Apparently some studies have shown that running barefoot is better than running with shoes. Why is that? When running without shoes people land on their feet in a way that generates less impact. In contrast, people tend to  land on their heels when using running shoes and that causes a lot of impact on your knees as well as the rest of your body (i.e. back, neck …) .

I do not know if theses studies can be taken seriously, but I will let you do your own research and let you decide for yourselves. All I know is that walking barefoot at home feels a lot better than walking around in fluffy warm bunny shoes.

If you are interested in running barefoot, there are shoes that you can purchase specifically for barefoot running.  So you can prevent cutting yourself on broken glass and sharp pebbles. In fact, they are the most minimal type of shoe you can buy for running and/or jogging and it’s the new craze among marathon runners. The company that makes them is Vibram. You can check out their website for more information: http://www.vibramfivefingers.com/ . I believe the company is from Italy. Crazy Italians.

The only concern that I have with these shoes is that you don’t where sox with them. Aren’t they going to smell? Let me know if you’ve tried them.

Alistar Francis
Technology Enthusiast
Findsalonspa.com Blogger

- Technology can help your mind, body and soul

If you’re like me, then patience is not your strong point. And what gets me particularly inpatient is calling spas or salons repeatedly until I finally get through to a live person.  Or even worse, leaving a message which gets returned only days later.

Do I really have to chase them so that I can give them my money? Something definitely seems wrong with this picture!

The smart businesses are figuring this out and developing ways to make it easier for clients to get in contact with them: From multiple phone lines, to voicemail, email, online forms, and my personal favourite…online booking!

Yuuuuuup you heard it here first: Long gone are the days of back and forth telephone tag. Just click and book your way to a simply wonderful spa visit. Ok so maybe those days are not long gone but signs of change are definitely on their way. While perusing through Findsalonspa.com the other day I noticed a couple of such spas and salons which now offer the convenience of online booking. Check them out! And might I add…Kuddos to them!

Spa Vert

Sevan Makeup

Alistar Francis
Technology Enthusiast
Findsalonspa.com Blogger

- Technology can help your mind, body and soul

Losing weight is always on your mind during the holidays since the main thing we do is EAT.  Visiting friends and family is great but what do you do in January with the extra 10 pounds you gained from eating. For Montrealers and other areas that have cold winters, the extra 10 pounds can help keep you warm. But unlike bears, squirrels and beavers, most fortunate people live in warm heated houses, condos or apartments and the extra fat is not needed to stay warm. Besides, unnecessary weight gain is usually unhealthy and it doesn’t always accumulate in the areas we wish it would.

So how do we keep the weight off. Well, our portable cellphones may offer a solution. With the popularity of smartphones, there are many affordable and free phone applications that can be downloaded and used to keep track of what you eat and your daily calorie intake.

Before figuring out how to lose the weight, try to control what you eat and how much. Here are some applications for various smartphones that you can use to track your calories:

Lose It! for the Apple Iphone – http://www.loseit.com

This app does more than allow you to keep track of your calorie intake. It also allows you to manage your exercise and graph your weight loss progress. While searching the Internet, I found a lot of solid reviews regarding this application.

Calorie Counter for the Blackberry – http://www.fatsecret.com/connected/blackberry

This app is for the Blackberry and can be used to monitor food intake, weight and exercise.  Seems to be quite comprehensive. Definitely worth checking out.

Feel free to leave your comments about the above phone applications or post your own calorie counter phone app suggestion.

Alistar Francis
Technology Enthusiast
Findsalonspa.com Blogger

- Technology can help your mind, body and soul