Shape

It's amazing how many foods are out there that help with everything from weight loss to reducing your appetite to improving your sex life. As more studies are done, researchers these days are finding even more amazing superfoods. Read on for the top five new superfoods that should be in your fridge or pantry at all times!

5 New Superfoods to Stock in Your Fridge and Pantry

1. Seaweed. A new study in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry found that seaweed is a rich vegan source of heart-healthy food "bioactive peptides," that are usually only found in milk products. Stock up at your local Asian market!

2. Kamut. High in iron, fiber and protein, this whole grain comes in everything from flours to pastas. The grain is touted for its concentration of selenium, zinc, and magnesium.

3. Coconut oil. Once villainized for its high fat content, coconut oil is now one of the hottest health foods. High in lauric acid, coconut oil is now said to be a superfood that boosts metabolism, burns fat and helps keep your immune system strong.

4. Incaberries. Also known as physalis or cape gooseberry, incaberries are prized for their high levels of phosphorous, vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin B12, protein and bioflavoniods. A true superfruit and superfood!

5. Hemp oil. Made from hemp seeds, hemp oil is tasty (and legal!) in salad dressings, mayonnaise and dips. Highly digestible and a vegetarian source of essential fatty acids (omega 3 and omega 6), this superfood is also high in vitamin C, vitamin E, vitamin B1, vitamin B2, carotene, phosphorus, calcium, potassium and magnesium.

More from Shape.com:

• 25 Superfoods For Better Sex
• Quick and Easy Chia Seed Recipes
• Top 50 Summer Diet Foods For Weight Loss

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If you've ever had back pain, you know it's the worst. You can't move without it aching, and almost any chore ends up feeling like a workout. Thankfully, there are some easy ways to get back pain relief; many of which take almost no time at all!

1. Massage. If you're wondering how to relieve back pain, one of the easiest ways is to book a massage for back pain. A recent study from the Group Health Research Institute found that Swedish massage may be better for easing low back pain in the short term than medication.
2. Yoga. Turns out that back pain relief may just be a Down Dog away. According to a 2005 study from the Annals of Internal Medicine, yoga may be more likely to relieve chronic back pain and reduce the need for pain medication than conventional exercise or reading a self-care book.
3. Tai Chi. Many times people suffer from low back pain because they have a weak core. Mind-body activities like Tai Chi can help relieve back pain because they improve balance and core strength.
4. Vitamin D. A lack of vitamin D has been linked to musculoskeletal pain. While not specific to low back pain, a University of Minnesota study found that those with chronic pain were more likely to have a vitamin D deficiency. If you're looking for how to relieve back pain, consider asking your doctor about adding a vitamin D supplement to your diet.
5. Epsom salt bath. If a massage doesn't fit into your budget, then a warm Epsom salt bath is the next best thing. Take a warm bath with a pound of Epsom salt a week for quick relief.

More from Shape.com:
What’s Really Making Your Back Hurt?
Running Tips: Blisters, Sore Nipples, and Other Runner’s Skin Problems Solved

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To get where you're going safely and in style, use these simple rules from two of our favorite bike commuters.

1. Go chic. "You don't need to go all spandex crazy to ride your bike to work and heels are definitely okay! It's actually easier to bike in heels than it is to walk in them," says Jessica Bosanko, inveterate NYC bike commuter and Vice President at M+R Strategic Services. "As far as what to wear, if you can walk three or four blocks in it, you can probably bike in it," she says.
2. Never, ever leave home without a helmet. And put a good, bright blinking red light on the back of your bike. (Red always goes on the back; use a white one if you want a light on the front.)
3. Get a basket or a rack. "A backpack or messenger bag makes you sweat more," says Bosanko. Get the bag off your body — there are plenty of cool bags (panniers) that attach to racks on bikes. "This will make you look way more put together when you get to your destination and you won't have a big sweat stain on your back," Bosanko says. "The one who arrives at her destination looking the most put together is officially the 'winner' in this adventure."

Keep reading for bike commuting tips and tricks.

We are excited to share one of our fave stories from Shape here on FitSugar. This week Shape turned to nutritional consultant Mike Roussell, PhD, for some help!

Q: I'm starving after my workout! What can I do to stop that or to avoid canceling out the calories I just burned? —Regina Castillo, Facebook

A: It may seem a little counterintuitive, but immediately after your workout is the best time of day to eat, so even if you're not starving, you should still eat something.

The good news is that you can't cancel out the calories you just burned during your workout. Weight loss and the human body don't work like that. When you're working out, your body burns fat to be used as energy. If you eat right after your workout, those calories won't be used to replace the burned body fat. Your body only stores food as body fat when it doesn’t have anything else to do with the extra calories you eat. After your workout, your body needs to start restoring and repairing itself from your training session. In other words, it needs calories.

The calories you eat after your workout will be used to replace energy stores in your muscles that got used up during your training session. Your body also uses any protein you eat to build and repair your muscles that were broken down as a result of you pushing them to their limits.

Find out which foods make the best post-workout meals after the break!

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Hatha Yoga

Origin: Introduced in 15th-century India by Hindu sage, Yogi Swatmarama, Hatha poses — Downward Facing Dog, Cobra, Eagle, and Wheel, for example — make up most yoga sequences practiced today.
Philosophy: The goal of Hatha yoga is to bridge the body and mind with the breath in a series of physical poses called asanas.
What to Expect: Prepare for a gentle routine that often includes Sun Salutations, balancing poses, forward bends, and back bends to work the body and focus the mind. These movements all lead up to the final relaxation — the blissful Savasana at the end of class.

Try it if…
… you want an easy-going class that will challenge without overwhelming.

Ashtanga Yoga

Origin: One of the oldest forms of yoga, Ashtanga yoga was first recorded in ancient Indian manuscripts, but brought to life by K. Pattabhi Jois, who has been teaching it since 1948. Ashtanga (which literally translates to eight-limbed yoga) is influenced by Patanjali's Yoga Sutras, a yogic guideline for a meaningful life.
Philosophy: The Ashtanga technique is concerned with linking breath and movement — also known as Vinyasa. The advanced practice utilizes the dristi (the gaze) and the bandhas (internal body locks), which assist in holding the challenging poses of the sequence.
What to Expect: Think of traditional Ashtanga as the zen form of yoga. You'll flow from pose to pose with your breath — no props, no music, and no self-help lecturing — staying present in the moment. You'll earn your Savasana, the final relaxation pose, with plenty of arm strengthening chaturangas, inversions, and other advanced poses.
Try it if…
… you're looking for an old-school, kick-ass practice that's rooted in tradition rather than trend.

See even more styles of yoga decoded after the break!

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Barry's Bootcamp (BBC), the high-intensity workout that helps celebrities like Kim Kardashian, Jessica Alba, and Jake Gyllenhaal stay in amazing shape, has opened its first East Coast location in Manhattan! The studio is known for its nightclub-meets-boot-camp-style during hour-long classes that mix strength training with treadmill intervals. The result is a high-intensity workout that burns fat (up to 1,000 calories per class) and tones muscles.

In an exclusive interview with Shape.com, Barry's Bootcamp co-president Joey Gonzalez reveals where he thinks most women's workouts go wrong — and what they can do to fix it.

Common Misconceptions: Where Your Workout Goes Wrong

1. You do one or the other: cardio or body sculpting. "Don’t get me wrong, half of our class is cardiovascular, but the strength training is equally as important, and that's really what helps kick metabolism into high gear," Gonzalez says.

2. You ignore weights. "What you're doing when working out is building muscle, and muscle is an integral part of actually burning calories throughout the day. With weights, your body is burning 'x' amount of calories more an hour than it was before you did it — and that’s not true of cardio. That’s why women who tend to use weights and bring it into their regular exercise program are not only stronger and healthier, but on average have better bodies. If you touch their arms they're strong, they're not soft. Women complain about 'flarm' (laughs), the flabby arm area, and, really, the best way to target that is working your triceps."

See the rest of Joey's tips after the break!

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After a week of spartan lunches, rigorous workouts, and sleep-depriving presentations, it's easy to feel you've earned a happy hour margarita and a plate of cheesy nachos. But topping off a tough week in this way can undo all your hard work and even pack on the pounds. According to a study from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, women consume about 115 more calories on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday than they do on weekdays. "Those extra 300 to 400 calories can leave you nine pounds heavier by the year's end," says Barry Popkin, Ph.D., the study's lead author. Fortunately, when armed with the right advice, it's possible to avoid the most common dietary traps while savoring that delicious downtime. And you may even wake up on Monday a little slimmer. Not a bad way to start the week!

FRIDAY

Overdoing It at Happy Hour
Alcohol isn't only high in calories, it also diminishes resolve — making it harder to keep your hands out of the pretzel bowl.

Keep reading to see the solution to this and many more weekend dilemmas!

We are excited to share one of our fave stories from Shape here on FitSugar.

1. Sign Up for a Race — Nothing gets you motivated like a deadline. Some favorite races: Skirt Chasers, in which women get a 3-minute head start before the men are let loose; New York's Fun Run and Happy Hour, which features post-race drink specials; and the Zooma Half Marathon & 10K series, which includes post-race shopping, massages, and wine. Check out active.com for races near you.
2. Hit the Bars — Pre-run: Grab an energy bar (we've picked the tastiest) so you have the fuel to run your best. Post-run: Toss back a beer. Research conducted at Granada University in Spain shows that a pint of beer, post-workout, rehydrates the body better than water. The carbs replace lost calories and researchers believe the sugars and salts may help the body absorb fluids more quickly.
3. Get Your Perfect Training Plan (Free!) — The right training plan helps you feel ready at the start and lets you finish strong. Go the distance — happily — with our 12-week, 5K training plan for beginners.
4. Ease Your Knees — Runners have a decreased risk of osteoarthritis, the most common type of arthritis, according to a National Health and Nutrition Examination survey. Running increases oxygen flow and flushes out toxins resulting in healthier cartilage and stronger ligaments around the knee. Already have knee pain? Find out how to nix it with these three moves.

See more tips after the break!

We are excited to share one of our fave stories from Shape here on FitSugar.

Weight Loss Tip #1: Maximize Your Muscle — Muscles are fat-burning furnaces, so be sure to do enough resistance training to build and maintain them (these fast workouts tone your whole body in 30 minutes), and follow your workout with a healthy meal or snack that contains protein, carbohydrates and fat. Building new muscle raises your Resting Metabolic Rate (RMR) so you'll burn more calories every day.

Weight Loss Tip #2: Don't Forget Cardio — Cardio improves definition and burns the fat that covers your muscles, especially belly fat. Combining regular aerobic exercise with strength training will give you the slimming effect you've been going for. After all, toning without cardio is like building a house on a weak foundation. Blast calories with these 20-minute cardio workouts from celebrity trainer Jackie Warner.

Weight Loss Tip #3: Never Skip Meals — Eat six small meals a day to avoid blood-sugar spikes and minimize urges to binge. Try to schedule meals at the same time each day. If you feed yourself well throughout the day, you'll learn to understand when your body truly needs food. You can't starve yourself and expect to make good choices at the next meal. Need a few healthy lunch ideas? Check out these top food swaps from a nutritionist.

See the rest of the tips after the break!