Wednesday, August 25, 2010

My first pair of Vibram 5Fingers

So, I took the plunge at the Outdoor Retailer. I walked ove in my Montrail shoes and like the 100's of others proceeded to strip my shoes and socks to get fitted properly for a pair of these crazy shoes others have been swearing by.

A few days ago, I was not only excited to receive my first pair of the
Vibram FiveFingers , but to also wear them.

Vibram says, "The typical human foot is an anatomical marvel of evolution with 26 bones, 33 joints, 20 muscles, and hundreds of sensory receptors, tendons and ligaments. Like the rest of the body, to keep our feet healthy, they need to be stimulated and exercised."

I totally believe that and like all exercises - cross training is vital to creating a strong core and to use multiple muscle groups daily to strengthen the body as a whole. That's why programs like P90X and CrossFit are so successful. Shaking up the body with this so called muscle confusion, which accelerates the results process by constantly introducing new moves and routines so your body never plateaus, and you never get bored. Sounds good to me!

Your feet deserve the same love - as we put tons of pressure on them all day long.

When you first put these on - you'll notice your toes fighting you on being separated, but once you walk around and your foot warms up - you'll feel a sense of freedom. If you are like me and wear flip flops a lot - these feel way more solid, more comfortable and like a little kid again. The cushioning on the bottom of my particular pair (Bikila: Built on an entirely new platform, the Bikila features a Dri-Lex® covered 3mm polyurethane insole (thickest under the ball) and a 4mm anatomical pod outsole design that offers more plating protection, and distributes forefoot impact without compromising important ground feedback essential to a proper forefoot strike running form), which is best to run in.

I walked this morning in them for 2 miles and felt great. In fact, I still have them on and walked the dogs again with no problems. Next week I'll begin to add running in the mix - but for now, so far so good!


Vibram suggests - there is a bit of a break-in period and I suggest you take a week or two to just walk and get your feet used to being "barefoot" all over town. I totally love them and am happy to share my thoughts while building up my mileage in them.

Saturday, August 14, 2010

NYIGF

I'm sitting in a Starbucks near my hotel - as I just arrived off of a red-eye to get in a cab where the driver would get pulled over for not having his easy pass and drivers license. What professional taxi driver would leave the house with not only one but both? It's like me showing up to a trade show without my badge or business cards. I just chalk it up to another NY minute. It simply is an amazing city and I'm looking forward to running in Central Park, going to a few museums and hanging out with my showmies. (A term we all coined years ago - as we all met at trade shows)

This is the first Saturday in almost 6 years where I have time to enjoy the city and take advantage of not having to set up our booth. (Thank you Paul!) It is such an absolute treat to be able to just unpack, take a leisurely run and then enjoy what the city has to offer!

I think this city on a day like that offers up magical moments, (ie: this morning) great food and experiences like no other. Tomorrow the gift show kicks off and I'll be there with bells on.

For today - I'll be sightseeing and staying completely present to take in what ever the city offers up.

Wish me luck on my NY adventure!

Tuesday, August 3, 2010

Outdoor Retailer : DAY 1

This morning kicks off the Outdoor Retailer show. Have I mentioned yet how much I love this particular trade show? You know the feeling you get when you walk into your favorite store? That happy feeling? I get it every time I walk into an REI, Adventure 16 or a Dick's Sporting Goods. Well this is like that and Christmas morning rolled into 4 days of heavenly outdoor gear for camping, hiking or even just an afternoon picnic in the park all wrapped up in a pretty little schwag bag bow.

They have loads of cool stuff going on for the attendees and for the occasional manufacturer. On Thursday, Montrail shoes is hosting an early morning 5K - and I hear it's quite the challenge. I'm looking forward to it and I'll still be on time to work my booth.

I'm looking forward to the next 4 days of speaking and sharing Flatterware products to wonderful adventure and travel retailers from all over the world. Bring on the first day of OR!