Feel free to tell us your goal here, and we will sign you up.

Come and join the Montclair community as we set intentions for peace. If you can hold plank for at least one minute, you are eligible to win a prize:-)

P–Peace being cultivated from the inside out
E–Exhale, no one ever said this would be easy
A–Alignment, allow your internal structure to stay strong, committed and aligned
C–Center yourself in stillness
E–Express gratitude

Get Ready for the 7th Annual Global Mala Peace Event this Sunday, Sept. 22, 2013 from 9am – 3:30pm (doors open 8:15am) at the Newark School Stadium in Newark, NJ.

After sponsoring Yoga Festival by the Sea’s beautiful sand mandala last year in Asbury Park, GladSoles (

custom made sandals

) is returning to the Newark location for this year’s peace event. This is the 3rd year in a row that we will be supporting the mission of the Global Mala Project to raise both funds and consciousness for some of the most pressing issues facing the world today.

Since its inception, this annual event has helped so many wonderful causes around the world from AIDS, War, Poverty, Environment, Children, Education and more. This year, 70% of proceeds from the event go to the Hurricane Sandy Relief Fund NJ! Global Mala NJ has become the largest Global Mala event in the world.

The purpose of the Global Mala is to unite the global yoga community from every continent, school or yoga approach to form a “mala around the earth” through collective practices upon the sacred cycle of 108.

Global Mala coincides with UN’s International Day of PEACE as well as the Fall Equinox. If each of us imagines and believes in peace and if we each do our part, no matter how big or small, we will all see meaningful differences and together we will manifest peace. Peace is Powerful!

“Be the change you wish to see in the world.” –Mahatma Gandhi

In the barefoot shoes industry, we would like to consider ourselves the best running sandals maker.

On Saturday, September 21, 2013 the 11th annual Newstead 5K race will take place in South Orange, NJ at 9am. Join the GladSoles Barefoot Sandals team and support our local public school system. And, if you are one of the top finishers, you will win a free pair of the Original GladSoles Custom-HandMade Barefoot Sandals.

This highly visible event is a hallmark for the South Orange and Maplewood community and for runners from the surrounding area. In 2012, the Newstead 5K celebrated ten years of supporting public education for the children South Orange & Maplewood.

The race rings in the start of the school year, transforming South Orange’s tranquil Newstead neighborhood into a vigorous throng of runners and walkers of all ages winding their way through the rolling, leafy streets. The energy is contagious, with lively music, colorful signature t-shirts and over 500 participants. The race features chip timing by Compuscore and a Fun Run for children. With the help of more than 40 individual and business sponsors, and 75 volunteers, the Newstead 5K raises $10,000-$15,000 annually to support all Achieve Foundation programs.

From Race Founder, Helen Dubowy:

“Each year our notable sponsors, old and new, come through to help us exceed our expectations. Last year’s sponsors included families, neighborhood ‘mom and pop’ stores and large corporations. Everyone teams up to support educational excellence and innovation for all nine of our district’s schools. The proceeds go to all of Achieve’s important programs, including Teacher Grants, volunteer tutors, technology upgrades and more. I am so proud to have witnessed the growth of this endeavor over the past 10 years. The community genuinely rallies together, because nothing is more important than educating our children.”

Last month I complained about being a little too busy to workout. Not so this month, as I’m happy to report that I only took 4 rest days the entire month of May! That means, more running, more yoga and my first tennis match of the season. Unfortunately, my lack of court time showed, and I was handily beaten by my friend Alex. On the positive side, I finally got to wear my new Vibram KomodoSport LS shoes out on the tennis court for some real match play.

Overall, I was happy with the performance of the newer KomodoSport LS model. Good traction, very lightweight, and no blistering. I did wear Injinji Performance Series Lightweight toesocks just in case, but I could probably get away going completely barefoot, as the interior of the KomodoSports is very smooth and comfortable.

My feet are pretty wide, and I found it much easier to get into the LS model because the lacing system allows for a larger opening on the top of the shoe. However, I wasn’t too impressed with the actual lacing and locking system that Vibram chose for this shoe. The locks didn’t work very well, and the laces had a little too much give to them. So, being the tinkerer that I am, I simply replaced Vibram’s system with the GladSoles laces and locks. I chose our neon yellow laces and pastel purple locks to match my sunny personality. The shoes felt much more stable with the new laces and locks installed, and it is now much easier to customize the fit. Plus, once the desired snugness is set, the new laces and locks actually stay put, even after a couple of hours on the tennis court.

With the weather getting warmer here in the Northeast, things are starting to get pretty busy in the sandal business. As long as I keep my fitness a top priority, get my workouts in, as well as  a few more meditations, hopefully I’ll be able to win some tennis matches in June. And, I’ll look good doing it in my custom-made Vibram KomodoSport LS / GladSoles combination tennis shoes!

Here are my exercise stats for May: (April stats here)

Running (in my GladSoles, Ultra-Minimal Tying Method): 19 times for a total of 148.29 km
Yoga:  7 sessions
Tennis:  1 match – not my best effort, but it’s good to be back on the court
Rest Days:  4

RG

April was a busy month.

Besides all of my piano and guitar teaching, we also did a lot of trunk shows – at Jivamukti Yoga in NYC, Shakti Yoga & Baker Street Yoga in Maplewood, as well as Be Evolution Yoga in Montclair. We also had a booth at the Yoga Journal Conference in New York City for 3 days.

The reason why I mention all this is because I need an excuse to explain all of the “rest” days that I took in April. Normally I workout 6 to 7 times a week. Last year it was 98 percent running, 2 percent tennis. Since January, I’ve been trying to be a bit more balanced in my fitness approach, so I have incorporated yoga into my weekly routine. Anyway, what that means is that I usually run 3 to 4 times a week, and practice yoga 2 to 3 times. However, with all the GladSoles events going on in April, I was thrown out of my normal daily routine. Thus all of the “rest” days in this month’s totals.

It’s not all bad though, for instance, on the 3 days that I commuted to NYC for the Yoga Journal Conference, I took the stairs instead of elevators to and from Penn Station. I walked from Penn Station to and from the NY Hilton (which is on 53rd and 6th Avenue), so that’s a pretty decent walk. I also tried to eat very clean – not too much sugar, lots of salads, fruit, nuts, etc.

So all in all, even though I would have liked to get in a few more workouts, I still managed to be active and hopefully I’ll be able to get back on track in May.

Here are my exercise stats for April: (March stats here)

Running (in my GladSoles when not barefoot): 12 times for a total of 95.6 km
Yoga: 10 sessions
Tennis: 0 matches – almost had my first match, but cancelled last minute
Rest Days: 8

RG

This year, for the first time, GladSoles exhibited at the Yoga Journal Conference at the New York Hilton. Yoga Journal holds 4 conferences a year, all across the country, bringing together hundreds of Yogis for 4 days of study, practice, meditation and shopping.

We were exhibiting in the Marketplace, along with about 70 other vendors. When I arrived to check in, the Marketplace was being set up in one of the Hilton’s ballrooms. I had an immediate flashback to the early nineties, when I was a production coordinator at “The Caribiner Group” a leader in the corporate communications world, and the unhappy result of a merger between 4 smaller entities. We’d go to exotic locales and put on huge, elaborate multimedia shows for big clients. Our days and most of our nights would be spent in freezing cold ballrooms, rehearsing and making sure all the elements were perfect. The sight of the Hilton ballroom in its raw state brought back a flood of memories. Caribiner was not my favorite place to work, but it is where I met Rich, so clearly it was meant to be!

I did a quick check of the scene and it was exciting to see the elaborate setups that some vendors had brought. A few of them were installing their own flooring, The Vita Coconut Water people were putting up a tiki bar, and our good friends from Satya were there with caseloads of their beautiful jewelry. I found our table shoved up against the wall, identified by a cardboard sign that had been stapled to the front. I dropped my GladSoles banner and high-tailed it to Mood, to buy some fabric, and with the hope that I’d have the courage to say “Thank You, Mood!” a la Tim Gunn on Project Runway.

One of the high points of the day was walking everywhere, which brought back more memories of living in the city, when we were car-free and walked everywhere. On this day, the weather was perfect, and it was so nice to ditch the subway for the street, and let my GladSole-clad feet fly along. We often talk about how great GladSoles are for trail running and going to the beach, but they are also wonderful for when you’ve got a lot of ground to cover in the city.

–Jennie

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

Occasionally people ask me for advice on running and/or fitness in general. Whether they’ve heard about my running exploits of 2000 miles in 2011, or have seen my new and improved slender physique :), they seem to think that I have some expertise on the subject. I usually feel a little uncomfortable talking about myself, but I do have a couple of tips that I think could benefit many.

First of all, I am not an exercise junkie. I do not look forward to spending hours and hours working out. As a matter of fact, the reason that I run so much, is because it is so easy to do. I don’t need any special equipment and as soon as I step outside my front door, I’m there, ready to go. If I spend 30 to 45 minutes running outside, I am guaranteed a great workout and some fresh air. Plus, if I add in some hills, it really turns into a full body workout.

I have discovered over the last few years that it does not take a lot of hours in order to get into shape and stay fit. It’s all about consistency. I used to be a weekend warrior. I’d play basketball or tennis, my two favorite sports, maybe once or twice a week. I’m talking about 2 solid hours on the court, maybe three depending on the game or match. I’d be really sore for a few days after, but I felt that I was getting a lot accomplished in the one or two contests/struggles a week. Looking back on those days, I also had a bit of a gut, and spent a lot of my time limping around, recovering the rest of the week from my “athletic” events. Not a good way to be.

Now, I run just about every day. And if I’m not running, I practice yoga. I no longer carry any extra weight, and I have more energy than ever. I am very rarely sore. I attribute this to the length and intensity of my workouts. I try to keep my runs to under an hour, usually 45 minutes or less. When I practice yoga, its also done in under an hour, including the warm-up and meditation/relaxation at the end. That’s it, pretty simple in theory, but not always so easy to do.

So, if I had to sum it up in one word, it would be consistency. Not long, hard workouts. No painful recovery times. Just find something you like to do, and do it everyday. For me, running and yoga are very enjoyable. The key is to do something that makes you happy for at least 30 minutes a day. Nothing less, and nothing more is necessary to stay fit and healthy, at least in my experience.

Thanks to Debby and everyone who attended this wonderful event!  Even though we got a little lost on the way over, we still managed to arrive before 8am to setup our booth at the very impressive Newark Central High School.

We met so many amazing and inspirational people throughout the day – some highlights included fitting Mayor Cory Booker with his first pair of GladSoles, as well as the awe-inspiring yoga master Tao Porchon-Lynch!

We are already looking forward to attending next year’s event and hopefully many more.  Peace is powerful!