Action Shot- My Z-Coil shoes at SXSWi!

I’m always on the lookout for the coolest things around, and this review is no exception!
I was watching The Doctors one day, and they had on a pair of interesting looking shoes, that they claimed made them stand a little taller, and helped their posture. They also explained how these shoes acted like shock absorbers for their bodies. I thought that had to be a gimmick, but I was willing to try them, so I contacted Z-coil and explained how my back, knees, and hips have hurt since carrying my twins, and my husband’s back and knees have hurt him from all of the running he did while in the Marine Corps. They actually agreed to give us each a pair of shoes… But it wasn’t something they could just send us. We had to go to a local authorized dealer to get custom fitted for our Z-coil shoes.

In Sacramento, our local dealer was Bullard Uniforms located at 819 Howe Avenue, Sacramento CA 95825. I contacted them to set up a time to come by.

I spoke with Gordon, who confirmed that he knew about my husband and I needing to be fit for some Z-Coil shoes, and a couple of days later, we were in Bullard Uniforms picking out our Z-Coil shoes! With so many styles to choose from, I was torn between what kind to get! I ended up choosing the grey tennis shoes. I figured they’d be a little easier to wear with just about anything, plus I needed some new shoes to help me at the gym. My hubby chose the Hiking Boot style.

We soon learned why we have to be custom fitted for these shoes. There are so many things that could be adjusted. The coil in the heel can be softer or stronger, or even turned to help with pronation. He had a computer there that he had us stand on to measure where we put pressure on our feet. We then walked across it to see how our feet hit the ground. I got to see how I put a lot of pressure on my big toe when I stood, and hit the ground hard with my heel when I walked. This totally explained why I had so much trouble when I tried to run. My knees, ankles, hips and lower back were always hurting after I tried to jog for even a couple of minutes on the treadmill. Gordon was able to look at these charts and use the data to truly customize our shoes for us. As far as my shoes go, he did turn one of the coils to help me stabilize one of my ankles, and he added some extra pads at my heel and the ball of my foot to reduce some of the impact when I walk.

It’s now been 2 months since I’ve had these shoes, and I have to say that they have helped me out a lot. I’ve been able to jog a little. I’ve noticed a majority of my lower joint pain has lessened and even some of it has gone away. My hubby has also liked wearing his shoes when we go out for the weekends and are doing a lot of walking around.

If you happened to see me at SXSWi this past March, I was wearing them the whole time! I received plenty of comments, compliments and people coming up to me just asking “What the heck are those shoes?” I even had them with me while I was out in Santa Barbara for my EA SPORTS Active spa retreat. I really have trouble working out in any other shoes now. They are my new favorite shoes, no matter how “weird” they might look. My husband always says I go for cute rather than comfort… well, this is one time I decided comfort was all that it was about… although, I do wish I could get my feet into a pair of the Taos, Mary Jane style shoes now!

Thanks again to Z-Coil and Bullard Uniforms for being so awesome and giving us the shoes for this review! Our feet, ankles, knees and lower backs thank you as well!
Z-Coil shoes vary in price depending on which style you choose. My shoes were about $220 where my husband’s hiking boots were slightly more at approx $250. The coolest part though, is that your shoes will last a very long time. If you need to replace your sole it’s very inexpensive. Replacement coils can also be purchased at a great rate. I personally would see it as an investment into a happier, healthier very pain reduced life!

*Coming soon: A video clip of Gordon at Bullard Uniforms walking us through the computer tests and how to adjust our coils!