Benefits of Exercising Your Arms

• Building and toning muscle will make you stronger and more limber. The goal is not to become muscle-bound, but to preserve and enhance. Additionally, steady arms will help you maintain good hand-eye coordination. And with stronger, more limber arms, you will more easily lift a grandchild, reach for things and carry grocery bags, in addition to the residual benefits that all exercise imparts.
  
  

Risks

• Check with your physician to get an OK to start. Then you can begin. There are myriad books, videos and websites offering upper-body and arm exercises that you can do sitting or standing. Your physician may also have some materials to give to you.
  
  Be wary of muscle and bone stress. Trying to do too much too quickly, or overdoing it even after you have conditioned your arms with weeks of mild exercise, can lead to torn, strained and detached muscles, and in seniors bone fractures may develop. Take it easy and slowly. A little exercise each day building up to a moderate amount of exercise will lead to many benefits
  
  Also, some people hold their breath while exercising. WebMD says that can raise your blood pressure, which can strain the heart, so remember to breathe. "If you are lifting something, breathe out as you lift; breathe in when you stop," they advise.
  
  

Sitting, Standing or Moving

• Arm exercises can be effective when done in a number of postures. Carrying modest weights, even cans of soup, while walking will not only help to burn calories, but will build muscle in your arms. Swimming is low-impact exercise and great for the muscles in your shoulders.
  
  Many exercises with weights and resistance bands can be done while sitting in a chair. Unless your doctor approves of it for you, avoid sitting on yoga balls. They are too easy to slip from. If you have dizziness or balance problems, sitting in a chair is a safe way to exercise and the benefits are just as real. You want no-impact or low-impact exercises, never high-impact.
  
  If you choose to do your exercises while standing, be careful about bending deeply at the waist. Doing so may spike your blood pressure.
  
  

Make It Pleasant

• When hoisting weights, doing curls, stretches, resistance training or punching workouts while in a chair, make exercise less of a chore by watching television, playing music, listening to audiobooks or even putting your phone on speaker and talking with friends.
  
  Consider, too, getting together with friends to go outside and play now and then. Being a senior does not preclude the benefits of play or fresh air. Swinging a golf club or standing in a circle and punching a beach ball as if it were a volleyball will get the blood flowing and help to maintain strength, as well as break the monotony of exercise, stretch your arm muscles, and help to maintain hand-eye coordination.
  
  

Beware the "Reward" Trap

• People often think that if they exercise, they can eat whatever they want in any quantity. A little reward? Go ahead. A little reward at 10 a.m., 1 p.m., 4 p.m., 8 p.m. and midnight? Nope. Indulging too often is indulging too much and will work against the good benefits of your exercise.
  
  

The Benefits

• Exercise assists brain, vascular system, and endocrine system functioning, according to Dr. Gregg Gerety, an endocrinologist in Albany, N.Y. It helps to lower blood pressure, cholesterol and triglycerides, and indirectly makes your heart, other muscles and lungs healthier. And if that's not enough, it helps to fight depression, according to Gerety.
  
  You have everything to gain, so exercise. Keep those arms strong. You need them for the day-to-day tasks that will keep you independent. And when your loved ones need you, you'll be able to give them the great big embraces they deserve.