Q: Hi, Tanja! I always LOVE your Total Body cardio toning workout vid. I do the workout every other day. Then I run 2 miles on the “other” every other day. My problem is: my arms are not toning very well, especially the upper area. They are big for me. I “hate” them and cannot wear sleeveless in the summer. ;( Each time I look in the mirror, they seem to get bigger. I believe I’m healthy (so my doc says, too). I’m 5 ft. and weigh 100 lbs. I’m vegan and exercise 5x a week. PLEASE help and advise. Thank you and more power! — Kitty

A: Hi, Kitty!!! Thanks for the kudos!! You sound like an energetic pack of 100 lbs.! I can’t say so much about your question without actually meeting you, but let me pose a few general statements that you can take into consideration.

Sometimes we focus our attention on things we don’t LOVE about our bodies, and the more we focus on them, the “bigger” the problem they become. Same thing goes for focusing on the GOOD stuff like, for instance, you can actually run 2 miles and the coolest part about that is if you can run 2, you most certainly can run 4!! Play with the distances of your run so that the body has space to change and be challenged.

Another thing that I have encountered with my clients when they have tried to go vegan is that it is difficult to keep a good lean body mass and low body fat on a regular or satisfying basis. Most of those times I have asked my clients if it is more important to stay vegan, or have lower body fat? The answer is most often to stay vegan because of reasons that run deeper at the core than a body fat percentage.

I hope this answer helps a little bit. Stay strong and Live Loud!!!! It’s worth it!

Tanja

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