Table of contents for July 2017 in Shape Singapore

I’ve had a weak upper body for as long as I can remember. When I was growing up, I remember being amazed at my schoolmates who could swing effortlessly on the monkey bars at the playground. I was not one of them. It didn’t bother me then. Honestly, I wasn’t really a sporty kid. But as I got older and started to develop a love of fitness, I became more aware of how a strong back, arms and shoulders could be beneficial. When I picked up yoga, basic inversions like the headstand were easy for me. However, I couldn’t master more advanced poses like forearm balance. I’ve finally made a commitment to work on my upper body by going for calisthenics classes regularly. When I go for a run, I…

#Workworkworkworkwork When she’s not working out, she’s working on new designs for Popflex or brainstorming ideas for her channels. “I’m a workaholic… by choice.” #Lipslikesugar Cassey loves her lips just the way they are, and never wears lipstick unless she has to. “I just don’t like lipstick.” #Ticktock Punctuality isn’t one of her strengths. “I’m always late to everything! It’s a very bad habit, and I’m working on it.” #Foodporn She’s a huge foodie at heart. Back home in Los Angeles, Cassey gets recognised more often at dessert shops than at the gym. #Unplugged “I don’t need to look at my phone all the time,” says Cassey, whose phone is usually set to the “Do Not Disturb” mode so that she only gets connected when she wants to. #Behindthescenes Cassey…

RELAX “Identify a place where you feel safe, comfortable and calm, such as at the beach,” says Nicole Detling. Visit that spot in your mind anytime you need to unwind. REDUCE PAIN Give the ache a shape, colour or name, like a balloon or fire, Nicole says. Then imagine yourself popping the balloon or dousing the fire with water. Taking control of it in your mind will help reduce it. BOOST MOTIVATION If you’re dragging your feet on the way to the gym, imagine yourself enjoying the perks of sticking to the routine for a few months, like better energy. Women who used this visualisation technique, called approach imagery, were more enthusiastic, worked out more, and burned more calories than others, according to research in the Journal of Behavioral Medicine.…

35 Your maximum waist size in inches (measure it just above the top of your hip bones) to avoid abdominal obesity. 4 The number of times more cortisol receptors (basically tiny stress-hormone magnets) that belly fat contains compared with subcutaneous fat (the flub that sits just beneath your skin), a study in Psychosomatic Medicine finds. So if you stress out a lot, fat goes to your belly faster than anywhere else. To stay happy and calm, exercise, meditate and hang out with people who make you smile. 50/30/20 The percentage breakdown of carbohydrate, protein and fat of total daily calories that can help you best manage hunger and satiety, and keep belly fat and weight under control, says dietitian Diana Lipson-Burge. For example, if your base metabolism (calories your body…

Here are creative, tasty ways to use it: 1 WHIP UP NEW SAUCES Punch up a ho-hum pesto or tomato sauce with a teaspoon of light to medium miso. You can also add the bean paste to salad dressings to round out the astringency from the acids. If you’re a pasta lover, try a healthier new spin on classic cream sauce. Heat up your chopped alliums in some oil, swop cream for milk, and stir in a tablespoonful of miso when the milk starts to simmer for richness. Plopping in some wasabi at the end will also liven up this tasty dish. 2 CREATE DELICIOUS MARINADES Besides soya sauce, you can also loosen up some miso with a touch of water to marinade meats, seafood and veggies. Alternatively, to preserve…

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LIGHT UP “You can actually shoot pretty good videos on your phone these days, but it’s all about getting the lighting and sound on point,” she says. She suggests filming in a well-lit area, such as a room with lots of windows. SOUND CHECK If you’re shooting instructional videos like the ones she does, be sure that the audio is clear and doesn’t have too many echoes. Play back your videos to check them, and use a microphone pinned to your shirt if you’re going to be talking a lot. STAY REAL Your audience can tell if you aren’t authentic. “The most important thing is to let your personality shine through. That is what will differentiate your content from everyone else’s.”…

Pounding heart, hot skin, mental thrill... The two activities have more in common than you might think. And according to new research, they can benefit each other in surprising ways. Here’s how satisfying sex helps you get stronger, fitter and happier. CONSIDER IT AN EXCELLENT WARM-UP Sex revs up your heart rate, increasing blood flow to your muscles and joints, which primes them for movement, says Yvonne Fulbright, the author of The Better Sex Guide to Extraordinary Lovemaking. This greater flexibility gives you a full range of motion when you exercise, so your form will be stronger and you’ll get better results from your reps. YOU MAY WORK OUT FOR LONGER Having an orgasm turns on the area of the brain that dulls pain for up to 24 hours, found…

SPEED UP YOUR FAT MELT If you want to burn more calories, increase your burpees from 10 to 15 every time your buzzer sounds. Because now is when you want it most, this do-anywhere routine will help you lose weight and gain lean muscle in record time by checking all the boxes – cardio, strength and mobility. The simple formula: four rounds of eight body-weight strengtheners mixed with intermittent blasts of burpees. “You’ll do fewer reps each round, so you’ll think the workload is getting easier when really you’re pushing your body closer and closer to total burnout,” says Jaclyn Emerick, the fitness director of Shape US and a personal trainer in New York City, who cooks up creative, no-gym routines like this so you never have to miss a…

Recipe for the exercise high We’ve got your fitness formula: Find a workout that gives you a taste of success (as in acing a skill), community (a.k.a. social interaction), novelty (fresh sets) and even exhaustion. Researchers at Humboldt University surveyed regular exercisers who were hooked on their routines and found that the feel-good effect was triggered when these four emotional aspects were combined. Class-hop until you check those boxes, then you’ll be naturally motivated for more, says study author Benjamin Wienke.…

The air bike is in a calorie-burning league of its own, combining the arm-pumping action of a cross-country ski machine with the leg-firming power of cycling against serious resistance. Unlike its road or spinning counterparts, it uses a fan (which is why it’s also called a fan bike) to generate wind resistance, so the harder you pedal, the harder pedalling gets. Your chest, back, arms, abs and obliques get sculpted double time as you aggressively push and pull the handles to generate more power and speed. “You waste no time ramping up or gearing down,” says Ian Armond, a programme manager at Basecamp Fitness in the US, known for its HIIT workouts featuring the Assault Airbike. “There’s no effort level you can hit that the bike can’t match, so the…

WHEY-PROTEIN SHAKE When you lift weights, you break down muscle. Then your body rebuilds that muscle and makes it stronger. The amino acid leucine, found in whey protein powder, jump-starts the process, Pamela says. Blend a scoop of whey powder with milk – another great source of leucine – and fresh or frozen fruit. STEAK AND SPINACH Red blood cells carry oxygen to your muscles, which need iron to stay healthy. If you’re deficient in the mineral (as many women are), your workouts will feel harder, Pamela says. Beef and leafy greens are both good sources of iron. (You can also get a day’s worth of it from fortified breakfast cereals.) GRILLED SALMON The omega-3 fatty acids in salmon and other fatty fish help prevent inflammation, so they’ll help you…

Even if you’re the dark and stormy type, you can learn to be more sunny, says new science. What it takes is imagining yourself many years from now, after everything has gone as well as it possibly could and you’ve accomplished all your life goals. “Optimism is a way of thinking about the future, and we can change our thinking,” says John Malouff. After analysing 29 different studies in which participants went through optimism training, John and his colleagues found this visualisation exercise produced a significantly greater perk-up than any other. “Picturing ourselves happy focuses our thinking on positive outcomes, and leads us to plan how to achieve them,” he says. Things are looking up already, right?…

If you’ve been trying to lose weight to no avail, look at what time you go to bed at night. A study done by the Finnish National Institute for Health and Welfare found that those who stayed up late ate more sugar and fats than those who were early risers. Published in journal Obesity, the study had researchers track the diets of almost 2,000 men and women aged 25 to 74 years, and grouped them accordingly with a questionnaire. In general, the night owls leaned towards foods higher in sugar and lower in fibre, carbohydrate and fats. They also didn’t prioritise breakfast, had more irregular mealtimes, and had snacks twice as often as the morning people. So hit the sack early and you might just start seeing the results you…

Let your brain wander freely several times throughout the day, and you’ll feel calmer and more content. Time off is what your brain thrives on. It spends hours every day working and managing the constant streams of information and conversation that come at you from all directions. But if your brain doesn’t get a chance to chill and restore itself, your mood, performance and health suffer. Think of this recovery as mental downtime – periods when you’re not actively focusing on and engaged in the outside world. You simply let your mind wander or daydream, and it becomes re-energised in the process. But just as we’re falling short on sleep, we’re also getting less mental downtime than ever. In a survey by the Bureau of Labor Statistics in the US,…

If you’re working towards a well-defined physique, getting that muscle to body-fat ratio just right is key. The good news is that this issue’s special focuses on that, and more! Learn how your body taps into muscle for fuel, plus discover the truth behind common myths. Next, we know that time is of the essence when you’re exercising, so we’ve got two super-effective workouts that will give you the results you desire. One requires no equipment, so you can literally do it anywhere, while the other requires just a pair of dumbbells. Let’s not forget diet, as that counts, too. We’ve got a piece that highlights foods that help in blasting fat or curbing cravings. Here’s to a stronger and fitter you!…

There’s a no-fail way to light a fire under your reps: Make a game out of getting them done in record time. “It’s hugely effective for hitting the intensity where you maximise fat-burning and muscle firming,” says trainer Go Green, a programme director at Brick gym in New York City. His formula has two parts: Jump-start your circuit with an EMOM (every minute on the minute) blast, then race to get in more reps of strength exercises with each of your subsequent firming rounds. Unlike the average warm-up, an EMOM is five minutes performed at warp speed, where, at the top of every minute, you complete a predetermined number of reps of a few body-weight exercises, then use the remainder of that time to recover before going at it again…

1 MOVE AROUND This might be the last thing on your mind, but doing light exercises, like walking or jogging, can help to flush out any lactic acid – the cause of your soreness – that’s clogged up in your body. Getting out and about will loosen things up. 2 DO SELF-MASSAGE Get a foam roller and apply pressure to the problem areas. Go back and forth, and up and down. Doing so helps to lengthen and relax your muscles. According to a study done by the Memorial University of Newfoundland, it was found that foam rolling after strength training helped to reduce tenderness significantly. 3 STRETCH IT OUT Before your body cools down entirely after a sweat sesh, do yoga, pilates or even basic stretches at home. This helps…

Inspired by her travels throughout Italy, chef Ali LaRaia is determined to change the outdated notion that healthy and Italian can’t exist in the same sentence. “We’re using fresh, flavourful ingredients with great texture in surprising ways, like spelt flour in a pasta or vegetable puree as the sauce in lasagna,” she says. Check out her knockout recipes. Sicilian Tuna and Beans SERVES: 4 ACTIVE TIME: 5 MINUTES TOTAL TIME: 5 MINUTES • 3 tbsp red wine vinegar • 1 tsp Dijon mustard • 3 tbsp olive oil • Kosher salt • Freshly ground black pepper • 1 can olive-oil–packed Italian tuna (200g), drained • 1¼ cups canned cannellini beans, rinsed • ½ cup canned lima beans, rinsed • 1 cup grape tomatoes, quartered lengthwise • 1 spring onion, thinly sliced • ¼ cup parsley, roughly chopped • ¼ cup basil, roughly…

If you’re after lasting joy and self-confidence, you should follow your own sense of what’s beautiful , new research finds . Participants in a study at New York University were shown generic beauty pictures by researchers and then asked to select their own images of beauty . The result ? They experienced more positive fe lings for longer from the personal pics . Keep this in mind when you play with your image . “You’ll feel – and look – your best when you do your unique thing , since your choice will always be more beautiful to you than anyone else’s, ” says study author Aenne Brielmann.…

1 Curel Moisture Face Care Range (from $19.80, leading pharmacies) Dr Mark Tang, a consultant dermatologist at The Skin Specialists & Laser Clinic, Mount Alvernia Medical Centre, says that a key ingredient to look for in eczema-relief products is ceramides. “The lack of ceramides in the skin leads to a damaged skin barrier, which makes it more susceptible to external irritants and allergens. This results in red, dry and itchy skin. This inflammation can further decrease the ceramides in the skin, leading to a vicious cycle of skin barrier disruption, hypersensitivity and inflammation.” You’ll be happy to know that the entire Curel Moisture Face Care Range is formulated with ceramides to strengthen skin’s barrier function. The products are also infused with eucalyptus extract to boost skin’s ability to produce ceramides.…

There’s a revolution in the beauty world. Driven by science, the pros are pioneering new formulas that are causing real (even amazing) changes to your complexion at the molecular level. These breakthroughs – from a next-level vitamin C to microencapsulated particles that release inside your skin – are shielding your cells from what ages them, successfully nourishing and hydrating the epidermis, and promoting the collagen production you need to look smoother and firmer. Here are the ingredients to know, and how to take full advantage of their power. The alpha vitamin Vitamin C is one of only two molecules (vitamin A is the other) to make it past your skin’s upper layers and get inside collagen-making cells. “Your cells are naturally equipped with vitamin C, so their transporters recognise it…

DROP UNWANTED WEIGHT Struggling to get rid of excess kilos? Consider Slim Couture’s Signature Weight Loss Program, Divine Slim, to help you achieve your ideal size. The programme consists of an all-natural weight loss procedure that utilises the principles of traditional Chinese medicine to improve your general health and metabolism. Benefits to your well-being include a reduction in stress and better quality sleep. Visit www.slim-couture.com. WALK THE TALK Take your walks to the next level with the Skechers Gowalk Sport shoe. It has the highly responsive 5Gen midsole cushioning that provides a high-energy return with every step. It also features the Skechers Goga Max insole that will give you maximum support when you walk, while the athletic mesh and synthetic upper provides breathability. Available at key Skechers concept stores. Visit…