Blog Posts by SHAPE magazine

by Jessica Girdwain

Get stronger, leaner, and sexier, and recover in less time with these delicious picks!

What should you eat before you work out?1. Coffee: Runners love a cup of pre-race joe for the pep it puts in their step. "Research shows that the caffeine in coffee can enhance physical endurance and stamina, making a long run or ride feel easier," says Molly Kimball, R.D., sports dietitian with Ochsner's Elmwood Fitness Center in New Orleans. Try it iced or hot a half hour before a gym sesh, but if it upsets your stomach, push it back to an hour. Not crazy for coffee? Iced or hot green tea works too. Feel free to add milk, but skip the sugar, which can negate the caffeine kick.

2. Ginger: Sore muscles often feel rewarding after a hard workout, but intense aches just plain hurt. The fix? Ginger. Consuming half a teaspoon of the raw root or ground herb lessened next-day muscle soreness by 25 percent in one study, likely because ginger contains pungent pain-relieving chemicals such as gingerol, shogaol, and zingerone.

by Jené Luciani for SHAPE.com

Keep the girls young with these easy tips.Breastfeeding, fluctuating weight, hormonal changes, and simply aging are all purported to take a toll on the appearance of our breasts over time. In fact, I explore this in depth in The Bra Book. While I'll say it until the sun goes down that the proper-fitting bra will take years off of your appearance (the perkier the girls stand, the younger you will look), until now, there's been no evidence that any lotion or potion could make the skin on and around our breasts and décolletage look more youthful.

But, according to a new study published in the Aesthetic Surgery Journal, things like breast feeding and moisturizing may stall the signs of aging on breasts, while smoking, sun exposure, alcohol, having a higher BMI, having a larger cup size overall, and multiple pregnancies can age your boobs.

RELATED: What does your bra say about you? Find the "proper support" for your personality here.

The researchers followed 161 pairs of identical twins

by Alanna Nuñez

Is this the next Greek yogurt?Unless you haven't been in the dairy section of a grocery store in a long time, you know that Greek yogurt is all the rage. With 20 grams of protein per serving and a creaminess that makes it seem more indulgent than it really is, Greek yogurt is a weight-loss staple.

But now there's another yogurt from Europe trying to steal our hearts (and mouths and stomachs) away: Swiss yogurt.

While the Greek style is made from milk that has had some of the water removed or from straining the whey from plain yogurt to make it thicker and creamier than traditional yogurt, Swiss yogurt (also called stirred yogurt) is made from cultured milk that is incubated and cooled in a large vat, then stirred to give it a thinner, creamier consistency than its Mediterranean counterpart.

RELATED: 10 Healthy Recipes Using Greek Yogurt

Because tangy Greek yogurt stands up to heat better than many other yogurts, it's great for cooking. It also makes a good substitution for sour

by Alanna Nuñez

WTF?We've all gotten one of those text messages from a guy we like once in a while: "Hey, back in town tonight, wanna hang?" Or, "Still up tonight? Let's go out." Like, WTF, man? What does that even mean?

Well, the next time you find yourself puzzling over your smartphone for 15 minutes, trying to decipher a text from him, take it to the Internet! A new website, HeTexted.com, harnesses the power of crowdsourcing by allowing people (it appears to be mostly women) to post cryptic text messages they've received from guys and have visitors vote and comment on them. Visitors can also render a judgment, such as "He's into you," or "The verdict is still out."

If you find yourself the recipient of a particularly confusing message, you can get help from one of the "bros," or a panel of men available at HeTexted. You can take your query to the "Nice Guy," the "Dude Whisperer," or the resident "Douchebag" (his words, not ours!).

RELATED: 40 Free Date Ideas You'll

by Jessica Smith

How to become a morning exerciserImpending deadlines, last-minute meetings, an impromptu dinner date. These are just a few of many schedule conflicts that keep you from fitting in your evening workout. It's a common problem with an obvious yet seemingly impossible solution: Work out in the morning! We know, it's so hard to get up when you could snooze for another hour! But becoming a morning exerciser is doable (even if you've never been a morning person). Follow our step-by-step plan and you'll soon wonder how you ever started your day any other way!

1. Slowly start moving your bedtime up: Working out in the morning is counterproductive if you're not getting enough sleep (numerous studies have linked a lack of sleep to everything from weight gain to an increased diabetes risk, not to mention low energy and fatigue), and trying to wake up early if you aren't fully rested is even more difficult.

Your strategy: First, decide what time you'll need to start waking up to make your workout happen, and

by Heidi Pashman

Bad news is bad for womenWarning: Reading this may stress you out-but if you have your man read it, he'll stay cool.

That's right, the information we are fed nonstop via the Internet, smartphones, twitter, Facebook, news app alerts, and 24-hour news channels triggers the stress hormone cortisol in women more than in men, a Canadian study found.

Researchers at the University of Montreal gather a group of 60 men and women and measured their salivary levels of cortisol while they read both neutral news (such as park and movie openings) and negative reports (things like murders and accidents). Cortisol levels were then measured again during "stressful" tasks.

Women who read about negative events had higher levels of the hormone during the later task than the gals who read the neutral news. Guys, however, did not experience the same reaction.

RELATED: The 11 Best Foods for Your Brain

In a press release announcing the findings, lead study author Marie-France Marin said,

by Heidi Pashman

Make the most of apple season with these lip-smacking recipes!

Butternut squash and apple soup1. Butternut squash and apple soup: Two classic fall flavors come together to make the perfect creamy and comforting meal. The taste alone will have you wanting another bowl, but the nutritional benefits of butternut squash are a nice bonus. The hourglass-like gourd is low in fat and high in fiber and potassium, which is important for bone health. Plus, it's packed with powerhouse nutrients known as carotenoids, which help protect against heart disease and some cancers.

Click here to get the full recipe.

RELATED: 10 Delicious Ways to Cook Pumpkin

Apple walnut salad2. Apple chicken salad: (Served with walnuts and blue cheese) With just the right amount of veggies, lean protein, and fat, this salad makes the perfect lunch to keep you satisfied until dinner. Lay down a base of endives for an extra nutritious crunch!

Click here to get the full recipe.

by Alanna Nuñez

Dr. Brittany KingSwimming the English Channel-cold, dark, and full of jellyfish-isn't something most people would jump at, but one woman recently braved the 22 miles of water between England and France. She wasn't crazy (or trying to escape a mad man)-she was going it for a good cause.

When Brittany King, 29, took the dive to support the Banfield Charitable Trust, she had to follow strict guidelines from the Channel Swim Association: No wetsuits are allowed, and she couldn't touch anyone during the duration of the swim, although she swam alongside a boat carrying appointed observers the entire time. If she broke any of those rules, King would not be recognized as having completed the swim, even if she made it to the other shore.

To put things in another perspective: More people have climbed Mt. Everest than have completed the English Channel swim.

RELATED: Meet the World's Oldest, Most Awesome Gymnast

But the Cypress, TX, resident was up for the challenge. Her fitness