Check out these websites for more information and also the possibility to win new shoes. Friends of ours just started toe salad.....a great website full of wonderful resources. Read the history behind Toe Salad section, you will find it entertaining and it will definitely make you smile.
www.toesalad.com
www.adventureinprogress.com
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Feet Investments
There is a lot of talk today about investing your money here or there and how it will "pay off" in the long run. I have to be honest.....we do not have any investments.....of the financial kind I mean. But we do invest on a daily basis. We invest in our spiritual lives, we invest in our children's lives, we invest in our health, we invest in the community, and we invest in our feet.
It sounds a bit silly and actually feels odd to even be writing about this (investing in our feet), but my personal experience has shown me that changing my footwear helped my feet, my ankles, and my back. And to give you some simple background (without sounding like I am a walking train wreck). I just turned thirty this year (so I am still very young), but I have struggled with chronic back pain since I was sixteen. I have seen a chiropractor, an osteopath, and most recently a neurologist for some new health conditions. I had numbness in my toes and many "falling over" episodes which we found was due to poor circulation. Through many months of doctors appointments and lots of prayer and my recent transition of footwear, I no longer deal with numb toes, falling over, and my feet do not feel nearly as tired. I am not one to get excited about financial investments; it's just not my thing. But I do get excited about health investments, and I am sure you can see why.
I am confident that my transition from standard footwear to minimalist footwear is an investment of great magnitude. We depend so much on our feet for daily use that we should take care of them. Now, I don't know about you, but I do not have time for a daily soak, massage, and pedicure so I choose to give my feet that sort of therapy while I am walking, chasing my kids, grocery shopping, running errands, etc. Minimalist footwear provides that opportunity. It really is something else to actually feel the ground beneath your feet.
I am not a financial consultant, I am not a doctor, I am not an expert.....I am a mom of 4 wonderful children who has seen a tremendous improvement in the way my feet feel after a long day, and I just want to share my experiences. I also do not believe that footwear is a fix all just as I do not believe that doctors or medicine are a fix all; all I know is that I have seen an improvement.
It sounds a bit silly and actually feels odd to even be writing about this (investing in our feet), but my personal experience has shown me that changing my footwear helped my feet, my ankles, and my back. And to give you some simple background (without sounding like I am a walking train wreck). I just turned thirty this year (so I am still very young), but I have struggled with chronic back pain since I was sixteen. I have seen a chiropractor, an osteopath, and most recently a neurologist for some new health conditions. I had numbness in my toes and many "falling over" episodes which we found was due to poor circulation. Through many months of doctors appointments and lots of prayer and my recent transition of footwear, I no longer deal with numb toes, falling over, and my feet do not feel nearly as tired. I am not one to get excited about financial investments; it's just not my thing. But I do get excited about health investments, and I am sure you can see why.
I am confident that my transition from standard footwear to minimalist footwear is an investment of great magnitude. We depend so much on our feet for daily use that we should take care of them. Now, I don't know about you, but I do not have time for a daily soak, massage, and pedicure so I choose to give my feet that sort of therapy while I am walking, chasing my kids, grocery shopping, running errands, etc. Minimalist footwear provides that opportunity. It really is something else to actually feel the ground beneath your feet.
I am not a financial consultant, I am not a doctor, I am not an expert.....I am a mom of 4 wonderful children who has seen a tremendous improvement in the way my feet feel after a long day, and I just want to share my experiences. I also do not believe that footwear is a fix all just as I do not believe that doctors or medicine are a fix all; all I know is that I have seen an improvement.
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
VivoBarefoot Compton Wellies
Yeah! They came! It did not take three months for them to arrive, but I did want to give myself ample time to really feel them out. So here goes.
First Impressions:
I guess I felt like my feet were extra happy slipping into a pair of red-lined barefoot shoes. Until I got to the bottom and everything was squished. Take note, if you want to wear them with the shoe insert, order two sizes up otherwise one size up will do it. I just took out the insert and voila they fit perfectly. You do have to make sure you unzip them all the way before attempting to put your foot into the boot. After getting the shoe inserts out, the first thing I noticed was that I had room to wiggle my toes! What a wonderful feeling. My toes felt free! I think they even danced a little (if you can imagine toes dancing). After I wore them around the house for the afternoon I took them off and studied them. They have a 3mm "puncture resistant sole" and are made of vegetable leather. The leather was in good condition, smooth, and soft. The sole is extremely flexible. I compared it to some of my other shoes and was amazed at how much flex it had! The only drawback is that I can see the glue where the boot meets the sole. To me, this is minor, and no one else would even notice it.
Day 1 Outside:
I can feel everything!!!! I love it! I was nervous about walking on the rocks, but my feet felt protected and pain free (which has been my biggest problem lately). I ran, jumped, climbed a tree, and skipped all in my Vivobarefoots! No pain, fully flexible. I actually found it easier to climb on the rocks and the tree with these boots. Most likely because of the ultra-flexible, thin sole...I almost felt like I could grip better.
Trip to the beach:
I wore my boots to Old Orchard Beach for a Teen Center weekend. We climbed the jetty, and how much easier it was to feel the rocks. I am not usually very sure-footed, but definitely feel more so now!
Warmth:
These boots are great for the fall with a thick pair of socks. I even wore them in the rain, and true to Terra Plana's word, they are water resistant. Now as we enter winter, though, I have had to put them away (with the exception of our Washington State trip where the weather is milder). I am so bummed because I do not have any barefoot winter boots. Minimalist footwear is not cheap, thus we will be trading one pair at a time. I am kind of a wimp when it comes to being cold...especially with my feet, and Maine winters are just too harsh for these thin boots.
Style:
I get compliments on the boots everywhere I go! Who says you have to sacrifice comfort for style? These boots are very stylish and look great with jeans (over or under the pant leg), tights (yes I have even worn them with dresses and tights), and sweat pants.
Overall, I give my first pair of minimalist footwear a 10! I just got another pair for my birthday. The VivoBarefoot Candy in yellow (they are a spring/summer shoe so the review on those may have to wait a bit).
I will definitely be posting more. Alan is going to be wearing his slippers to work everyday for a week. We will let you know how that goes!
First Impressions:
-The packaging was wonderful! No plastic. The boots came each in its own "cheese cloth" type bag. Terra Plana is an ethical company; they use alternative resources which in turn will inspire others to do the same. I LOVE the look of the boots. I ordered the brown because I have always had black boots and wanted to change it up a bit. I was most excited,though, about the red lining and the two yellow stitches on the top outside of each boot. Red just happens to be one of my favorite shoe colors.
Day 1 Outside:
I can feel everything!!!! I love it! I was nervous about walking on the rocks, but my feet felt protected and pain free (which has been my biggest problem lately). I ran, jumped, climbed a tree, and skipped all in my Vivobarefoots! No pain, fully flexible. I actually found it easier to climb on the rocks and the tree with these boots. Most likely because of the ultra-flexible, thin sole...I almost felt like I could grip better.
Trip to the beach:
I wore my boots to Old Orchard Beach for a Teen Center weekend. We climbed the jetty, and how much easier it was to feel the rocks. I am not usually very sure-footed, but definitely feel more so now!
Warmth:
These boots are great for the fall with a thick pair of socks. I even wore them in the rain, and true to Terra Plana's word, they are water resistant. Now as we enter winter, though, I have had to put them away (with the exception of our Washington State trip where the weather is milder). I am so bummed because I do not have any barefoot winter boots. Minimalist footwear is not cheap, thus we will be trading one pair at a time. I am kind of a wimp when it comes to being cold...especially with my feet, and Maine winters are just too harsh for these thin boots.
Style:
I get compliments on the boots everywhere I go! Who says you have to sacrifice comfort for style? These boots are very stylish and look great with jeans (over or under the pant leg), tights (yes I have even worn them with dresses and tights), and sweat pants.
Overall, I give my first pair of minimalist footwear a 10! I just got another pair for my birthday. The VivoBarefoot Candy in yellow (they are a spring/summer shoe so the review on those may have to wait a bit).
I will definitely be posting more. Alan is going to be wearing his slippers to work everyday for a week. We will let you know how that goes!
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Feet
Feet have always been fascinating to me. Some people love them, some people can't stand the sight of them. Regardless, most of us have them and need to take care of them. This blog will chronicle my (and sometimes my husband's) foot journey and our transition from standard footwear to minimalist footwear.
Recently, I have experienced a lot of changes with my feet, including numbness in my toes, pain in the ball of my foot, ankles that ache all the time, and just plain tired feet. So, I started going BAREFOOT everywhere I could. You who know me well enough know that I do not enjoy going barefoot, but I was willing to do whatever it took to make my feet feel better. I also started reading blogs, books, and articles about minimalist footwear and all the benefits. I figured all the findings couldn't be too far from correct because I noticed an amazing improvement when I started going barefoot everywhere. And really, we were created barefoot so that in itself should be a good indicator as to how we choose our footwear.
So, I took the plunge and ordered my first pair of minimalist footwear. A pair of VivoBarefoot Compton Wellies! You can read about the company here. Terra Plana is only one of the handful of companies that offer a line of minimalist footwear. There are others that I will research in the future, but so far this is as far as I have gotten. BUT, I think you will be thoroughly impressed not just with their product but with their ethics as well.
I am so excited and cannot wait to receive my boots. I will review them here for your benefit simply because when I was doing my research I only found one blog written by a woman (and I wanted a woman's perspective because we tend to be shaped differently than men). I wait with great anticipation for my boots and look forward to sharing my thoughts with all of you....and who knows maybe this running family will even jump on the "barefoot running" bandwagon.
Recently, I have experienced a lot of changes with my feet, including numbness in my toes, pain in the ball of my foot, ankles that ache all the time, and just plain tired feet. So, I started going BAREFOOT everywhere I could. You who know me well enough know that I do not enjoy going barefoot, but I was willing to do whatever it took to make my feet feel better. I also started reading blogs, books, and articles about minimalist footwear and all the benefits. I figured all the findings couldn't be too far from correct because I noticed an amazing improvement when I started going barefoot everywhere. And really, we were created barefoot so that in itself should be a good indicator as to how we choose our footwear.
So, I took the plunge and ordered my first pair of minimalist footwear. A pair of VivoBarefoot Compton Wellies! You can read about the company here. Terra Plana is only one of the handful of companies that offer a line of minimalist footwear. There are others that I will research in the future, but so far this is as far as I have gotten. BUT, I think you will be thoroughly impressed not just with their product but with their ethics as well.
I am so excited and cannot wait to receive my boots. I will review them here for your benefit simply because when I was doing my research I only found one blog written by a woman (and I wanted a woman's perspective because we tend to be shaped differently than men). I wait with great anticipation for my boots and look forward to sharing my thoughts with all of you....and who knows maybe this running family will even jump on the "barefoot running" bandwagon.
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