Blog Posts by SHAPE magazine

Less time in the gym doesn't mean you have to sacrifice fitness if you know this secret: Interval training . Research shows that interval training-workouts in which you alternate periods of high-intensity exercise with low-intensity recovery periods-increases fitness and burns more calories over a short period of time than steady-state cardio (you know: just doing the same thing for your whole workout time).

So how do you get the most out of interval training, and how long should each push and recovery be? One of the many great things about intervals is that there's no single hard-and-fast rule. Different lengths of work and recovery bring different benefits-and they're all good.

Start with these three interval training plans. Just know this: Interval training is tough, so if you're just starting to work out, spend a few weeks to a month building your stamina with cardio workouts before adding interval training to your routine. Add these interval training plans to your gym

By Faye Masterson

Bad skin? Always tired? Try one of these juice recipes today to get rid of your pesky skin woes. Plus, it's an easy way to increase your intake of fruits and vegetables!

1. The best juice for healthy skin: "Fruit and vegetable juices, prepared in the right combination, can help you to remove crud from your blood and tissues and restore alkalinity and balance to your system," says Noelle Swatland of GreenLemonade.com. "You see the benefits of this crud removal in younger looking skin and greater energy."

Swatland's favorite skin booster? Cucumber. "Consisting of over 90-percent water, cucumbers are a naturally cooling and hydrating food," she says. Plus, they're rich in minerals such as potassium, magnesium, and silica, which is believed to improve complexion and youthful radiance of your skin .

Ingredients:
1-2 Cucumbers
For a touch of sweetness, add a small piece of apple.

2. The best juice to fight aging: When stress , free-radicals, and lack of

By Cynthia Sass, MPH, RD.

Carbs, fat, protein, and sugar always seem to be triggering some sort of debate, but good old water? It doesn't seem like it should be controversial at all, but it's been the source of some scuttlebutt recently after a health expert claimed that the need for eight glasses per day is "nonsense." So what's the deal? Here are five hard facts about agua.

TRUTH: Fluid needs aren't the same as water needs

According to the Institute of Medicine, women 19 and over need 2.7 liters of total fluid per day (about 11 8-oz cups) and men need 3.7 (about 15 8-oz cups). But that's total fluid, not just water, and foods can provide a significant chunk. For example an 8 ounce container of plain, nonfat yogurt supplies 7 oz of fluid, a cup of watermelon 5 oz and even a medium banana, which you don't think of as being "watery" provides 3 oz. Now that said, if you racked up 20 percent of your fluid needs from food that still leaves nearly nine cups of fluid to go for

Strawberries may not be in season right now, but there's good reason to eat this berry year round, especially if you drink alcohol or are prone to stomach ulcers. A new study has found strawberries to have a protecting effect on stomachs damaged by alcohol.

The new study was published in the journal PLoS ONE and used rats to see how strawberry extract affected stomach health . Researchers found that the rats who had strawberries for 10 days before being given alcohol had fewer stomach ulcerations than those rats who didn't ingest any strawberry extract.

Researchers believe the positive effects of strawberries are linked to their high amounts of antioxidants and phenolic compounds (which have anti-inflammatory and anti-clotting properties), and that the berries activate important enzymes of the body, according to ScienceDaily. Researchers guess that the positive effects would be seen in humans, too, though more research is needed.

It's important to note that eating

By Cynthia Sass, MPH, RD.

The other day as I walked through Whole Foods, I felt like I was in an aquarium. Everywhere I looked I saw seaweed! Seaweed snacks are the new coconut water, and varieties like wakame are popular in prepared dishes such as chilled seaweed salad.

It seems that sea veggies are a hot new superfood, with reported benefits ranging from heart protection to weight loss. Currently researchers are studying potentially protective compounds in eight species of seaweed from Ireland and Canada that may help reduce blood clots and hardening of the arteries , two major risk factors for heart disease. Another recent report published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry reviewed almost 100 previous studies and concluded that some seaweed proteins work just like blood pressure meds. And in animal research a component in brown seaweed was shown to help rats burn more body fat.

RELATED: The 12 Best Power Foods for Women

Research aside, sea

By SHAPE diet doctor Mike Roussell, PhD

Aloe vera juice is quickly becoming popular in the health-conscious world. We've heard a lot about the benefits of drinking it, but wanted to get more information, so we went to the SHAPE diet doctor, Mike Roussell, to get his take on it. Here's what he had to say:

If you do a Google search for 'aloe vera juice' you'll quickly conclude that drinking aloe vera juice is the ultimate healthy habit, as it seemingly aids in weight loss, digestion, immune function, and even 'easing general discomfort'. But when you look beyond the first 40+ search results (all of the sites that list the amazing benefits of aloe vera juice just before they sell you an ongoing monthly supply), it's a different, more accurate story .

What is interesting about aloe vera juice is that despite the huge marketing push to educate people on its benefits, there is very little scientific data to support its use in humans. What's more, some of the toxicity research done in

If you're sipping on your usual morning cup of coffee, here's an added perk to that java jolt: skin-cancer prevention!

According to a new study that was recently presented at the American Academy of Cancer Research meeting in Boston, drinking caffeinated coffee may help prevent basal cell carcinoma (BCC), the most common type of skin cancer.

RELATED: Get More Benefits from Your Coffee

The research, which looked at the effects of coffee drinking on skin cancer risk in more than 110,000 people who participated in the Nurses' Health Study and Health Professionals Follow-Up Study, found that women who drank more than three cups of coffee per day had a 20 percent lower risk of developing BCC than women who drank less than one cup a month. Men who drank more than three cups of coffee had a 9 percent reduction in risk of this type of skin cancer, according to WebMD.

RELATED: Top 11 Smoothie Recipes

Researchers believe that caffeine is to credit for the reduction in

Any runners out there? Skip that old-school hurdler's stretch! Research shows that prepping your muscles with dynamic moves versus simply holding a position can help prevent injury and may even make running feel easier. (Who doesn't want that?) Try 2 sets of these four exercises from Paul Vincent, owner of Training Adventure in Los Angeles, before you hit the road, trail, or treadmill. Then, after your run, cool down with the roller backbend.

You'll need:
A supportive sports bra, a pair of running shoes (click here for some of our faves), and a foam roller .

1. Single-leg hop: Works legs, butt, and core; stretches ankle extensors.

Stand with weight on left leg , right knee bent and arms at sides and squat [A].

Jump up as you reach arms overhead [B]; repeat. Do 5 reps, then switch sides to complete set.

2. Lunge twist: Works legs and butt; stretches hip flexors and back.

Stand with arms at sides and lunge forward with right leg until thigh is parallel to