The best thing happened to my feet – I found a perfect shoe.

The most comfortable shoe in the world (for me, anyway). It seemed like my feet died and went to heaven.

The shoe? Vibram’s Five Fingers (www.vibramfivefingers.com).

It is called Five Fingers because (wait for it) it has five fingers. Separate compartment for each toe (what a concept)! It offers no support (your muscles get to provide it), plenty of protection against sharp and yukky, and a unique feeling of freedom (feels as if you are barefoot).

Summary: Love them. Very comfortable, improves posture, foot and leg strength. It is a summer shoe as feet get easily cold and wet. Flow model is the only Vibram Five Finger style that offers cold weather/wetness protection, yet, it has been discontinued by Vibram.

Want details? Keep on reading.

The Good and Not so Good

Comfort
Very comfortable. I would have to say it is the most comfortable shoe that I ever had (and I had a lot of shoes). Feet like a glove. Does not cause blisters. This was a bit of concern to me as I hate anything getting between my toes. Those thong flip-flops – hate them! Vibram Five Finger shoes caused no discomfort – very silky on the inside, these shoes made my feet feel like superstars. What a feeling!

Improves bad posture, strengthens muscles
Vibram Five Finger technology presumes that our feet are perfectly designed and require no compensation. They are right. Walking in these shoes is like being barefoot. Walking in Vibram Five Fingers improves gate (how we walk), posture and strength. As postural therapist I have to that it works. I’ve seen marvelous results and transformations take place.

Durable
I’ve been abusing these shes for a couple of weeks now. Great quality. I’ve been very active – running, working out (outside with kettlbells), climbing, riding scooters, playing with my kids on the playground, and running my fitness program. Much abuse! Vibram Five Finger shoes held up beautifully. One word – quality.

Energizing
There is something special about these shoes. I (and 4 of my clients who got Vibram Five Finger shoes) experienced a better connection to the ground. My body wanted to climb trees, jump on rails, sprint and jog. Overall invigoration. An incredible feeling! What’s causing this giddiness? Improved alignment? Improved strength and balance? Hard to say.. All I know is that my feet are loving it!

Wet and Cold Feet
I like my feet warm. Jogging in the morning (grass is dewy) is not an option. Feet get soaked and cold very easily. I teach kettlebell boot camp in the mornings (6am) and wearing Vibram’s Five Finger shoes is not an option (as comfy as they are)

Walking over a puddle (even a very shallow one) will also soak your feet. Great for warm and dry days (or inside use).

Virbram does have a Flow model of Five Fingers. It is all neoprene and should keep my feet warm and dry. Bad news is that this model is being discontinued by Vibram. Get it now while you still can.

Stinky
Vibram Five Finger shoes require no socks. You wear them like a glove. If you are as active as I am and sweat (keep in mind that I’m not an overly sweaty guy) – they will get stinky (may be I should wash my feet a whole lot more often?). Worse than ordinary running shoes. Washing them was easy but had to reserve to ‘odor eaters’ spray. Worked ok – now my shoes smell like rubber and ‘odor eaters’…

That said, it is still the best shoe I’ve ever had

You can get Five Finger shoes from Vibram webiste (www.vibramfivefingers.com). The best $80 I’ve every spent.

Have you had experience with Vibram Five Fingers? What do you think? What is your favorite shoe?

What’s next?

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As you get into kettlebell training, you need (wait for it) kettlebells.

Many different merchants are now offering ‘russian’ kettlebells for sale. Some bells are actually made in China (that was a bit of a shock).

We don’t need authentic Russian kettlebells, but being picky pay off as there are differences in quality and price when it comes to diverse kettlebell variations.

1. Lifeline USA – Best combination of quality and price (read my review of lifeline USA kettlebells)
2. Dragon Door – Awesome kettlebells. Expensive. Get a 20% discount sign up as their affiliate.
3. Ader Kettlebells – nothing special. OK kettlebells, above average price.
4. K2 Fitness – OK (meh..) kettlebells. Above average prices, below average quality.
5. Iron Woody – Having a close out sale. No more Woody Kettlebells.. Perhaps for the better… Read forum thread reviewing Iron Woody Kettlebells.

What kettlebells do you use/like?

What’s next?
Leave a comment, subscribe… Like the post? Link to it from your blog.

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I’m here to help. Really.

My outcome is to help you with your fitness and health goals.

So help me help you.

What are you interested in?

• How to get stronger with russian kettlebells?
• How to lose weight?
• Better eating habits
• Product reviews?
• How to stay motivated?

I’m open for questions (suggestions too).

Let me know if you have questions about specific kettlebell technique, drill or exercise.

Ask your question as a comment or email it to me (denis@workoutiq.com)

I will answer as many as I can.

Look forward to hearing from you!

Yes, I too now have a DVD.. or should I say The DVD?

“Russian Kettlebell Training for Beginners” is officially in post production, featuring yours truly. We shot it Tuesday, August 12th and it was supah-fun-tastic.

Expect special effects and most importantly easy to understand and master introduction to kettlebell training.

Enjoy behind the scenes footage:

One of the biggest obstacles to health and fitness is time(read No Time to Workout)

You can either make time or go to Exercise Snacks website.

Exercise Snack is a tiny(30 to 60 second) fitness routine.

It is perfect for office workers and those stuck in long meetings or conference calls.

Website delivers exercises in 30 second “snacks”, that you can do anytime, anywhere.

Exercise Snacks are updated daily and feature workouts that increase your fitness as well as improve your posture.

Best of all, Exercise Snacks are free to use. Subscribe to RSS feed, join by email, or hang out and snack around(www.exercise-snacks.com)

Visit, snack and share with friends and coworkers.