Any exercise that gets you out of breath will help reduce overall body fat, including flab pockets around the arms, says fitness expert Nicola Botten. Choose from the following and commit to three to four 45-minute sessions a week from now, and don’t forget to keep up your weight loss diet plan.

Sure-fire arm and leg shapers

Body blackspot: Bingo wings

(1) Go cardio crazy

Arm blasters

Skipping: It burns 700 calories per hour and works all the major muscle groups in your arms and shoulders.

Swimming: Breaststroke and front crawl are both great arm-toners, burning 500 calories per hour.

Tennis: A great way to blast fat – shifting 400 calories per hour – and target your arm muscles.

(2) Take time to tone

“Once cardio work has shifted some of the fat layer on top of your arms, the fastest way to tone them is some gentle weight-training,” says Nicola. Invest in a set of light weights or use a full 1.5 litre water bottle in each hand.

Bicep curls

Hold a weight in each hand and bend your knees slightly. Keep elbows tucked in and, as you breathe out, slowly lift the weights in front of you to shoulder level. Inhale and lower. Do three sets of 12-18 repetitions, three to four times per week.

Tricep dips

Sit on a chair, knees bent, feet hip-distance apart. With hands on the edge of the chair, straighten your arms to lift your bottom off the chair. Bend the elbows directly behind you to lower the body and push through the arms to lift. Do three sets of 12-18 repetitions, three to four times per week.

Body blackspot: Wobbly thighs

(1) Blast that fat

“When you’re targeting your thighs, pick fat-burning activities that also work the legs hard,” says Nicola. Choose from the following and commit to three to four 45-minute sessions a week from now until your holiday.

Skating/Roller-blading: This can burn an 600 calories an hour and is a fun way to tone thighs.

Cycling: A fun way to exercise with the whole family, it works the legs hard and can burn up to 700 calories per hour.

Yoga: This ancient discipline is a brilliant all-over way to strengthen and sculpt your legs and burns up to 400 calories per hour.

(2) Get the right moves As well as the activities above to shift fat to streamline those pins you need to add these toning exercises…

Squats: Stand with your feet hip-width apart and hold a bottle of water in each hand, then squat back as if you’re sitting down on a chair. Keep your heels down, knees behind your toes and pull your tummy in as you go. Slowly return to your starting position and repeat three sets of 12-18 repetitions, three to four times a week.

Lunges: Stand with your feet hip-width apart and slide your left leg behind you until the knee is under your hip. Keep your body in line. Then sink your knee down towards the floor, keeping your other knee behind the toe and weight evenly distributed. Return to the starting position and repeat three sets of 12-18 repetitions, three to four times.

Added to your weight loss diet plan theses exercises can really help tone up your body.