Hey there, y’all!!

I’m SO happy it’s Thursday! When I went to UNC, my favorite day of the week was Thursday because that was the day that, guaranteed, I hung out with all my friends. And now, as a grown lady, I LOVE Thursdays just as much (mostly for the same reason).  The glass night meetup that I host with the Tri Beer Meetup group has introduced me to so many new friends, and allowed me to hang out with friends that I’m already close to.  It’s my favorite.

Chilling at the Rock

Oh, I also switched my alarm on my phone (which wakes me up every morning) to a harp.  I now feel like I’m woken up every morning by an angel nudging me in the body.

It’s heavenly (ooooooh snap get it?!)

One thing I didn’t love about waking up this morning was the slight tickle in my throat.  Luckily, I had something to combat that in the office fridge.

Fiber and OJ: Just what the Doctor ordered

My throat still has a bit of an itch, but nothing a vitamin C and some zinc can’t blast away (I hope!!)

In other news, I’m sure I’m not the only one who’s been watching this as it unfolds, but how about that $25 million settlement that Reebok has to pay all the folks that bought their “EasyTone” shoes hoping that the pounds would fly off as they continued their day to day life?  (If you haven’t seen this, check out the Federal Trade Commission’s writeup or the Huffington Post piece for details.)

I have to admit, when these shoes came out onto the market, I was initially skeptical.  But mostly on a fashion base… and an “I hate these commercials…. so very very much” base.

If this is the future of footwear, send me back to Terra Nova, thx. (click for Source)

What, this ol' thing? I always wear this working out. (click for Source)

But, as I saw them dropping off the shelves and into folks’ shopping bags, I wondered “could there possibly be any reality to this idea?

So you just… do what you normally do…. but wear different shoes…. and you get fit. Hmmm….”

Turns out, all that skepticism was well founded.

While I was pretty certain I wouldn’t be able to just pick up a pair of shoes and wear them then look magically like Helena Christensen, now there’s SCIENCE to back me up.

You can never.... you will never.... But buy these shoes if you'd like to fool yourself!

According to NYDailyNews.com,

The FTC said that Reebok should never have claimed in its print and television ads that its shoes “lead to 28% more strength and tone in the buttock muscles” and “11% more strength and tone in the calf muscles than regular walking shoes.”

The agency threw the hammer, saying that the company’s claims that its use of charts and statistics led consumers to believe that their shoes, priced at $80 to $100, were superior to traditional sneakers.

So, if you bought a pair of these bad boys (or several pairs), and you’d like to get a piece of that sweet $25 million settlement pie (oh, and a refund for your shoes that don’t do anything) check out the FTC Refund Request form. No one deserves to be hoodwinked and not get their money back.

I think my favorite thing that came out of this whole debacle, though, were the Nike ads that responded to these shoes.

(click for source)

Thanks to Erin for posting the picture!

This ad says:

The Ultimate Quick Fix. The Nike Trainer One is not a magical toning shoe. It’s a training shoe. Its DiamondFLX technology activates your muscles to work how they’re supposed to, giving you faster results from all those squats, lunges and classes that you do. So you get fit faster. This shoe works if you do.

There’s no such thing as a shoe that can work out for you (as much as I wish that every day as I untie my sneakers after a long workout and let the proverbial “dogs” out).  You’re the one who laces them up, ties them, and what you do with those sneakers is up to you.

Did you ever try to EasyTone shoes (or any ones like them)? What were they like?

What’s one diet or fitness fad that you’ve tried that failed?

I once tried to do a “cleanse” for a few days…. and it lasted all of about a single day. The flavors were bland, my tummy felt empty, and I ended up eating more after I officially “quit” than I would’ve otherwise.  No bueno.