Jalie 3023 Bra Muslin Review

  
 

Single layer bra with necessary armscye darts pinned.

Jalie 3023 is available from http://www.jalie.com/jalie3023-tankini-swimskirt-sewing-pattern.html.

I threw together a single layer bra of this tankini, using pieces C, D, G, and H.

What adjustments did you make?  And why?

None, this pattern was made as per pattern draft.

Pattern appreciation(s)?

It fits fairly well right out of the package, and I plan to make several more.  I need workout bras for my bra-less shirts, of which I have too many.

Pattern disgruntlement(s)?

1)  I did not enjoy how odd the folding strap puzzle went together. It does cut down on thickness, but the fiddly folding was irritating. However, I cannot imagine how to adjust the strap formation at this time.  I will ponder up until the second muslin.


2)  This is really more of a Jalie-wide disgruntlement.  I am not comfortable with 1/4" seam allowances, especially when working in knits (my sewing machines love to eat knit, 1/4" SA knits seem to be a favored dish).  I prefer the slightly larger bite of 3/8" SAs.  Having said that, I have to applaud Jalie for NOT going with 5/8" SAs (which are incredibly ridiculous).

What body does this pattern fit (in your estimation)?

The bra fits mine, so I recommend it to small busted, pear shaped upper bodies. 

Would you buy this pattern again?

Yes.  I am looking forward to working out in this bra. 

I will need to remove half an inch dart from the front armscye. This is not an uncommon adjustment for me.  This requires adjustment of pieces D (the straps) and G.  The removal is labeled below, I just have to figure out where I'm going to transfer it.

 

Review: Budokon Beginning Practice

Budokon Beginning Practice is a short martial arts and yoga blend fusion DVD.

I only lasted for 10 of the 15 minute opening yoga practice.  It goes very slowly, and I'm more used to Power Yoga.

The second portion of the practice is also only 15 minutes and consists of punching and kicking drills.  It is far too short.

In the 25 minutes that I exercised, I burned 76 calories.  This is not the DVD you grab when you want a burn.  This is the DVD you grab when you want to meditate.


I've kept it for years due to the martial arts aspect, but have only reached for the video a handful of times.  There is no real dread factor attributed to this workout, but an acknowledgement that I might be wasting my time. 

If I want yoga fusion, I have Iron Yoga and Yogilates DVDs.

If I want Yoga, I have most of what Shiva Rea has produced, as well as several Rodney Yea and Baron Baptiste titles.

If I want martial arts, I guess I have to be content with my kickboxing DVDs.


This would be an excellent introduction for both yoga and basic martial arts for a beginner, rank beginner.  As it is, I am placing this in the give away pile, not because the instructor annoys me, but because it simply is not the workout for me.




http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HQYG0I9QrVo

Review: Criss-Cross Cardio with Sherri Jacquelyn

Oh, let me count the ways I cannot stand this video.

She is ALWAYS fiddling with her hair!  This is a guaranteed distraction.

Her nails are way too long, and I think they are a novelty for her.

She counts out EVERYTHING.


Her background exercisers do not have the best of form, and her cueing is not the best.


I've tried to get used to the video, but it has such a huge dread factor for me, I'm getting rid of it.  I would never willingly choose it, so off it goes.


Warm-up
Adequate warmup.


Body
She really works you out.  You will be working up a sweat, and some of her combos are truly unique.

She does screw up a couple of the combos.  If you aren't watching, it won't have an impact.  If you are watching, you're going to get lost as she changes her order. 

I do hold a lot of instructors up to Cathe Friedrich and Jari Love.  I can't imagine either of them releasing a video with this many mistakes, but nobody is perfect.


Balance/Core work
Really unique, great capoeira exercises. 


Cool-down
Too short.


Condensed Explanation
Great workout, horrible presentation.

Goodbye CIA-2603, go make someone else sweat.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meZsQbluU3A

Review: Gilad Elite Forces Fat Burning Workout DVD

Gilad is a fairly well know exercise instructor, and I have seen him on TV numerous times.  But this is the first (and I suspect last) video I've ever purchased of his.

The DVD runs 55 minutes, and is recommended for intermediate to advanced exercisers.  I'd recommend it for beginner to intermediate.  I think this is a fair introduction to kickboxing, but it is slow, stagnant, and repetitive.

I can't stand instructors who walk around the set, get in someones face, and says, ad nauseum, "How you doin'?  Ready for more?  What's next?  Who's ready to work out?"  This is not what motivates me, and it is not something I picked up on in the short video I watched before I bought the DVD.  I'm telling you, if you are advanced, leave it behind for someone else, because you will not like it.

I'm am dropping this off at the library so it can go entertain someone else.


Warm-up
The warm-up is fairly long, and slow.  I think it is a good start for someone new to the whole punching and kicking type routine.


Body - Cardio
A lot of slowly building combos interspersed with jumping rope and jumping jacks.

The combos did not build fast enough to satisfy me, and I was bored but determined to finish.


Body - Toning
Semi interesting toning workout that was far too short.  I think I was lifting heavier weights than he was ...


Cool Down
What?  There's a cool down?  Where?  Very short and inadequate ... as usual.


Issues -
He does not work each side evenly, completely missing a combo add on one side (he's not the first and he won't be the last instructor to do this).

He's too chatty and too walky.  Stand in front and lead the exercises!

The set is very loud as it is filmed on the deck of an amphibious assault ship.  It was nice to support and highlight our troops, but couldn't you dub over the noisiest parts?

Form is non-existent with this group.  So if you are a beginner, this is not a form improvement video.  Be careful of your back and your knees, because these people are all over the place.

The enthusiasm from the crew was lukewarm at best.  They weren't really working, just placing their punches delicately in the air.


I really punched, added in some extra work (kicks, etc) and didn't start to sweat until 30 minutes into the program.  30 minutes ... more than halfway.

I barely burned 300 calories.  I did not get tired physically, though mentally I was exhausted by the imaginary jumping rope.

Goodbye DVD, I've set you free to find a more appreciative home.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ci052Y0ct7k

Review: Bodystrikes Workout Videos by Ilaria Montagnani

Bodystrikes is a lower body focused workout put out by Ilaria Montagnani.

It has some very basic kickboxing combos: front, side, and roundhouse kicks.  No punching combos.


I have not worked out to my Bodystrikes videos in quite some time, as I prefer upper and lower body combos, rather than lower body focus.  However, my shoulder was unhappy with my weight training and kickboxing from the last two workouts, and I decided to rest the upper body.  I would typically do a yoga DVD in such a "take it easy but not too easy day," but yoga requires too much upper body when you want to make sure you are resting a muscle and not further damaging it.

So I did a nice, fairly easy lower body routine with this 1st Bodystrike DVD.  It got my hear rate up, made me sweat, and worked out my legs pretty well.

Bodystrikes are not difficult workouts.  You do not stress trying to remember combinations or what comes next.  In fact, they could be described as kind of boring as far as mental stressing goes. 

It has a nice warmup.

There are four combinations to learn that you gradually add together.  She has stretching and strengthening mixed together, probably in an attempt to get you lean and mean.  However, because it mostly ignores the upper body, I wouldn't make it a regular workout.

The cool down is not long enough.  The stretches are not held long enough and the muscles that get the greatest use are not stretched at all.  Be aware of this and add you own stretches in at the end (hold for 15 seconds or longer)

 The video is approximately 45 minutes long.


Two minor irrigations:
1)  I do get frustrated by her, "One more time" and "one more time" and "I love this, just one more time" comments on a set.  If you are aware of it, you won't put your all into the first "one more time" and fully exhaust yourself to the point you can't finish the last three rounds of the set, that are also the "last" time!  This is the main reason I like counters, 8 sets to go, perfect ... I can adjust.
2)  Ilaria had to do a bit of outfit adjusting with this video.  She has muscular legs, and kept having to pull down the shorts that were determined to ride up.  I can have a similar problem, though not from the same cause!  I'm of two minds on this: "didn't you test your outfit before the video?" and "hey, free clothes are free clothes!"  If instructor adjustments bother you, this may bother you.


I noticed my weightlifting is definitely having an impact, as I could lift my legs much higher and did not exhaust like I remember.


It does work upper body on two occasions: 16 pushups in the warmup, and a squat exercise where you choose your level (squat, floor touch squat, deep lunge squat, or burpee).  I could almost keep up with the burpees, as half of my regular videos incorporate this exercise.  Neither of these movements really involve rotator cuff muscles, so I went ahead and did them, monitoring the entire time.

There are many ways to modify these exercises if you need to adjust: push-ups on the wall or a bench, 1/4 squats.

I would recommend this routine to anyone who wants a lower body specific, low impact workout.  It does go by fairly quickly, with little to no dread factor.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NyPbmvjZpQk

The link above takes you to Collage Video's condensed example of Ilaria Montagnani's Bodystrike workout.

"New Rules of Lifting for Abs" Book Review

I checked all the "New Rules of Lifting" titles that I could out of the library.  I got the original book title (NROL), the "For Women" (NROLFW), and the "For Abs" (NROLFA) title, though I am still on a waiting list for the "For Life" (NROLFL)- the latest release.

After working my way through the first routine, I ordered "The New Rules of Lifting for Abs" immediately.  The original title, while interesting, is out of date now and really did not capture my attention.  The "For Women" title is interesting, but geared more for someone who has never lifted before ... which is not me.  The "For Abs" title, however, is exactly what I was seeking.

NROLFA is not a book on how to get a six pack (which, I suppose, makes the cover photo a bit misleading, doesn't it?), but rather a super core conditioning based book that includes 3 progressive training rounds of 2 workouts each, enough to keep you occupied for about half a year.

The book does follow the basic premise of push/pull compound lifts - meaning, you want to push some weights and pull other weights with the opposite muscle set.  A typical combo is bench press (the push) and rows (the pull); which, if lifting appropriate weights, works most of the upper body.

This book does not offer spot training/lifting, so there are no biceps or tricep specific movements, rather the push works triceps and the pull works biceps.

Which means???  Your workout is faster.  When you do a lot of small muscle specific lifts, it takes forever to finish a workout.  When you are doing 4 compound lifts, core specific conditioning, and a warmup ... less than 1 hour start to finish.

Thank goodness, especially since I finish my weightlifting workouts off with a short 25-30 minute run on the treadmill (I jokingly call it a dreadmill on occasion, but I don't really dread my runs, so perhaps I am doing the treadmill a disfavor). 

I am now on week 5 of the first training round, doing each of the 2 routines once a week, and finish off my week with a WL video, Ilaria Montagnani's "Athletica," and a yoga video.  So, in actuality, I am lifting 4 times per week, which is a bit much.  However, the Athletica is not heavy lifting, but endurance training, and yoga is not intense.  I would not recommend doing a NROL routine more than 3 times per week.

I did not increase weight much for those first two weeks on the NROLFA routines.  However, weeks 3 and 4 saw some interesting weight increases that I would not have believed early on.  I am about to outgrow my adjustable dumbbell set that only goes to 21 lbs (9.5 kgs), and will need to buy the set that goes to 50 lbs (22.6 kgs) - another totally justifiable expense.

I work out at home, and can just about get all the routines in as written with a weight bench, a step bench, and my adjustable dumbbells and barbell.

I've also jumped up the weights I'm swinging along with the Athletica video ... her first round of intervals used to wear me out with 10 lbs, I'm now up to 15 lbs in two weeks.  I'm pretty sure that is all due to NROLFA, and working the entire body 2 times per week.

Do I recommend NROLFA, abs-olutely!  (I could not resist!)  However, if you are just starting to lift weights, it may be too much for you, and I would recommend you start with NROLFW.

I cannot wait to see what strength gains I make in the second round which starts on week 8!


Am I seeing much physical change?  Not really.  I suppose my triceps might be a bit more defined, but that is about it as far as observable change.  No, my changes are taking place on the inside, those muscles are definitely adapting.

Why I work out ...

I've read a lot of people claiming they are exercising for their family.

Um, not me.  I'm exercising for me: to be healthy, to be happy, to be strong.

That strong portion has some body role models (drumroll please):






Sigourney Weaver in "Aliens."  What a woman.  What a character.

Photo by Sgt. Michael Connors [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons, http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3ASigourney_Weaver_%40_2010_Academy_Awards_(cropped).jpg

Tough, strong, and aging beautifully.



Linda Hamilton in "Terminator 2."  While I think her body fat was lower than I want to go, I admire her determination a great deal.  She had to work hard for that physicality.

"10.17.09LindaHamiltonByLuigiNovi" by Nightscream - Own work. Licensed under CC BY 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons - http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:10.17.09LindaHamiltonByLuigiNovi.jpg#mediaviewer/File:10.17.09LindaHamiltonByLuigiNovi.jpg

Delts, biceps, and triceps - the trifecta of perfection.



Is it just me, or are our modern day action stars a little ... anemic?  Linda and Sigourney are authentic, and I have not seen their like in many a year.



Celebrities - Jada Pinkett and Madonna.  Showing that world that you can still find physical improvement with age, you do not have to live with decline, that is a choice.

"Pinkett-Smith" by Jerry Avenaim - Transferred from en.wikipedia. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons - http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Pinkett-Smith.jpg#mediaviewer/File:Pinkett-Smith.jpg

Lean and tough.

By Tony Barton [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons at http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a2/Madonna_at_Coachella_2006.jpg

Those legs have a been her lifelong quest.




Athletes - The Williams' sisters and Joan Benoit and, well, all marathoners (and ultramarathoners).  I admire the drive marathoners need to possess in order to cross that finish line.  It doesn't hurt that they pretty much all have great legs.

By BrokenSphere (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0) or GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html)], via Wikimedia Commons; http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bf/Venus_%26_Serena_Williams_at_Bank_of_the_West_Classic_2009-07-27.JPG

By Goyk (talk).Goyk at en.wikipedia [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) or CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/)], from Wikimedia Commons; http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9a/Joan_Benoit_2008.jpg

Ladies, I admire your determination and your skills.  When I want to skip a lift day or the long run, I think of you all - and drag myself off to the appropriate room.  Thanks for the inspiration.

RapidFire: Results - with Susan Chung; Kickboxing Video Review

I have a large-ish collection of kickboxing videos, and decided to write up reviews of them all.

Exercise Information - While I have never taken a martial arts class, I was a ballerina for 10+ years, and this has left me with a pretty strongly wired brain for body position (my dad did take MA, and was really disgusted that my back hook kick was ALWAYS better than his ... flexibility).

I write these reviews with my background in mind.  If you are just starting out, the videos I utilize are NOT for you.  It is not that you cannot build up to the them, but without some technique you can hurt yourself, badly.

Warm-up
The 7 minute warm-up is adequate, and gives you an idea of what you can see in the body of the video.


Body
This includes a lot of oldies but goodies.  Kicks - front, side, back, and roundhouse.  Punches - jab, cross, upper, and hook.

But there's also the interesting outside circle, ax, and some jump kicks.  While these are not rare, the speed at which they take place does test your endurance.  Most especially the circle and roundhouse on opposite legs combination - I just don't think my body is meant to move that quickly!  :)  I adapt by doing the roundhouse at a bit of an angle, rather than straight on.

The punching drills are not taxing on the muscles, but are on the mind.  The combos are not even in number, so you'll do a two punch/upper combo following by a three punch/upper combo.  It is only bad when you are tired and the brain is low on the thinking sugars.  I'd say half the time my punch combos look a bit sloppy, because I'd rather do even combos - so I would prefer two 1/2/3 combos than one 1/2 and one 1/2/3 combo. 

And, the elephant in the room - Chung's cueing is all over the place.  For some combos she is spot on, for some she is silent, for some she is slow or quick, and for others she counts every single one out (or so it feels).  So you cannot settle down into her cueing method, because she does not have one for this video.

I do like her tendency to indicate direction with a hand.  In my experience, teachers can be all over the place with right/left verbal indication (is it their right/left or yours?).  With a hand signal, it is hard to get wrong.


Abs
Pretty good ab routine, not hard, but hits all the majors.

You do need a dumbbell or weighted ball to get the most out of it.

Here is a situation that I can see someone really hurting his or her back if there is not enough strength to the muscles.  For her rotational movements, I'd recommend doing them unweighted for the first month of following this workout.  After that, slowly add and then raise your weights. 


Cool-down
Too short, but then, most of them are too brief.

I follow her direction, but take much longer per stretch 15 to 20 second minimum, 30 seconds is better.

Also, she does not stretch the quads, back, or hip flexors.



Overall, this is going on my keeper shelf for now - it is a useful, advanced kickboxing routine that could have used some polish.

Powerstrike Review - Ilaria Montagnani

Powerstrike, http://www.powerstrike.com/, developed by Ilaria Montagnani, is probably one of toughest low impact workouts I have (same exhaustion level but not as bouncy as Cathe workouts).  I would say it should not be attempted by a beginner, and intermediate exercisers need to proceed with caution.

There are (currently) 3 different videos available: Powerstrike (4?), Powerstrike 5, and Powerstrike Kickboxing 6, ranging from 40 to 49 minutes long from start of warm-up to end of cool down.  Even if I haven't been working out recently, I can get through the entire workout by my second week ... IF I take it easy and stay at the low kicks.

If you extend your kicks fully and put your all into the punches, Powerstrike is a heck of a hard workout - imagine sweat flying everywhere, dripping off the elbows, chin, and eyelashes, and you have an idea of the effort involved.

However, I think everyone should be extremely careful with their joints.  These workouts can make my knees ache for days if I'm not very aware of body placement.  Especially when reaching the tired stage, it is easy peasy to lose track of the extension at the knee and harm the joint.

You really can't follow Ilaria very closely, her joints are exceptionally protected by some bulky muscle (especially for a woman) and she can get away with moves that could damage many of us due to her extreme conditioning.  Additionally, the camera work is, eh, not so helpful at times.

So, while I urge all exercise enthusiasts to enjoy the Powerstrike workouts, but you must enter the workout already knowing proper form, and where your body should be in all the moves.  I would recommend this only for people who are very familiar with kickboxing routines and karate positioning.

Great leg workout, moderate upper body workout (add weighted gloves for upper body oomph).

FYI - If you do not like muscular women, you will not like watching Ilaria.  She has a truly enviable muscular physicality.  The hubby walks by while I am working out and starts muttering about the individual teaching the video.  Ilaria is pretty massively muscled for a woman (not for a professional body builder though).  She can do pistol squats without any difficulty.

All photos from Powerstrike.com and facebook pages:

I think this may be one of the most beautiful photographs I've ever seen of her.  It hits all the marks for perfect use of negative space and awesome lighting.

Another gorgeous photo ... someone was being artistic for this shoot!

Sorry, or not, to say that following her workouts will NOT give you her body.  You would need to be lifting heavy weights for several years to come even close (not to mention drastic changes to your diet).





"Bodystrikes" is another release of hers that concentrates on lower body, low impact.  It could replace a lower body weight lifting day if need be.





Athletica is her "functional" weight lifting video, and I use it once a week in addition to New Rules of Lifting for Abs workouts.





Individual Reviews -

 Powerstrike (4)

After running into a wooden table, and giving my right vastus lateralis a humdinger of a bruise (seriously feels like I stuck a softball in my leg), I needed an "easy" workout, i.e. one without a lot of bouncing.  I reached for this first Powerstrike DVD, which is sometimes sold as Volume 4. 

I still burned 400 calories in this 57 minute workout, which is pretty impressive for low impact (to compare, I generally burn about 300 calories on a lopping jog for the same amount of time).

There is a bunch of kicking in this video, but the kicks involve fairly simple combinations that are moderately easy to do.

Ilaria does include circle, or crescent, kicks, but begins with a knee circle that could be used in place of the kick.  (There are also front snap and roundhouse kicks.)

The punching combinations are not difficult.  And, there is some jogging in place that could easily be converted to marching.

If you can find this first powerstrike DVD, I would recommend it for moderate exercisers and anyone with a martial arts background for those low impact days.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UUGWHYclLCU

If you try this workout, and say, "Gosh, it is not hard enough" ... I suggest you squat deeper and kick higher.  Head level roundhouse and snap kicks wear me out.




Powerstrike 5

Once again, I have pushed my body enough that my calf said, "Please, no jumping today" so I turned to my low impact videos and grabbed Powerstrike 5.

This is a 49 minute workout where I burned around 400 calories.  I was able to keep up with almost the entire workout.


Warm-up - The warmup is an intro to the punching drills and kicking form.  There are 4 punches: jab, cross, hook, and upper.  They are usually taken at a reasonable speed, and should be fairly easy for anyone to pick up.

There are 4 kicks: front, roundhouse, side, and crescent (or circle).  The crescent is simplified as a knee circle for beginners and you should stick with it until you are comfortable with a full crescent kick.


Body - The main workout consists of 3 combinations, and I really like Ilaria's combo choices here.  Unlike most workouts, you do NOT repeat the same combinations on both sides.  Finally, a change!  You pretty much work each side equally, but learn a new combination for the second side.  Yes!!!

Granted, this is a complaint for some people, but Ilaria's approach to this shakes up the workout and keeps you on your toes.  I approve.

Except for the crescent kicks, I think this is a fairly easy workout.  Some of the movements are a bit quick, but you do not have to keep up with the participants to get a useful workout.

The third combo, which is her karate combo, is kinda boring.  I think if I did not have a familiarity with martial arts, this would be new and interesting, but since I do, it drags.  Luckily, it is short.


Cooldown - Waaay too short.  And you hardly hit any important muscles.  No bicep stretch, no shoulder stretch, no quad stretch, no glute stretch ...  I barely follow her instructions in this part.  Another thing I'm starting to notice is that she does not exhibit much flexiblity in her stretch routines.  So if you are flexible, be sure you know how to take the stretches deeper, because her's are really shallow stretches.


Cueing - Her cueing is definitely better in this video than what I've found in some of her other titles. 


I'd recommend Powerstrike 5 for anyone who has a basic understanding of martial arts (I first typed marital!), and wants a low impact, full body routine.

My left calf complained 3/4 of the way through, "I thought you were taking it easy, as I requested!"  Some of the kicking routines definitely will make the calf a bit stressed.

Good for us, use it or lose it!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1UJGMN1s0xA




Powerstrike Kickboxing vol 6

I can definitely tell that my body is slowing down this week, and needs a rest and recovery period.  Since I do not want to begin that rest until next week, I reached for the last Powerstrike video for an "easy" workout.

There are no plyometric type moves in this video, but some running in place and bouncing. 

This is more high intensity that the other Powerstrike videos, but still only burns about 380 calories for me. 

Ilaria's cueing is really coming along very well, and the transitions "feel" right (I've got a Kelly Coffee-Meyers workout that always feels like she is starting on the wrong foot). 

The only new addition to the punches and kicks from the earlier videos are elbow strikes and back kicks. 

Same recommendations as her earlier videos, only for moderate exercisers who are somewhat familiar with martial arts moves and kickboxing drills.




Warm up
The warm-up is adequate, and familiarizes you with the punches and kicks, not the combinations (all good in my opinion).

Her verbiage gets a little off in comparison to her movements, watch and follow the movements.


Body
The combos are long, as you are learning only two (a total of four, two on each side).  So they build rather slowly, and you will work any given combo for 2 minutes before adding-on.  You might do this four or more times for any given combination.

I was definitely getting low on carbs for the brain pan, because the last bit of two combos was pretty sloppy.  Via my heart rate monitor, I spent the vast majority of my time in aerobic zones 2 (29 minutes) and 3 (16.5 minutes), which is also why I got sloppy.  Zone 3 is an exhausting zone to work in for an extended period of time.


Cooldown
Another: what?  where?  cooldown.  I'd strongly recommend you do real stretches for the hip flexors, quads, calves, and hamstrings.  I'd also encourage bicep, tricep, latissimus, and shoulder stretches, because you certainly work them thoroughly in the body of the workout.

My cooldown runs for another 2 or 4 minutes after Ilaria's finishes.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GIXqdONKfTs

Do feet change with minimal shoe transition?

How have my feet changed with minimal shoes?


I really had not thought about the answer to this question until I saw someone write about their shrinking foot in the VFFs, having to go down a size.


I have not noticed a size change with my foot, nor have I noticed an arch change.  I suspect this is because I regularly go barefoot in the summer, and I was a dancer as a kid.  Dancing has left a very long lasting impression on my body, and I suspect part of my foot health can be contributed to this early experience (no, I was not in the original ballet toe shoes for very long).




However, I have noticed three major changes following 3/4 of a year in minimal shoes with regular (3 to 6x per week workouts): 1) more resistant to cold, 2) less spider veins, and 3) more sensitive to pressure.




COLD RESISTANCE
My feet were always cold.  Even if going barefoot in summer, I'd be wearing a pair of socks.


However, in the last six months, this has been much less of a problem.  I only recently noticed, because I wasn't wearing out socks nearly as quickly, that I could stand on my tile floor for much longer without my feet turning into ice cubes.  This is a nice change.

If I try to slip into bed with icy feet and cold everything else, it will take me hours to fall asleep.  My core temperature must fall to a fairly low point.

Now, everything else may be cold, but my feet are not icy ... it does not take me nearly so long to fall asleep.  I could probably change this with a couple glasses of hot water or tea!

LESS SPIDER VEINS
My feet, my brother's feet, and my dad's feet - along the inner (medial vs. lateral) side - are covered in spider veins.  Definitely a family trait.  Those red and blue veins do not hurt, but they are rather unattractive.  Whenever my brother and I would joke about being adopted, we'd just look at dad's feet and go, "Nope, we're in the right family."


So imagine my surprise when I took a look at my feet after several months of minimal shoes and exercise, and lo and behold, I have many fewer spider veins than I used to have.  Granted they have not all disappeared, and I'm sure quite a bit of it is the exercise too, but wow, what a change.  I wish I had taken before pictures ...




MORE SENSITIVE TO PRESSURE
I have a large-ish shoe wardrobe, and while I don't have any ridiculous heels (nothing much over 2.5 inches in height), I do have some shoes that make pressure spots on my feet.  Before I went to minimal shoes, the pressure spots were fairly easy to handle, even if I was teaching all day long.


Fast forward several months, and those easy to handle pressure spots are not so easy to handle anymore.  In other words, my feet have become more sensitized.  I have several pairs of shoes that may end up in the donation bin due to this problem.

I have also lost a lot of the calluses on my feet as a result of wearing more minimal sole shoes.  The ones I have not lost are steadily shrinking.

I keep waiting for the fat pads on the bottom of my feet to thicken, but so far, I am waiting in vain ... perhaps that change will come next year (hey, I could gain a cm in height ...).

Other Minimal Shoes

My minimal trip through shoeville continued with further purchases for more "everyday" wear, and a continuing search for cross training shoes (which I've just about given up).



I bought a pair of Soft Star Shoes for winter wear.  My biggest issue with VFFs is that my ankles were getting cold.  I wanted shoes I could wear socks with.

So I ordered my Soft Star Original RunAmoc in smooth leather, size 8.5 as per a conversation with Soft Star (they were really helpful).  My only complaint about them is the width.  They are hugely wide, especially in the heel.  I've caught my shoe on stuff walking/jogging/jumping around my house, that I have never caught shoes on before (like the dogs' water bowl as I hopped around it).  And it is all due to the excessive width.  Since these are unisex, I suppose the width makes sense.  However, I have a B width forefoot, and probably a slightly narrow heel, so these are sloppy, sloppy, sloppy. 

Those "Original RunAmocs" are heading to the donation pile, because I got much better SoftStar shoes.  The above are a lovely size 9 narrow sheepskin lined Ramblers.

http://www.softstarshoes.com/adult-shoes/rambler-nutmeg.html

Oh, ah!  They fit so much better.  I no longer feel as though I am wearing too big hand me downs.

As per SoftStars measuring table, I am the small side of their normal width.  Being that I just so happened to catch their spring sale, and they had two narrow size 9s up, I bought them both.  A subsequent purchase or two on another sale netted me two more 9 narrows, and I wouldn't buy another normal width SoftStar ever again.

I am quite happy with close fitting, though not tight shoes.

I am now the happy owner of two pair of RunAmocs: black and chocolate - both narrow size 9s.

http://www.softstarshoes.com/adult-shoes/dash-runamoc-all-smooth-black.html

And my last (latest?) SoftStars are one single pair of Merry Janes, also size 9 narrow.
http://www.softstarshoes.com/adult-shoes/merry-jane-chocolate.html


An actually cute, no foolin' pair of girly minimal shoes.  Bronze leather.  There are, however, two issue with these: lining and velcro.

Lining -  Holy blackened feet, Batman! The lining dye's my feet every wearing ... each and every single time.  Not something I can comfortably slip off and go barefoot after a couple hours use.  I look live I've got a serious fungal infection.  Yes, it does wash off, but yuck!

Velco - This is a minor quibble, and due mostly to old fashioned opinions and a high instep.  The strap is held on by a length of velcro sewed to the side.  You can see it in the bottom most picture.  And that is my problem, velcro is for kid's shoes, and my shoes should not show velcro!  If the bit sewn on the shoe was shorter, it would not be an issue as it would not be visible.  Still, very comfortable.



SoftStar is now offering several of their shoes in a narrow without charging extra, but there is still an additional charge with narrow Merry Janes.  I think it is worth it.





After all of this rigamaroll, I still didn't have anything for aerobics, since I don't actually work out in my Soft Star shoes, those are my nice shoes!


So I purchased three minimal-ish running shoes.

The Ecco Biom, Women's size 41, (another awesome discount sale), and I do not like them.  They do not feel right, nor do I like to run in them.  They have spent the majority of their wear time as walking shoes on vacation.  If they weren't such a pretty color, I'd donate them.

Additionally, they are wearing quickly, so I do not expect them to last long.  They have less than 100 miles on them, and I'm not sure they will make it to 200.

The Vivobarefoot Neo (sale), Women's 42, and I do not like these either.  I've hardly worn them ... which is a good indication that they need to visit Goodwill.  I feel like I am strongly inverting when I wear these, an extraordinarily disconcerting sensation.

Finally, the Saucony Kinvara 2.  These work very well for running, but very poorly for aerobics.  These have a lot of width stabilization built into the sole, which makes for a trippy (literally) experience when trying to perform any kind of side kicks, grapevines, or box steps ... especially when tired and coordination goes flying out the window. 


Behind my VFF KSO Treks, this is probably my second favorite running shoes.

When I read about Micah True having disappeared on a run and rescuers were looking for the triangle shaped imprints from soles of his shoes, I suspected he was weary a Kinvara.  Finding out he had a relationship with Saucony kind of confirmed the impression.  A strange result that, "Hello, I represent Saucony ... yes, the ultrarunning Micah True was wearing our shoes when he died."  It was a sad day when that legendary heart gave out, he had a remarkable story to tell!




So to conclude this long journey, SmartWool Toe socks turned my 0 to 30 minute exercise only VFF KSO Treks into 80 minute plus cross train and running shoes and winter shoes.  Thank goodness for woolen socks.  :)