Blog Posts by SHAPE magazine

by Alanna Nuñez for SHAPE.com

How to find a workout you love--and stick with it.If you're the type of person who's ever huffed and puffed, struggling to push through a treadmill session while secretly wanting to slap that smug smile off the lanky runner effortlessly trotting next to you, you're not alone! And now it looks like there may be a physiological reason why some people dislike exercise more than others.

Hoping to encourage more people to leave the couch and move, researchers at Iowa State University are studying the body's biological and chemical processes to better understand the attitudes people have about exercise. So far they've made a few surprising discoveries, including that our interpretation of our body's sensations while we sweat it out influences how we feel about exercise in general.

RELATED: 7 Workouts Better than Happy Hour

Everyone, no matter their fitness level, has a physical capacity for exertion beyond which the body becomes stressed and begins to feel bad. Researchers estimate that anywhere from 10 to 50

by Elizabeth Goodman Artis

Bet you didn't know these weird facts about fat!Fat is the ultimate three-letter word, especially the kind that you spend so much time watching your diet and hitting the gym to keep at bay (or at least to keep off your butt). But beyond making you look less-than-svelte, fat can have significant physical and emotional implications. We talked to Shawn Talbott, Ph.D., a nutritional biochemist and author of The Secret of Vigor: How to Overcome Burnout, Restore Biochemical Balance, and Reclaim Your Natural Energy, to find out a few essential facts that might surprise you.

1. Fat comes in different colors: More specifically, there are different types of fat that have different hues and functions, according to Talbott: white, brown, and beige. The white fat is what most people think of as fat-pale and useless. Useless in that it has a low metabolic rate so it doesn't help you burn any calories the way muscle does, and it's the predominant type of fat in the human body, encompassing more than 90 percent of it. In

by Cristina Goyanes for SHAPE.com

Healthy lessons to learn from the NYC large-sized soda ban rejection.Soda: 1. Mayor Michael Bloomberg: 0.

The New York City mayor's newest obesity-fighting proposal to limit the sales of sugary drinks to 16 ounces or less at restaurants, theaters, and food carts was dismissed by a state supreme court judge on Monday-just one day before the health code would have taken full effect. Considering Bloomberg's success in banning trans fats and smoking in public places, this decision came as a total surprise to most, including the businesses that had already edited their menus and ordered smaller serving cups. Perhaps the most shocked was Bloomberg himself, as well as his administration.

"Without a portion cap on sugary drinks, it will be harder to tackle an obesity epidemic that kills New Yorkers and causes misery for many thousands more who suffer from heart disease, diabetes, and other debilitating illnesses," says Thomas Farley, M.D., M.P.H., the NYC Health Commissioner. "We are confident that we will win on appeal."

by Justin Park for SHAPE.com

Do the benefits of yoga live up to the hype?The myriad benefits attributed to yoga-weight-loss, heart disease protection, freedom from depression-are enough to get anyone on the mat, but do they hold up to modern scientific investigation? New York Times science writer and long-time yogi William J. Broad decided to find out.

For his latest book, The Science of Yoga, Broad took a deep dive into the research to reveal which promises the ancient tradition can-and can't-deliver on. "Yoga makes you feel good-every practitioner knows that. But the science is catching up to explain why," he says.

Here's the real deal on seven big claims yoga makes:

Claim 1: Yoga Makes You Feel Good
True. One of the major reasons for yoga's popularity-and perhaps why devotees are reluctant to critically assess the practice-is that yoga just makes people feel good.Recent research is able to put that feeling in more technical terms. In 2005 a pair of comprehensive reviews of the research on yoga's effects on anxiety and

by Ysolt Usigan for SHAPE.com

Next time your guy gives you grief about cuddling, tell him it's good for your health!Next time your guy gets on your case about cuddle time--he says he's too hot, needs his space, doesn't feel like relaxing--present the evidence. Research suggests that there's more to cuddling than meets the eye. Lovey-dovey'ness aside, the health benefits of cuddling will surely convince him to make time for it.

Reason 1: It Feels Good
Cuddling releases oxytocin, which is also known as the feel-good hormone. "It increases overall happiness," says psychologist, physical therapist, and author of bestseller A Happy You: Your Ultimate Prescription for Happiness Elizabeth Lombardo.

"Cuddling, holding, and sexual play releases chemicals, like oxytocin, in the brain that create a sense of well-being and happiness," says Dr. Renee Horowitz, an ob-gyn who recently opened the Center for Sexual Wellness in Farmington Hills, Michigan.

RELATED: The Top 50 Hottest Trainers in America

Cuddling can also release endorphins, which is the chemical released after a good

by Heidi Pashman for SHAPE.com

Should yoga be a competitive sport?Yoga is a very individual practice, with people practicing for the benefits of building strength and flexibility, de-stressing, mental clarity, or the amazing feeling afterward, or all of the above. But now a few talented yogis are looking to add one more benefit: winning a medal for your beautifully perfected postures.

Last weekend the USA Yoga Federation hosted the 10th Annual National Yoga Asana Championship in New York City, where more than 140 participants from 33 states were judged on their technical execution, level of difficulty, poise and composure, and grace of movement both into and out of their postures. Founded by Rajashree Choudhury (yes, she's married to Bikram), the Federation has been working for the past ten years to make yoga an Olympic sport.

This idea is so foreign to Westerners because, like the practice, it's rooted in India. Yoga competitions have been going on there for hundreds of years, Choudhury says, and are why she started

by Tiffany Tse for SHAPE.com

Key lime pieWhether you dress up in green or hit up your local watering hole for a pint of brilliantly colored beer, there's nothing like ringing in St. Patrick's Day with some festive cheer. This year, celebrate by cooking up some edible treats that are all SHAPE (and leprechaun)-approved! We rounded up our 3 favorite bright green dishes that serve up plenty of delicious flavor without packing in extra calories.


1. Key lime yogurt pie:
160 calories, 16 grams sugar, 4 grams fat, 26 grams carbohydrates, 5 grams protein

You won't need the luck o' the Irish when you're whipping up this low-cal key lime pie. Thanks to fat-free cream cheese and light yogurt, this no-bake dessert won't max out your daily calorie intake.

Ingredients:
2 tbsp. cold water
1 tbsp. fresh lime juice
1 1/2 tsp. unflavored gelatin
4 oz. fat-free cream cheese, softened
3 containers (6 oz. each) Yoplait Light Thick & Creamy key lime pie yogurt
1/2 c. frozen (thawed) reduced-fat whipped

by Jay Cardiello for SHAPE.com

Work out like a man, look like a lady!I have heard it so many times. Whether it's my female clientele or the many comments posted around the Internet, "I don't want to look like a man" is a popular statement. Women who say this then make a point to avoid workouts they perceive as masculine.

With that, many females choose single-joint, linear movements-but a woman's body is meant to move, twist, turn, and even carry a child. Training your body in a linear, one-dimensional fashion will only make you more susceptible to injury as you attempt to live your life in a multi-dimensional world. Think about it: A mother carrying her child is squatting, lunging, lifting, twisting, turning, and picking him or her up out of the crib, all while rotating in multiple directions.

Training "like a man" can actually prepare your body for these actions. Performing highly beneficial compound, functional exercises can literally decrease the chances of suffering from osteoporosis, increase lean muscle mass, and