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What's New: Step Into A Workout

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: September 20, 2008

Product review: Spring Boost Performance Athletic Footwear

Men's and ladies $130; available at blissworld.com, zappos.com, comfortshoeshop.com, bodytrends.com, endless.com, feetfirst.com and planetshoes.com.

Let me get this out of the way up front: I really don't enjoy working out. I do, however, love how it makes me feel and look. But if I can find a product to give me some workout benefit outside the gym, I'm all for it.

So, you can imagine how I felt when I heard about Spring Boost footwear, shoes that are designed to tone, sculpt and improve your posture.

The design is based on "dorsi technology." The secret is in the heel; it sits lower than your toes. According to the Spring Boost Web site, dorsiflexion is nothing new; it has been used for years by medical specialists and by athletes to stretch and stimulate the calf muscles.

It's like having an invisible personal trainer. The position of your foot makes you work harder: The more strides you take, the more work you're doing. I can actually see my calf muscle at work when I walk in them. My feet did feel a little weird at first, but I adapted quickly.

Call me shallow, if you will, but the fact that the shoes are cute made me want to wear them regularly. For the first few weeks I was only able to keep them on a couple of hours a day. (Too much burn, baby!) But by the third week, I was actually cleaning the house in them. And they always make me feel like I'm standing straighter and taller.

At the gym, the shoe adds intensity to your workout, whether you're taking an aerobics class or peddling on the elliptical. And if you're ready to add a little more juice to your workout or walking program, each pair comes with a set of interchangeable insoles offering varying degrees of thickness, so you can gradually get used to the incline. And the heels are cushy and comfortable.

These sneakers are now a permanent part of my exercise program.

"Dr. Frankenstein's Human Body Book: The Monstrous Truth About How Your Body Works"

DK Publishing Inc., hard cover, 94 pages, $24.99; available at www.target.com, www.amazon.com.

Imagine learning about the human body from the brilliant (albeit a bit bent) Dr. Victor Frankenstein, in his very own laboratory.

Award-winning science book author Richard Walker did just that, and his new "Dr. Frankenstein's Human Body Book" is a dream-come-true for kids who like their lessons in an easy-to-understand, kind-of-fun-kind-of-gross format.

As Frankenstein's new assistant, the reader is allowed to tag along while the doctor reconstructs a human body from the inside out. The apprenticeship includes chapters on bone basics, the central nervous system, blood vessels and more. Each page is full of colorful illustrations and chunky bits of text that explain how all those body parts and systems fit together.

The book is meant to appeal to kids age 10 and older, but adults will appreciate the information and presentation every bit as much as their children.

It'd make a sweet Halloween treat for any geek, goth or gory-movie-loving student you know. And it won't cost an arm and a leg.

Kim Franke-Folstad

Cloe Cabrera

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