*International participants must pay shipping cost if chosen as winner.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Whether you’re hiking the trails or just going for a walk, GladSoles will get you where you need to go in style and comfort. GladSoles come in 4mm, 6mm, and 8mm Vibram® soles. The lace is recessed into the bottom of the sole, and very easy to swap out.

Sizing:
Every pair of GladSoles is completely custom-made by hand, based on tracings of your feet. Take it slowly when you trace your feet, as an accurate tracing ensures a perfect fit.

The GladSoles Trail Specs:
Weight: 3.2 oz (per sandal, laces included, size 9)
Thickness: 8 mm
Tread: aggressive tread – durable, oil resisting, non-slip
Ground Feel: very good – slightly muted feel compared to GladSoles Original
Does it float? yes
Other: Vibram Newflex 8mm is a rubber/foam composite blend with an advanced traction pattern on the out-sole. Lightweight and overall the most comfortable sole material we offer.

Comparing the different GladSoles models:

• GladSoles Lite – As you can tell from the name, this is our lightest weight and thinnest (4mm) model. Great for the pool & beach. This model has less structure than the Original or the Trail. Best suited for those of you who really want to feel every little nook and cranny that you might encounter on and off-road. Kids really love this model.

• GladSoles Original – This is where it all started. The GladSoles Original is our most versatile sandal. It’s 6mm thin, really light weight and works well on many surfaces. Recommended for all first time, barefoot sandal wearers! This sandal has some structure to it, and will mold to your feet after you wear them around for a few days. Perfect for running, walking, hiking, casual wear – it’s a great all-around sandal.

• GladSoles Trail – This is our most secure and rugged sandal. It is 8mm thick, but will mold to your feet within a few days. Great for all of your off-road adventures. It has an aggressive tread that really grips the trails well, but will wear down a little quicker on asphalt and other man-made surfaces. The Trail model is made for all you trail runners out there, plus it’s an all-around, really comfortable everyday sandal.

Warranty:
It’s really simple. If you have an issue with your sandals, just let us know and we will fix it. We take great pride in our sandals and want to make sure that you love them as much as we do!

Shipping to all countries

Enter to win any pair of GladSoles minimalist sandals by using the widget below. Contest ends next Monday March 31st, 2014 at midnight. The winner will receive one pair of GladSoles (any model: Lite, Original or Trail)
*International participants must pay shipping cost if chosen as winner.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Whether you’re hiking the trails or just going for a walk, GladSoles will get you where you need to go in style and comfort. GladSoles come in 4mm, 6mm, and 8mm Vibram® soles. The lace is recessed into the bottom of the sole, and very easy to swap out.

Sizing:
Every pair of GladSoles is completely custom-made by hand, based on tracings of your feet. Take it slowly when you trace your feet, as an accurate tracing ensures a perfect fit.

The GladSoles Trail Specs:
Weight: 3.2 oz (per sandal, laces included, size 9)
Thickness: 8 mm
Tread: aggressive tread – durable, oil resisting, non-slip
Ground Feel: very good – slightly muted feel compared to GladSoles Original
Does it float? yes
Other: Vibram Newflex 8mm is a rubber/foam composite blend with an advanced traction pattern on the out-sole. Lightweight and overall the most comfortable sole material we offer.

Comparing the different GladSoles models:

• GladSoles Lite – As you can tell from the name, this is our lightest weight and thinnest (4mm) model. Great for the pool & beach. This model has less structure than the Original or the Trail. Best suited for those of you who really want to feel every little nook and cranny that you might encounter on and off-road. Kids really love this model.

• GladSoles Original – This is where it all started. The GladSoles Original is our most versatile sandal. It’s 6mm thin, really light weight and works well on many surfaces. Recommended for all first time, barefoot sandal wearers! This sandal has some structure to it, and will mold to your feet after you wear them around for a few days. Perfect for running, walking, hiking, casual wear – it’s a great all-around sandal.

• GladSoles Trail – This is our most secure and rugged sandal. It is 8mm thick, but will mold to your feet within a few days. Great for all of your off-road adventures. It has an aggressive tread that really grips the trails well, but will wear down a little quicker on asphalt and other man-made surfaces. The Trail model is made for all you trail runners out there, plus it’s an all-around, really comfortable everyday sandal.

Warranty:
It’s really simple. If you have an issue with your sandals, just let us know and we will fix it. We take great pride in our sandals and want to make sure that you love them as much as we do!

Shipping to all countries

People think the most daunting part about ordering our custom-made sandals is the foot tracing but it’s REALLY EASY! We have a video that you can watch (see below) that demonstrates how it’s done. There is a sample tracing (click here) that you can look at to allay any fears. Or, you can just give us a call at 973-951-4404 and we’ll walk you through it.

We know that it would be easier to offer standard sizes like all the other footwear companies. But we also know that nothing compares to wearing a sandal that is made for your own two feet. Take the extra couple of minutes and trace your feet. You will be happier and your feet will thank you

The Details:

Tracing your feet accurately ensures that your GladSoles will fit you perfectly.

Take your time when tracing, as the more accurate your tracings are, the better fitting your sandals will be.

It’s best to stand while doing the tracings. It might be easier to have someone else do the tracing for you. I like to start at the heel and trace forward to the toes. Then I start at the heel again and trace forward around the other side of the foot. No matter how you do it, try to keep the pencil vertical as you trace.

Tracing your feet is easy. Just take your time and don’t forget to mark the space between your big & 2nd toe. See the attached picture so you can see how to do it. You can also view the instructional video here.

Scan & Email, or Regular Mail Us Your Tracings:

If you have access to a scanner, just make sure to save your scan as a PDF file (Adobe Acrobat). And, make sure that it’s set to actual size with NO scaling. You should also check to make sure that the correct paper size is selected (US Letter, 8.5 x 11 inches). Draw a ruler line on your tracings with inch marks (6 of them would be good). We need this ruler line so we can make sure that the sizing is correct when we print out your tracings on our end.

Or, if you prefer, just send us your tracings in the regular mail: GladSoles, 194 West Fairview Avenue, South Orange, NJ 07079

Please DO NOT take a picture of your tracings – photos can skew the footprint, making it very difficult to produce a well-fitted sandal.

And, if you have any questions or need help with all of this, just give us a call at 973-951-4404 or email me directly at Rich @ GladSoles.com

Go ahead and trace your feet, your GladSoles will be on their way to your door very soon!

Barefoot running, a whole-food plant-based diet, Vibram Fivefingers – all of these things have made my life more enjoyable, healthier.. overall just better.

About  2 months ago I came across a “new to me” approach to health.  Tavis Bradley had done a video on youtube with Dan “The LifeRegenerator” McDonald.  It’s a lengthy video, but I watched the entire thing and was immediately intrigued.

A little background on myself – I’ve been on a vegan diet for about 3 1/2 years now, and I’ve experienced many benefits, as well as an overall feeling of more energy and better health.  And I’m always on the lookout for the latest health trends, as fitness and diet are my main areas of interest.  Basically, if it helps me win more matches on the tennis court, I’m interested.

Anyhow, I’m not going to attempt to explain Tavis Bradley’s Conductivity Diet in detail here.  If you want to learn more about it, I highly recommend that you visit his website and youtube channel.  In a nutshell, the diet consists of raw fruits and vegetables, healthy oils, nuts, seeds, and a series of 4 tonics that you drink every day to set your body up for optimal health.  I’ve been following the “diet” for about 6 weeks now, and I feel really good.  It’s tough to articulate exactly, but everything feels more – more energy, more alert, more running/less recovery time.  My family thinks I’ve gone a little wacky, but they are used to that by now.

I eat as much food as I want.  I’m not hungry, and I’ve lost most of my attraction to junk foods,  although those Red Hot Blues Tortilla Chips from Whole Foods are hard to stay away from.  It seems that the healthier I eat, the more my body wants healthy foods.  Junk foods are not as appealing as they used to be.  Very strange how this all happened over the course of a couple of months, but I’m really loving it.

I’ll be adding to this blog in the upcoming weeks.  Please feel free to ask me any questions about this or any of my other blogs, as I am more than happy to discuss my favorite topics with anyone who wants to listen.

–RG

March was a pretty good month. The weather was warmer than normal, I got to run barefoot a few times, I can now comfortably touch my knees to my nose (yeah yoga!), and it was my birthday. I managed to exercise every single day except for the last two, but I have a good excuse for one of the days since we were on-site at the Jivamukti Yoga Center for a trunk show.  Goodbye Winter, hello Spring!

It is so much easier to exercise when it’s nice outside. I go running no matter what the conditions are, but the sun helps a lot. I also find many of the yoga poses much easier to do when the house isn’t freezing cold in the morning. I also don’t miss the clanging of the radiators at the crack of dawn. I really hope that the cold days are gone until next winter.

Being my birthday and all, I went out and bought a pair of Vibram FiveFingers Komodosport LS shoes for the upcoming tennis season. Last year I used the regular Komodosports and had much success. The new model (LS) adds laces to the top instead of a velcro closure. They’re a little easier to put on my extra wide feet because the opening is wider than the old model. Plus they look really cool, I promise they do! I anticipate that I will like them very much on the tennis courts as they are really very similar to my other pair, with the addition of the laces. If anyone knows of another minimal tennis shoe that you can recommend, please let me know as I am always looking for the latest and greatest in the world of minimalist sneakers.

Anyway, here are my exercise stats for March: (February stats here)

Running (in my GladSoles when not barefoot): 17 times for a total of 128.75 km
Yoga: 12 sessions (new record for 1 month)
Tennis: 0 matches – soon
Rest Days: 2

RG