Anyone that does regular exercise (and we hope that’s all of you!) will know that there can be a certain amount of pain involved. Enter Healthytoes toe stretchers that promise to significantly reduce foot pain and numbness – a common problem for fitness enthusiasts. Designed to simply stretch stiff muscles and ligaments, the easy-to-use gel mould toe stretcher will alleviate tension caused by excessive pressure from running, cycling and other exercise.
Additional benefits include increased balance, co-ordination, restoring natural vibrancy and bounce of healthy athletic feet and improving posture, foot reaction time and even stamina. Healthytoes must be applied when wet and should be stretched between each toe, one at a time, before the extension can start working. Once in place you will start to feel the tense stretch and you are one step closer to developing great flexibility.
The more you stretch the quicker you will feel the benefits. So sit back, relax and let the toe stretchers do their work. They can even be worn in the shower or bath, around the house, reading in bed or watching TV!
It sounds like the stuff of science fiction, but OXYfit – effectively oxygen in a can – is getting a loyal following in endurance circles for its ability to improve both performance and recovery levels. It’s very simple: OXYFIT is 99.5 per cent pharmaceutical grade oxygen that allows the athlete to quickly build up oxygen levels in the blood when they need it most – during intense physical activity – effectively countering the effect of oxygen debt. The product comes in lightweight two, five, eight, 66 and 110 litre cans. It is used by simply inhaling the oxygen in several short bursts in rest periods during training sessions. And the Swiss manufacturers claim OXYfit is safe, quick and easy to use and has no side effects. Research on hockey players found that those who used OXYfit experienced a 50% improvement in performance in a second period of intense exercise. With those kind of improvements, we’ll be testing the product over the next few weeks to see if the benefits can indeed be felt. Watch this space!
Given that our feet take such a pounding in our sporting lives, shouldn’t we take time to show them some much-needed TLC? Most shoes don’t actively help our feet recover: they can squash the toes, offer precious little cushioning, aren’t the same shape as feet and often don’t fit properly. Soft slouchy socks, flat shoes, flip-flops and slippers offer little support and often make the toes scrunch up just to keep them on. Enter the new SOLE Exhale recovery shoes, which might just offer the solution to over-worked feet.
They’re not the most aesthetically-pleasing of shoes, but they are cosy (thanks to their Sherpa lining) and comfortable with a mouldable sole. This means the arch height adjusts to your required level, but does not flatten out, while the forefoot takes the shape of the balls of your feet and toes. Exhale also create 100% contact across the soles of your feet to ensure even weight distribution and allow your feet to naturally shock absorb. The shoes can be worn inside or out (although we used ours in the privacy of our own home).
There’s certainly something to be said for supporting your feet properly after a training session, and these seemed to do the trick. Unconventional looks might put some people off, but, if you’re training hard, these can give your feet some much-needed love.
This is a totally different workout book, full of cute illustrations and unconventional exercises that take up only a nanosecond of time. Each exercise..
SOLE Exhale £55
