle offensive odour as well as an unsightly problem. Always wash and dry the area before removing hair and never apply a deodorant product to freshly shaved or creamed skin.

Flabby upper arms

Unwanted extra flesh on the upper arms is a common problem. Sometimes, the flesh is pitted and coarse in texture like orange peel. This condition is caused by accumulations of cellulite and is different from fat, but it does respond to exercise and fairly tough massage. If you have unwanted extra inches in this area, begin by making bathtime a regular underwater 'massage' treatment. Keeping your left upper arm under the water, pinch the flesh very firmly between the first finger and thumb of the right hand. Do this all over the flabby area, and repeat with the other arm.

Supplement a regular daily exercise routine with slightly increased work for those flabby upper arm muscles. Gardening will help firm them up, so will lifting and carrying fairly heavy objects. But remember not to strain some other part of your body in the process.

Mottled upper arms

Bad circulation can give the upper arms a mottled appearance. It is possible to correct this by giving the skin a brisk rub with a loofah or friction glove at bathtime, and following up with alternate hot and cold douches. A little Epsom salts added to the bathwater will help to stimulate the circulation.

It is unwise to submit arms to violent changes in temperature if you have this problem. Hugging an open fire in winter. then dashing out into a cold corridor is very bad for the appearance of your skin. Try to keep your arms at a fairl constant temperature by adding removing clothing as necessary.

Rough upper arms

Little 'whiteheads' and rough patch(sometimes disfigure the upper arms Acidity in the skin causes whiteheads to appear. First, stimulate the circulate as described above. Then treat the blemishes by patting almond or olive (I on the affected area, and wrapping it 1, a hot towel for a few moments. The whiteheads will loosen and can be extracted using an ordinary blackhead extractor, which is rather like a tiny metal spoon with a hole in the bowl. It may be necessary to get a friend to do this in difficult areas of the backs of the arms, but by using two mirrors it should be possible to operate the extractor oneself. Treat roughness by nourishing the skin just as you would do your face. Use a good moisturizing cream after the bath and bathe the skin regularly with a solution of one part cider vinegar to eight parts water. (This is also good for elbows.)

Dry cracked elbows

Red, rough elbows are extremely unsightly but unfortunately they are very common. One of the oldest and most effective treatments for this is to lean elbows in lemon halves at any opportunity. Keeping a lemon, cut in half, by the kitchen sink is a good idea then, when sleeves are already rolled up for other tasks, the lemon treatment can be quickly used. Lemons definitely do have a softening and whitening effect on this area.

It is a good idea to rub handcrearn up your arms and into the elbows every time you use it for your hands. Making this a habit is a simple but effective beauty treatment for this area. If the elbows become chapped and sore, an infusion of marigold petals in water added to a mixture of rosewater and glycerine will make a soothing, natural cream. But do ask your doctor for a more effective ointment if the trouble persists.

Weak wrists

Wrist strength is a useful asset; neat wrists are a fine beauty point. Both can be acquired with exercise and use, Many people who type, paint or play the piano find that their wrists become strong and supple naturally. For others, such strength and suppleness can only be attained through exercises.

Make up and disguise

Prominent veins and blotchy skin may still mar the beauty of your arms on special occasions even if the shape and texture are improved by the treatment.

Some cosmetic houses produce special leg make up which can equally well be used on the arms. However, this must be applied carefully and evenly using a damp sponge and contact with clothing must be avoided as much as possible, otherwise it may tend to rub off.

A careful application of compressed translucent powder over moisturizing cream will enhance arm beauty for special occasions, too. A stick of covering make up should first be applied to 'problem areas' such as veins and blotches.

You will soon find that your arms respond well to this combination of extra beauty care and exercise, and that they gradually become more graceful and more attractive.