Ugg Classic Cardy Grey Boots- roll up or down. Love!

Brand new to the workout apparel  market is Nancy Rose Performance.    I recently had a chance to try out these pants, and they were fantastic.  Loved the stripe down the side, material was not too thick or thin, could be worn to yoga or any heavy workout and can double as a nice pant for around the town.   Nancy Rose Performance is so new that you’ll have look for them at your local retailer or online!

Just for the fun of it, Puma Bikes on Sale at Planet Gear.

Felted Soap on Etsy.

What’s your favorite new item this season?

FTC- Nancy Rose provided me with the pants.  All of the above opinions are my own.

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FYI…I really want a pair of these!

Prioritizing Family Habits on Social Moms

Creating Skin Care Habits on Read Breathe

Fall Fashion Favorites on Read Breathe

Design Your Own Workout Plan While Traveling on Social Moms
What do you all want for Christmas?

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For the past few months, I’ve been on a shoe search for the perfect CrossFit shoe. Most of my friends utilize the Inov-8′s, converse or some other random running shoe, however, most of my friends agree that none are completely perfect. In any given workout, we could be lifting heavy weight off the floor {Deadlifts} or Box Jumping or Sprinting or even lifting heavy weight that requires some precise foot movements such as squat cleans. In a perfect world, I’d wear only my Olympic lifting shoes for anything that requires heavy lifting, racing flats for sprint workouts and a good cross trainer for everything in between. And, the hunt continues…

So, I have a true story to share with you. I’ve always been a New Balance fan, so recently, I wrote to New Balance using their standard customer service form and asked them if they had a CrossFit shoe! This began a very helpful and intelligent string of emails with customer service and how they do have a new shoe called the Minimus that they are marketing for CrossFitters! Then, just two days later, I received an email from New Balance’s PR representative telling me about the new Minimus and would I like to try them for purposes of review on my blog!! It was my lucky day!

The New Balance Minimus is designed for cross training with or without socks. They are a very lightweight, flat soled shoe that has a really cute pink accent trim. These shoes have been designed also for the barefoot technology in a very minimal approach to running that is very popular now.

How did they work for me?

Well, they work great for box jumping, I love lifting in them, I can throw wall balls and do burpees. They are cute, lightweight and easy to wear. My one main problem with them is that I can’t run in them. They are simply too flat. This is not the fault of New Balance, it’s mine. I haven’t yet learned how to run using more of a barefoot style running – meaning less heel strike and more on the balls of the feet. When I run in these shoes, even for a short distance, I feel like I need more support in the soles. But, for everything else that I do in CrossFit, they work great- even pushing heavy sleds!

Would I recommend them?

Heck yes! They are a great all around good cross training shoe that is reasonably priced, easy to obtain, and of high quality.

How many of you have had good experiences with New Balance?!

FTC- New Balance provided me with these shoes and the above opinion is my own.

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In a year and a half of crossfit, I’ve yet to find a perfect shoe.  The beauty of the sport I do is that we never do the same things twice–ok, maybe that’s an exaggeration, but, sometimes, it takes six months or more for a workout to be repeated.

We do so many things from tire flipping to box jumping to pulling or pushing sleds…I could go on and on, but, the bottom line for me is that there are different shoes for different purposes.

What do the top athletes prefer in the shoe department?  If you watched the crossfit games, there was a large number of competitors wearing Reeboks (although I don’t know which model), Inov-8′s or a weight training shoe.

Why?

For lifting, specifically, Olympic Lifting, weight training shoes are my shoes.  They have a wood sole which can completely change the success of your lift.  And, for a running workout, I prefer a racing flat such as pictured above.  Light weight and fast, these racing flats work great for any distance under 3 miles.  However, if the workout calls for an Olympic lift and a sprint, then what do you do?  It’s a toss up!  You can’t run in lifting shoes, but, you may be able to lift in a running shoe…however, my running shoes do not work for anything like a box jump or rowing–they are simply for running.  Which leaves me scratching my head a lot of times??? “Now what?”

I’ve tried the Inov-8′s and they are seriously light weight, flat soled and work great for me on everything, but running!!

In the next week or so, I am really thankful to have the opportunity to be testing out the New Balance Minimus which has been designed for crossfit.

Anybody have any thoughts on shoes for crossfit?  Success or not with a particular shoe?

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How many of you athletes have multiple pairs of used up shoes lying around?  Let’s put them to good use by donating them to Soles 4 Souls!

To find out where you can donate, please visit their website. You can donate cash or you can donate your shoes and most big cities have drop off locations.

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Yes, one of the perks of being a blogger is the “swag” and today is one sweet piece of equipment!  I’ve never worked with nor tried any K-Swiss products so I was thrilled to get the opportunity to try out the Locker Fit Gear Bag.  We don’t have lockers at our gym, but, we have cubicles, and this fit perfectly in it!

This particular workout bag is fairly small, yet, fit everything I needed!  As you can see, I take two pairs of shoes to workout with – one weight training shoe and one cross trainer style shoe as well as a micro-fiber towel (more on that later), rocket shower, and a change of clothes!  Also, you can see on the right, there is a pocket for your sweaty clothes to go in for your way out!  The zippers in the front are very large areas that fit the personal items such as sunscreen, deodorant, and lip glosses, phones and keys! This is the most high quality gear bag I’ve ever owned and I am so glad to have it now!

This Unisex Gear Bag will be available from K-Swiss in the spring and it’ll retail for $75.

P.S. This bag was provided to me for purposes of review and the above opinion is my own, FTC!

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Happy Super Bowl Everyone! Who’s excited for the Steelers to win? Or Green Bay?! The commercials this year are supposed to be quite unique and Kim Kardashian has done a very sexy one for Sketchers!

Next up, I’d like to know how many of you have tried the new Shape-Up shoe and what do you think of it? I’ve had mine for a week or two and honestly have been afraid to try them out..for fear of falling or looking silly! I finally broke them out today for a round of laundry and dishes and found them to be really comfortable in a rock and roll kind of way.

According to the tag, the shoes are designed “to help you burn more calories, build strength in the back, improve posture and increase cardiovascular health!”

Since I’ve only used them a few times inside the house I can’t speak to if they actually provide a “workout” simply by wearing the shoes.  I can say that they are very comfortable fitting shoe and once I got used to the motion of the shoe, they felt fine.   I’m not so in love with the style of the shoe and feel that if they were less “in your face” for all the benefits, I might like them more.

How have  you done with your Sketcher’s Shape-Up shoe?

You can learn more about them and see the new Kim Kardashian commercial on their facebook page!

P.S. Skecher’s Shape-Ups were provided to me for purposes of review and this is my opinion, FTC.

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If you know CrossFit style workouts, then you know we can easily go from heavy deadlifts to sprints in any given workout! Or you could be doing hang power cleans followed by jump rope…That’s the beauty of a it- we need to have the ability to transition from one activity to the next in a highly adaptable shoe.

The problem with a strict running shoe (for me) is that they are too squishy and I do not feel the necessary support or connection to the ground that I need to perform heavy lifts. In addition, when I am doing heavy cleans in running shoes, I have a tendency to fall on my ass–frequently because I do not have my regular lifting shoes on. {Which by the way have also been problematic…}

This leads me to a dilemma?!

What shoes do you wear in MetCon style workouts?

In any workout that is strictly lifting, I will wear my Rogue’s, but, on the other days, I’ve resorted to a regular running shoe- although it is not ideal. I’ve spoken with many of my workout buddies and the consensus at our box is either the traditional Chuck Taylor or a new brand called Inov-8. {Although, neither brand I’ve tried as of yet!}

What is the BEST crossfit shoe ever? What have you all been most successful in?

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Recently, I had the amazing pleasure of receiving these shoes for purposes of review!! Ahnu shoes are a brand I’d never tried before, so, I was thrilled to have the opportunity!

I have the Ahnu Dolores II shoe and literally have been wearing them everyday since I got them. They are super “cushiony” and comfortable. I am able to run, jump, skip, leap and slide in them as if they were a running shoe but still be mildly fashionable with my yoga capri pants! They look great with jeans, skirts, shorts or pants and I can’t say enough good things about them. At the end of the day, when your feet are sweaty, they still feel great on!

You can learn more about Ahnu shoes for men or women here. You can purchase Ahnu shoes online at Ahnu Footwear, REI and Zappos.

FYI-These shoes were given to me for purposes of review and the above is my honest opinion.

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Note: Check me out over here today, I am actually pulling a truck with my best workout buddy Penny!

As we dash off to the mountains for a one night camping trip, I thought I should leave you with my best choice for an all around everyday water or trail shoe…….

These are both stylish and highly functional!  Whether we are hiking, wading in streams,  jumping rope or running, these shoes have been my constant friend and partner–no angry feet at the end of the day!

Love them!

Have a great Monday!

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