Blog Posts by SHAPE magazine

Eliminate arm flab and sculpt rock-star arms and shoulders!

by Andrea Metcalf, author of Naked Fitness

Kate UptonA writer for a site called Skinny Gossip wrote a piece on Monday titled "Kate Upton is Well-Marbled." She begins the post by posing a question: "Did you know humans are 80 percent identical to cows? Well, allow me to prove it to you..." and followed up with some photos of model Kate Upton strutting the runway.

But stopping at calling Upton fat wasn't enough. Instead, the writer, whose username is Skinny Girl, followed up by saying that "Upton lumbers down the runway like there's a buffet at the end of it," she "looks thick, vulgar, and she's a solid 30 pounds too heavy for a bikini." Oh, and apparently Upton has "huge thighs, no waist, big, floppy boobs, terrible body definition-she looks like a squishy brick." To which I say: Really?

Everybody's entitled to an opinion, and Skinny Girl apparently received a flood of opinions and messages in response to her post, some good, some bad, and some dangerous (It should go without saying, but apparently it doesn't: People, rape

by Jené Luciani for SHAPE.com

Demi LovatoWith a heat wave in parts of the country and temps climbing into triple digits, no doubt, summer is here! But before you toss your hair back into that plain old ponytail, there are more stylish ways to stay cool.

Demi Lovato's super-slick high pony is easy to copy, or try the chic side braid that's been heating up all the red carpets . We asked top stylists to share the simple, sweat-proof styles they're loving right now. Read on to see how you can get their favorite looks at home.

Nicole Richie2. Shapely bun: Nicole Richie has been rocking the ballerina bun from NY to Paris and everywhere in between. Perfectly polished or messy, this 'do is always in style and a chic way to keep all your hair off your face and neck.

How to get the look:

1. Pull hair back into a smooth ponytail using a brush or a fine-tooth comb.

2. Place your ponytail in the position you want your bun to be, (high, middle, low, or side). Ponytails work best on

by Elizabeth Goodman Artis

Even the most passionate whole food fanatic has probably consumed something of dubious nature at one point in time. In fact, many everyday items on grocery store shelves-and even in higher-end health food stores-are, on closer inspection, more enigmatic than they first appear. From tofu cream cheese (how does a block of wiggly tofu become spreadable, anyway?) to that canned wonder Spam, we asked Barb Stuckey, professional food developer at Mattson and author of Taste What You're Missing: The Passionate Eater's Guide to Why Good Food Tastes Good to reveal the truth behind seven foods that make you wonder (at least, they should).

by Charlotte Andersen for SHAPE.com

Need workout motivation? It may be time to drink the Kool-aid and try one of these uber-popular programs!

Bodyrock.tv1. Bodyrock.tv: If you've ever wanted to look long, very lean, and slightly Eastern European, then you will love the short-but-seriously-hardcore Bodyrock.tv workout. To find "Bodyrockers" in their element, you'll have to look past the gym-proponents of this "at-home fitness movement" love to do their workouts either in their living rooms or in public places such as beaches and parks, as evidenced by all the fan photos adorning the site. Minimal equipment is one of the main selling points of Bodyrocking, but the few things they do use include sandbags, stability balls, and chin-up bars.

Secret handshake: While the actual moves aren't the sexiest (unless deep squats and burpees are your thing), the way Bodyrockers do them sure is! One of the original founders, Zuzana (who has now started her own workout channel called Zuzka Light), popularized

Why is junk food after dark so hard to resist?By Charlotte Andersen for SHAPE.com

Scarier than what goes bump in the night or severe weather outside your window, the new nighttime terror is... junk food! And you're not the only one being haunted by the Ghost of Late-Night Munchies. According to a new survey conducted by Massive Health, people all over the world turn to the sweet and salty stuff when the sun goes down. Massive Health is an iPhone app in which users enter their daily food intake . The company recently collected data from more than 50 countries to find out what and when people are eating. The results were, well, nightmarish.

"There is a 1.7 percent overall decrease in healthiness of what's eaten for every hour of the day that passes after breakfast," says Aza Raskin , Massive Health founder. "That's as true in Tokyo as it is in San Francisco as it is in São Paulo. It teaches us something fundamental about the way people make decisions about food-and decisions in general."

RELATED: 8 Forgotten Fat-Loss Weapons

By SHAPE Diet Doctor, Mike Roussell, PhD.

Are these chemicals in your home?Many synthetic chemicals (endocrine disruptors) have estrogen-like activity when absorbed into the body. These environmental estrogens can interfere with the action or production of the natural hormones and disrupt normal processes that are essential to reproductive health, cardiovascular function, and weight control.

More research is necessary on the direct relationship between endocrine disruptors and certain health issues like obesity and infertility, but the associations drawn from past studies are enough to make anyone cautious about their exposure to these chemicals.

Are you at risk? Here's what you what you need to know about three major endocrine disruptors:

1. Bisphenol-A, BPA: BPA is one of the most widely produced chemicals in the world. For years it was included in essentially every plastic water bottle and food container, but growing concerns about the negative health effects led consumers to demand BPA-free plastics, which are

Make plain water more interesting with these tips.Water is essential to healthy living; obviously, you can't live without it. But let's face it: Plain water is just not that interesting to drink sometimes. So we rounded up our favorite ways to spice it up without adding calories. Here are our 10 favorite ways to drink water:

1. Give a squeeze: Add a squeeze of lemon or lime (or both!).

2. Infuse with fruit: Fill a large jug with water, sliced fruit (try citrus, berries or melon ) and ice; refrigerate overnight.

3. Soak it in flavor: Let pineapple chunks soak in water for at least two hours.

RELATED: The Best and Worst Drinks for You

4. Make a mash: Mash up blueberries or raspberries in the bottom of your glass, then add sparkling or still water.

5. Make a splash: Pour in a splash of unsweetened cranberry juice.

6. Cube juice: Make ice cubes out of no-sugar-added juice and add to sparkling or still water and cranberry juicewater.

7. Mint it: Tear up some fresh mint leaves and leave to steep in water before drinking.

8. Go citrus: