Monday, April 18, 2016
Spinach Feta Grilled Cheese
Cauliflower Crust Grilled Cheese
Beet, Arugula, and Goat Cheese Grilled Cheese
Green Goddess Grilled Cheese
There's so much more to the world of healthy green eating than salads
and smoothies. Green goddess, whether it's in the form of dressing or
this pesto Green Goddess Grilled Cheese Recipe,
is so yummy you might want to bathe in it (don't.). Along with other
favorite green foods like spinach and avocado, these ingredients make
one healthy cheesy sandwich. (Want other unique ways to use pesto? Find a
Healthy Pesto Recipe That Doesn't Involve Pasta.)source by http://www.shape.com
Avocado Tomato Grilled Cheese
Balsamic Blueberry Grilled Cheese
This Balsamic Blueberry Grilled Cheese Sandwich is almost too pretty to eat—almost. Frozen blueberries are reduced along with sugar and vinegar to create a jam-like spread that might warrant a bib to prevent stains but is totally worth it. (Actually, frozen fruits are one of the Packaged Foods That Are Surprisingly Healthy.) Get your greens in with a generous handful of baby spinach or arugula for a bite that's bursting with flavor.source by http://www.shape.com
Sweet Potato and Kale Grilled Cheese
The name alone tells you this sammie is healthy. And the taste proves it's delicious too. Sweet Potato and Kale Grilled Cheese only gets better when you add caramelized onions and fresh herbs to the pile. It'll be your new go-to hand-held dinner.source by http://www.shape.com
More Cheese, Please
Sunday, April 17, 2016
Tofu
Dark Chocolate
Vegetable Soup
Umeboshi Plums
Sweet Potatoes
Water
Eggs
Apples
Cayenne Pepper
Avocado
RELATED: Eat your way to a lean, gorgeous body! Watch this video to learn the favorite healthy foods of Victoria’s Secret models.source by http://www.shape.com
Ginger
Coffee
Almonds
RELATED: Get over 100 healthy juice and smoothie recipes and transform your health with the new book, Clean Green Drinks!source by http://www.shape.com
How to Make Chickpeas Taste Like Cinnamon Toast Crunch
What you need: One can of chickpeas, one tablespoon of olive oil, one tablespoon of honey and, of course, a healthy sprinkling of cinnamon.
What you do: Drain and rinse the chickpeas, then dry them on a paper towel. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and top a baking sheet with parchment paper. Spread the chickpeas on the baking sheet in a single layer and bake for 45 minutes, or until crispy. While they're still warm, toss them in a bowl with the olive oil, honey and cinnamon to taste. Spread back onto the baking sheet and cook for another 10 minutes or so until caramelized. source by http://www.shape.com
Saturday, April 16, 2016
Change the Way You Do the Plank for a Six-Pack, Fast
aou've probably done an elbow plank
so many times by now that you know the drill by heart: straight back,
belly button pulled in, and palms flat on your mat (trying not to clasp them in prayer pose if possible). But Cassandra Bodlak, group exercise manager at Equinox Sports Club,
recommends her clients do a slight modification that's a little more
challenging: when in elbow plank, flip your hands over so your palms are
facing up.
Pressing through an elbow plank with palms facing down will help keep back muscles engaged and clasping hands together in a fist will enlist your chest muscles to help stabilize you, but flipping your hands over will make your plank even more about the core, Cassandra explains. "Performing a plank with palms up [will] disengage some of the support from the muscles of the hand and forearm," she says. In other words, simply moving your hands will help you get on the fast track to sculpted abs.
Another reason to go palms up? You'll help unround those hunched-over shoulders. "It takes the pronator teres (one of the major forearm muscles) and positions it in what is called the 'anatomical position' (palms forward when standing, palms up when prone in a plank), which is the most desirable position in which to function," Cassandra explains. "We are all busy typing on keyboards these days, encouraging a particular position of the forearm: palms down. Simply repositioning the forearms in your plank helps to create a balance."
Sculpted abs and looking taller are two great reasons to try the "palms up" modification the next time you're in an elbow plank, but don't worry if making this change has you collapsing into Child's Pose sooner than you're used to. Cassandra offers this encouragement: "When you perform a plank, perform it to the best of your ability in the moment you're in—palms in prayer, palms flat, or palms up, it's probably one more plank than you did yesterday, right? Keep it up!"source by www.shape.com
Pressing through an elbow plank with palms facing down will help keep back muscles engaged and clasping hands together in a fist will enlist your chest muscles to help stabilize you, but flipping your hands over will make your plank even more about the core, Cassandra explains. "Performing a plank with palms up [will] disengage some of the support from the muscles of the hand and forearm," she says. In other words, simply moving your hands will help you get on the fast track to sculpted abs.
Another reason to go palms up? You'll help unround those hunched-over shoulders. "It takes the pronator teres (one of the major forearm muscles) and positions it in what is called the 'anatomical position' (palms forward when standing, palms up when prone in a plank), which is the most desirable position in which to function," Cassandra explains. "We are all busy typing on keyboards these days, encouraging a particular position of the forearm: palms down. Simply repositioning the forearms in your plank helps to create a balance."
Sculpted abs and looking taller are two great reasons to try the "palms up" modification the next time you're in an elbow plank, but don't worry if making this change has you collapsing into Child's Pose sooner than you're used to. Cassandra offers this encouragement: "When you perform a plank, perform it to the best of your ability in the moment you're in—palms in prayer, palms flat, or palms up, it's probably one more plank than you did yesterday, right? Keep it up!"source by www.shape.com
How to do it: Lie faceup with your knees bent and turned out, feet flexed, and heels pressed together. Inhale and lift your head and shoulders off the floor, curling up over your ribcage, looking at your legs. Reach your arms outside of your hips off of the floor, palms facing down
As you exhale, press out through your heels and extend your legs 45 degrees, squeezing the backs of your knees together. Inhale and bend your heels back into your body. That's one rep. Do up to 3 sets of 10 reps.
Make it harder: Extend your legs lower to the ground as you press out, or keep both legs extended and turned out, and then lift and lower them instead of bending and extending (just be sure your back stays down during the movement!).
Mind your muscle tip: Focus your attention on your abs, forcing them to do most of the work to lift and lower your legs. Be sure to keep your lower back pressed into the floor the entire time.source by www.shape.com
Inching Elbow Plank
You'll feel every inch of this plank in your abs (along with your arms and shoulders too).
How to do it: Begin in an elbow plank position, hands clasped, with your feet slightly wider than hip-width apart. Step your left foot towards your hands as you begin to lift your hips up slightly, quickly taking another step in with your right foot, lifting hips a little more. Step the left foot in again, lifting your hips higher and then again with the right, so that your hips end lifted high in a pike position. Slowly inch back out, reversing the way you walked in, until you return to the starting plank pose. That's one rep. Do up to 3 sets of 5 reps.
Make it harder: Take larger steps in to raise your hips even higher in the pike position, and increase the number of reps per set from 5 to 10.
Mind your muscle tip: Your abs should be drawn in during this entire exercise. As you step your foot in, think of bracing your abs in deeper with each step.source by www.shape.com
Criss-Cross Lift and Switch
How to do it: Lie on your back with your arms by your sides. Extend both legs straight up to the ceiling, crossing your right leg over your left, toes pointed. Brace your abs in tight, inhale, and lower your legs about 45 degrees. As you exhale, bring your legs back into your body and lift your legs overhead on an angle (as if aiming to where the wall meets the ceiling behind you), lifting your hips and back off the floor, pressing down with your arms for support. Pause for 1 count, and then slowly roll through your spine to lower your hips and bring your legs back to the starting position. That's one rep. Do up to 3 sets of 10 repetitions.
Make it easier: This move is tough, so if you can't lift your hips all the way off the floor, take your time to get stronger before attempting. Start by practicing drawing your legs up and over, and see if you can lift just a few inches off the mat and then immediately lower.
Mind your muscle tip: Your abs should remain constantly pulled in towards your back during the entire exercise. Use the visual of 'zipping' your muscles in from your pelvis up to your belly button as you lift your legs overhead.source by www.shape.com
Reverse Plank Hover
How to do it: Sit with your legs extended, feet flexed, hands just outside your hips with your fingertips facing your forward. Brace your abs in tight and press down through your arms to lift your hips a few inches off of the floor. Bend your knees slightly, keeping your heels on the ground. Inhale and scoop your abs in deeper towards your back, and as you exhale, fully extend your legs and try to push your hips slightly behind your shoulders. Hold for 1 count. Bend your knees and return hips under your shoulders to gently lower to the floor. That's one rep. Repeat up to 3 sets of 10 reps.
Make it harder: Instead of lowering your hips back down to the ground in between reps, try to keep them lifted off the floor the entire set.
Mind your muscle tip: Focus on lifting and moving your hips with your abs, only using your arms and legs for assistance.source by www.shape.com
U-Boat
How to do it: Sit with your knees bent, feet flat on the ground. Lean back to prop your upper body up on your elbows (your back should remain lifted), palms facing down. Brace your abs in tight and lift your legs into a 90-degree angle (knees should be touching), toes pointed. Slowly bring your legs over to the left (both hips should remain on the ground). Keeping the 90-degree angle with your legs, lower your legs and then lift them up to the right, as if you were tracing a letter 'U' with your knees. That's one rep. Do 20 reps total, alternating sides each time.
Make it harder: The longer the lever, the harder this gets, so if you want more of a challenge, try extending your legs out further (even straightening them completely).
Mind your muscle tip: Use your breathing to help deepen the abs work: inhale as you sweep your legs over to one side and down, and then as you come up to the other side, exhale and visualize your belly button pressing all the way back to your spine.source by www.shape.com
Resisted Single-Leg Stretch
How to do it: Lie on your back and bend both knees into your chest, feet flexed. Interlace your fingers on top of your right thigh and extend your left leg out parallel to the floor. Lift your head and shoulders off the floor, curling up over the top of your ribcage and looking at your legs. Press your palms against your right thigh while tipping your pelvis to bring your right knee in towards your chest (your hands should add resistance to your leg). Switch legs and press your palms against the left thigh as your right leg extends parallel to the floor. That's one rep. Do up to 3 sets of 10 repetitions in a row.
Make it harder: Keep both legs straight, pressing against the top of your thigh as one leg pulls in, and then perform a scissoring action to switch sides.
Mind your muscle tip: As you push against your thigh, imagine you are pulling your leg into your chest with your abs. Focus on feeling the extra resistance in the abs, not your thighs or hip flexors.source by www.shape.com
Degree Static Press
How to do it: Lie faceup with your knees and hips bent 90 degrees, feet flexed. Extend your arms and press both palms on top of your thighs. Take a deep breath in, and as you exhale, brace your abs in tight, pressing your lower back against the floor as you push your thighs into your hands, pushing back against them (note: your legs should not move). Hold for 1 count and then release. Do up to 3 sets of 10 repetitions in a row.
Make it harder: As you exhale, lift your head and shoulders off the floor as you press your thighs and palms together. Lower your upper body back down to the floor as you inhale.
Mind your muscle tip: During the contraction, imagine you are 'zipping' your muscles from your pelvic floor up to your belly button (drawing them in tight as if trying to squeeze into a pair of low-rise skinny jeans).source by www.shape.com
Erica Stenz
Marcy Cruz
Jackelyn Ho
Akira Armstrong
Lacy Davis
Iskra Lawrence
Brittany Richard
Jeanette Jenkins
Robyn Lambird
Katie SturinoKatie Sturino
Anna Victoria
"I love my shape because I have built it. I've worked hard for the body I have and it's not the physical exterior I'm most proud of, it's the strength and the energy that makes me more confident than anything. I will say I love my booty the most, though! It's something I was insecure about when I was younger and while I still have naturally narrow hips, I love that I've been able to build my own curves through strength training."source by http://www.shape.com
Ashlee Dean Wells and Laura Weetzie Wilson
— Ashlee Dean Wells, co-founder, 4th Trimester Bodies Project (left)
"I #LoveMyShape because it makes me feel sexy when I'm dancing."
— Laura Weetzie Wilson, co-founder, 4th Trimester Bodies Project (right)source by http://www.shape.com
Amanda Bingson
— Amanda Bingson, Olympic hammer thrower and American record-holdersource by http://www.shape.com
Jessamyn Stanley
Mallory Weggemann
Michele Burmaster
Why #LoveMyShape Matters
It's a weird and wonderful time for women's bodies. Our world feels simultaneously more real and open than ever (YAS girl own those stretch marks and that jiggle!) and less (hello, Facetune and crazy filters). More contentious (see: fat-shamers, skinny-shamers, woman-shamers) and more supportive (see: the body positive movement gaining power by the nanosecond).
Here at SHAPE, we've been covering the body positivity movement all along. But as a brand that speaks to millions of women about their bodies, we know it's not enough to just talk about it. We want to support the heck out of it, because strong women lift each other up. We believe that every woman should feel healthy, strong, and confident. That taking care of your body and soul doesn't look one "right" way. That no one else gets to define how you view you. And that's where our #LoveMyShape movement comes in. Our bodies are complex and powerful, beautiful and badass, and we're here to celebrate the amazing things they can do.
These incredible women who donned their sports bras to support that message are just the beginning. And now it's your turn. Tell us: Why do you love your shape? Post your photo or video, and tag a friend who inspires you. Sports bra selfie not your jam? Post any photo where you feel strong. Haters to the left, let's spread the love. source by http://www.shape.com
Thursday, April 14, 2016
Kneeling Pretzel Kick
Begin in modified side plank position with left arm extended under shoulder, palm pressed on floor, right hand behind head, and left knee bent on the floor, making sure weight is on the side of the knee, not on top of it. Bend right knee and lift leg out to the side of the hip, curling right heel in toward body.
B. Extend
right leg out to side, reaching right arm straight out toward foot.
Bend right knee behind body and return right hand behind head. Perform
the prescribed number of reps on each side.
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