Ask the Personal Trainer Joni Hyde is a Certified Personal Trainer and owner of WorkoutsForWomen.com Q. I need to reduce my upper body. I wear a x-large top and size small in pants. I've lost 20lbs and want to lose 25 more. I weigh 175 and need to be about 150. I have a lot of muscle mass and want to know the right exercises to do to reduce arms, shoulders, and area on back that bulges out of bra. I ride a recumbent bike 30 minutes and do spot exercises 4 to 5 times a week. I'm 48 years old. -- Debbie A. Spot removal only works in the laundry, not on your body. There is simply no such thing as localized fat loss, no matter what type of exercise gadget is used and no matter what type of exercise is prescribed. Fat is lost evenly throughout the body. As you lose more weight, your body will shed the extra fat mass on your arms, shoulder and back as well as anywhere else your body is storing it. Many ladies believe that by focusing on exercising a particular body part which is hidden by fatty tissue that they will "burn away" the localized fat and expose toned muscles. This is merely a vain attempt and won't amount to much more than "your little secret". If you're struggling with a "trouble spot", here's the deal. To remove the fat from your trouble spot, you need to increase your overall percentage of lean muscle mass and take a good look at your eating habits. Perform a variety of strength training exercises 3 or more days a week. This will increase your body's fat burning ability 24/7 and tone the underlying muscle giving you a better shape and improved muscle tone, which has a slimming effect. Perform aerobic exercise for at least 20 minutes 2 times a week. Replace sodium, sugar and preservative laden foods with fresh whole unprocessed foods. Keep your diet balanced, eating a healthy ratio of carbohydrates, fats and proteins. And, keep in mind, calories do count. Eating too many calories - whether they are fats, carbohydrates or proteins, will keep you well padded. Drink water. Other recently asked questions: • Should I exercise with a cold? • Can chromium picolate increase your metabolism? • Does your metabolism slow with age? • More questions WorkoutsForWomen.com provides home exercise programs for today's busy women, under the guidance of a certified personal trainer.