Temperatures have started to climb and with the sun shining, it already feels like shorts and tank-top weather.

Make sure you have a "Right to Bare Arms" by following a few of these sexy, sculpting moves.

Shoulders: for toned looking arms, shoulders are the key. The shoulders need to be worked from different angles.

First start with front raises. Grab two 2-8 lb. dumbbells and raise them straight in front of you, and lower down to your legs. Three sets of 15 should get a good burn.

Next, lateral raises. Lateral raises create a nice shapely shoulder cap and should be a staple of your shoulder workout. Use 5-8lb dumbbells and lift them straight out to the sides, hold one second, and lower slowly. Three sets of 15 lateral raises.

Third staple shoulder exercise is the shoulder press. Form is important on shoulder presses. You can go a little heavier here, 8-15lb dumbbells. Hold your arms at a 90 degree angle and press the dumbbells over head. It is important to press the elbows straight and return to the start position. For shoulder presses do only 3 sets of 12.

Nest, we don't want to forget about the triceps. The best and easiest exercises to do for triceps are push-ups and dips. Do as many as you can!! You can do these anywhere. Do push-ups on your counter top morning and night after brushing your teeth. Dips can be done on a bench or the edge of a chair.

Try this short arm routine 2-3 days per week and you'll have toned arms that you will be proud to show off!

MOTIVATION... one of the things everyone wishes they had more of.

Making and setting goals can help with when motivation is lacking because the achievement of that goal will help you press forward on days you just don't feel like working out.

Some people choose to set a weight goal: to lose a certain number of pounds or inches or to fit into a dress for a wedding, but once that time comes, they go back to old ways. Some women like to set physical goals, like running a 5k, 10k, marathon or triathlon. Working towards a challenge like that will force you to train and the feeling of accomplishment afterward is worth all the training.

Whatever your fitness goals are, its important to make sure they are "real" goals, rather than a "wish" or a hope. The SMART acronym is used for goals setting and can help get you back on the right track:

Specific- A general statement like "I want to get in shape" is not a sufficient goal. However, "I want to fun a 5k in 30 mins." IS specific. Pin-point what you want and write it down

Measurable- How will your goals be measured? Is it in number of pounds? Minutes? Inches? There should be a baseline and a way to know if your goal has been accomplished

Attainable- Do you have the traits, ability, and attitude to reach your goal? Your goal can be a stretch, but should be something that you know you have the ability to do.

Realistic- Losing 50 lbs. may be a realistic goal. Losing 50 lbs in ten days, however, is not. Make sure the goal is in a realistic time frame and scope

Timely- give yourself enough time to reach your goal, but also set a deadline, so there is pressure to work on it. "someday" is not timely.

The difference between successful people and failures, are the successful people know how to set and acheive their goals. Write them down, place it on a card where you will see it everyday, and take baby steps towards your goals. The feelings of accomplishment will do wonders for your self-esteem and your body.

Besides a good gym, an important component of fitness is what goes in your body. A good nutrition/supplement store should not only have a wide variety of products and inventory, but a knowledgeable and helpful staff. Here are the 5 Best health food and nutrition stores in Las Vegas. Each of these stores has the vitamins, herbs, and supplements to help with muscle maintenance and recovery, fat loss, leg vein health and general well being.

1. Max Muscle Las Vegas- 7010 North Durango Drive #130, 89149. (702) 636-6299 Located in the Northwest side of town near Centennial Hills Hospital. Max Muscle is a national franchise, but the owner here takes great pride in her store and care with her customers to help them find products to fit their needs.
2. J&J's Health Foods- 7985 West Sahara Avenue (702) 228-9030 This store is located centrally and has many locations. The staff always seem happy and eager to help. They have a variety of brands of protein powders and bars and have plenty of samples to allow you to try new products.
3. Las Vegas Nutrition Center  1725 N Rainbow Blvd 702-646-0019 Most of these locations are conveniently located next door to a Las Vegas Athletic Club. They have a large selection of vitamins and supplements, but also gluten-free products, sugar-free and diabetics products.
4. The Vitamin Shoppe 8820 W Charleston Blvd Pad J Suite 102 (702)586-3671 Vitamin Shoppe is also a national store, but has one of the largest inventories around. Not only to they have every vitamin/supplement from A-Z, but they also have store brands that come at a cheaper price. It is very easy to find what you are looking for at the Vitamin Shoppe because products are oraganized by what they are used for and alphabetical.
5. Pure Health Foods 7575 W. Washington Ave. #129 (Trader Joe's Shopping Center)(702) 366-9297 A family owned vitamin and herb store, carrying the highest quality supplements at the best prices is their claim. Friendly and helpful staff will help you find your prodcuts quickly with no wait.

Women's legs tend to be a trouble spot. More specifically, the thighs! Women tend to store more body fat in their lower bodies and those thunder thighs can be a woman's nemesis.

Luckily, even if you don't have a gym membership, there are a handful of exercises that can be done with no equipment, that shape the legs better than any machine out there!

1. Lunges- yes, lunges. Walking lunges, alternating lunges, reverse lunges. All of them will do it. To do a lunge, take a large step and lower down onto the knee (as if you are going to propose). Push through the front heel to step forward and switch legs. Lunges require stability and can help shape the tush, as well as develop the quads and inner and outer thighs. Do sets of 25-50 to keep from getting bulky legs.
2. Squats- squats are great for the front of the legs as well as hamstrings and glutes. A good place to learn a squat is to stand in front of a chair, sit back on the chair, and simply stand back up! To make it more difficult, lower so your tush barely touches the chair and then stand. Try to do a high number or reps with these too. To really challenge yourself, try to sit down and stand up on one leg!
3. Plie Squats- this is a squat based on the ballet move, the "Plie" (plee-ay). Stand with feet wider than shoulder width apart and knees and toes turned out. Lower your body to parallel with chest up. Plie squats work that pesky inner-thigh area.
4. Stair Climbing- besides burning extra calories and not getting stuck in an elevator, climbing stairs works those legs and glutes extremely well. Climbing up the stairs will activate the glutes, quads and even calves. Going back down puts more weight on the front of the legs, and do this enough times, you'll be sweating too! Find a good set of stairs (even at home) and walk up and down ten times. To progress you can try running up the steps or even skipping steps.

Do these exercises 3 days a week and in no time you'll have a much tighter and toned tush and gorgeous gams to go with those cute heels!

Las Vegas boasts more than 300 days of sunshine a year! Not only that, but temperatures this time of year are perfect for taking your workouts outside. Not only does Vegas have plenty of sunshine and great temps, but it also has some of the most scenic and popular places to hike, climb, rock climb, bike, water ski, or just about any outdoor activity you can think of.

First, you need to decide what you'd like to do:

• Hiking- hiking is a great cardio workout. Hiking can be adapted to any fitness level, from short flat trails, to long altitude climbing treks! Hiking requires balance, strength, and stamina and can help increase endurance as well
• Skiing/Snowboarding- about a 45 min. drive from town there is a mountain in the desert! Snowboarding and skiing are excellent exercises for balance, agility, coordination, and endurance.
• Bicycling- besides the beautiful bike trails in Summerlin, Southern Highlands, Anthem and other master-planned communities, people come from all over the world to road bike at Red Rock Canyon or Mountain bike at Mt. Charleston. Riding a bicycle is a great lower-body workout as well as cardiovascular exercise and is low-impact, so it can be adapted for almost anyone.
• Rock Climbing- Red Rock Canyon is recognized world wide as a rock climbing Mecca. Rock climbing requires balance, upper body strength and a little bit of guts!

Before embarking on your outdoor adventure; make sure you have the proper equipment; shoes, water, proper clothing, guides or guidebooks, and let someone know where you are going.

It helps to have a base fitness level, but many of the activities are great for beginners and will only help to increase your fitness. Many people enjoy outdoor fitness activities more because it gets them off the treadmill for a change of scenery!

A few local resources to check are:

www.sceniclasvegas.com

www.hikinglasvegas.com

www.skilasvegas.com

www.bonniesprings.com

http://parks.nv.gov/vf.htm (Valley of Fire)

http://www.redrockcanyonlv.org/

http://www.nps.gov/lame/index.htm (Lake Mead)

Maybe its time to start making an Outdoor Adventure part of your weekly routine!

Remember back in the day, taking the Presidential Fitness Test? This was something the PE teacher would make everyone do once or twice a year. You would probably get a partner to see how many sit-ups in a minute you could do, how fast you ran a mile and how far you could "sit-n-reach". Then, if you had better scores or performed above average than your peers, you could earn the Presidential Fitness Award Patch.

The President's fitness test is a test of overall fitness including

• aerobic fitness
• muscular strength and endurance
• flexibility
• body composition

If you are curious about your level of fitness now, you can take the tests today! The President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports  has a website dedicated to testing, tracking and even improving your scores on all 4 tests. Click here to take the Adult Fitness Test.

Once you determine your level of fitness, you can take the President's Challenge Active Lifestyle program and keep track of your daily activity and earn prizes. You can create a group to join and get fit together or even keep track of kids activities. Log in your blocks of activity and it's never too late to earn that patch! This is a fun way to keep track or your fitness progress and the new year is a great time to start!

Body image is the way someone feels about her body physically, emotionally, and in relationship to others. The main concern with body image in our American culture and especially Vegas culture; is it realistic? and is it healthy?

As a woman, the media portrays a certain "ideal" that women tend to take on as "that's the way women should look." A 5'8" model, size 2, C or D cup breasts, 25" waist and perfect lips, hair, cellulite free, etc.

Breast augmentation, liposuction, and tummy tucks are among the top 5 cosmetic surgeries performed in 2008. One might walk through Boca Park, The District, or Town Square and think that everyone has something done. It may even seem like, as a woman, you have to do these things just to keep up.

Unfortunately, low self-esteem can cause negative body image, which can lead to eating disorders  an unrealistic view of self and depression. Surgery can correct some flaws, but it will not fix self-esteem or negative body image.

Here are a few ways to feel good about yourself and your own body:

• Exercise regularly- it releases endorphins a "feel good" hormone. Exercise also helps maintain a healthy body weight
• Appreciate what your body can do!- Bodies are amazing works of art. You may not be a stick- thin model, but maybe you can pick up your child and swing them over your shoulder, you can walk, run, and jump. There is always someone out there that may wish to do what YOU can do! Don't ever take that for granted
• Relax- get a massage, take a warm bath, take yoga. Do something that feels good. Focus on how good things feel instead of how you look
• Expect normal monthly changes in body size, weight and shape- Do not base your feelings about the number on the scale every morning. Women have cycles that fluctuate and need to realistically expect a few pounds to fluctuate.
• Stop Comparing- you are a unique person with your own DNA and heritage. It does not do any good for a golden retriever to wish that they were a poodle. Therefore, do not compare yourself to someone you are not. Celebrate your own heritage and uniqueness.
• Get support- surround yourself with people that love you and encourage you to be happy. Join a weight loss group for encouragement or take walks with friends.

Make 2010 the year to be healthy, happy and fit. Love yourself for what you can do and the changes you are making for the better!

If you google: working out while on period; you will find a whole world of women out there with the same question! There are a lot of misconceptions about working out while menstruating, and many of them are just myths perpetuated from years back when women were considered unclean and shunned during that time of the month.

There is absolutely no evidence to support that you shouldn't be able to work out during your cycle. In fact, many studies show that light exercise, cardio, or strength training releases endorphins, which actually help relieve menstrual cramping and pain. A little sweat session can also help with bloating and releasing retained fluid.

If you have very heavy or painful periods, you may want to take a day or two off. The best suggestion from gathered evidence, would be to take one day off, if needed, and then try easy to moderate exercise until your symptoms get better. Drink plenty of water and keep a clean and healthy diet.

Belly Fat. Its a bad word these days. People think its ugly and doctors tell us its unhealthy. In fact, belly fat has been called the most dangerous fat in our bodies and is linked to more health related problems, than say, just regular old cottage cheese legs. This is because, for the most part, that fat is crowded around our internal organs and forces them to work harder and in some cases it changes the way those organs function completely. Ideally a woman's waist measurement should not be more than 31 inches.

Here are a few tips, to help keep you on your New Year's resolutions to shrink that belly this year:

1. Increase protein intake- time after time, studies show that protein helps the body feel fuller, does not convert easily to fat, and does not raise blood sugars. Aim for 25-30g per meal. Try adding protein shakes between meals and add lean meats, seafood, and eggs to your meal times. Protein in the diet also helps the body utilize fat stores for energy
2. Increase Water- water never gets enough credit. Drinking water helps flush the body of toxins. It also helps the body get rid of excess water! So, if you are retaining water and feel puffy, drink more! Drink 6-8 glasses of pure filtered water every day. You'll start to see a difference in that belly bloat.
3. Decrease fatty and processed foods- this almost goes without saying, that french fries, nuggets and burgers are no good for your waist line. Not only do these foods contribute to belly fat, by directly adding fat to the diet, but they are also hard to digest and process and may make the belly puffier than it already is. Treat your body right by removing obvious toxins in the diet. Your heart will thank you as well!
4. Decrease stress and stimulants (caffeine)- Cortisol is an important stress hormone in the body. Unfortunately, too much of it has a negative effect on how our body regulates insulin, blood pressure and immune function. Cortisol is secreted by the adrenal glands which are also stimulated by caffeine or other "energy" type products. The problem with over-stimulating the adrenal glands, is adrenal burn out. This makes it very hard for people to lose weight when their adrenals are too fatigued. It is important to find ways to reduce stress in your life, by meditation, music, prayer, pets, yoga, exercise, or any number of stress management techniques.
5. Burn some Calories- Exercise is an obvious mention here, but any activity over the normal amount you get will help. Little steps add up. Start slowly; walking for 10-15 min a day. Increase your time and distance. Take a class. Join a gym. Swim. Ride a bicycle. Hike. Dance. Anything that gets you moving is a good start. The important thing is that you do something. Belly fat isn't going to just walk away on its own, you have to help it on its way.

These 5 small steps are easy to do, and over time will help decrease the amount of fat in your midsection. Try not to be overwhelmed by the hype of spot reducing dietsor gadgets that don't work. One foot in front of the other. Daily choices to a better you.