Shopping Alert! – Ryka Sale

Trolling the Intertubes as I do, I stumbled upon a shoe sale at Sears and Holabird that may yield in fruitful Ryka purchases.  Now, it’s not as big as it could be — there was the time I got some shoes for over 70% off but there are a couple shoes that range 40+% off for select sizes.  Shipping is free if it’s above $49 at Sears and $64.95 at Holabird.  (Don’t forget to pile on BCB for some cash if you have the account set up!)  If you’re interested, I posted the links:

Women’s Ryka Shoes at Sears

(COUPON CODE:SEARS5OFF50 for $5 off of $50 — may invalidate BCB)

• Ryka Womens Influence – White/Silver/Red for $34.99 (50% off)
• Ryka Flare Run – Silver/Platinum/White for $35.99 (40% off)
• Ryka Assist XT – White/Silver/Blue for $41.99 (40% off) – you can read about my review for these shoes here.  I’m seriously thinking about getting a second pair.
• Ryka Womens Outdoor Lace-up – Dove/Gray for $35.99 (40% off)

Women’s Ryka Shoes at Holabird Sports

• Ryka Pursuit Lady for $34.99 (50% off)
• Ryka MC2 Lady for $39.95 (50% off)
• Ryka Ramble Lady for $29,95 (60% off)
• Ryka N-Gage Studio Mid WSL Lad for $44.95 (40% off)

Happy Shopping!  Link to the post to spread the love!

Athletic Wishlist

As I sit in bed, regretting the half of a large pizza I inhaled earlier, I feel that I finally have the “calm” in my mind to write this post.  With the holidays coming up, I’ve been getting excited over sales and new products.  Frankly, it’s hard to say which I am first: a hottiescientist or a hottieshopper.  I have a lot of wish lists in my head, and I thought it might be fun and ::cough:: more productive to focus on gifts that actually get me moving off my butt and to a healthier me (as opposed to talking about the swarm of new video games being released this season).  My birthday is right around Xmas, so I get completely hosed every year when it comes to presents.  I have learned, though, how to prioritize what I want in light of this unfortunate timing.

Review: Ryka Studio Flex Mid

After having such a fantastic win with the Ryka Assist XT, I decided to also try out the Ryka Studio Flex Mid.  Most of my calorie burn comes from doing Cathe Friedrich exercise DVDs at home, whether it’s Step Blast or STS, so a good indoor studio shoe is a must for me.  This role had been filled by my excellent N-gage Studio Mid shoes from Ryka, but from doing high impact aerobics for two years straight, the shoes have really begun to show wear and tear.  They’re not dead, but they’re clearly d-y-i-n-g (shh!  not too loudly or my shoe’s feelings may get hurt!!).  Sears was having such a great shoe sale that I went ahead and bought two pairs of shoes.  One was the Assist XT and the other was the Studio Flex Mid.  The Studio Flex series is touted by Ryka to be their ultimate studio shoe for “the fitness enthusiast who does it all.”  Alrighty, I’m game.

Review: Ryka Assist XT

Long ago, I learned not to go cheap on shoes. I struggle with pain in my feet, requiring prescription orthotics and really good shoes just to get through my day.  Lately, I’ve come to realize the Asics Kayano 13 running shoes that I wear at lab just weren’t cutting it anymore.  I’m not sure what went wrong — maybe my foot shrunk a bit with my recent weight loss, which resulted in a loss of motion control.  All I know is that they needed to be replaced.  By early afternoon, I could barely walk, and by evening, I couldn’t even stand.  Considering how much I’m on my feet at work, this was a serious problem.  At the same time, I had these great studio aerobics shoes that were dying as well, likely from overuse.  (Hence the weight loss!  Yeah!)  One pair needed to be replaced immediately, and one needed just a little more time.  So, when a crazy shoe sale came up, I bit the bullet and ordered Ryka’s top of the line cross-trainer: the Ryka Assist XT.  Two birds, one shoe.

Kelly Ripa is stalking me

Ok, she really isn’t stalking me, but she sort of is.

I will hopefully write more product reviews on this blog.  I consider myself a professional athlete of shopping.  I buy quality and I buy at the best prices.  But recently, in my purchasing searches, Kelly Ripa keeps on popping up.

The first is about the Physique 57.  Eventually, the audience of this blog will get to know that I’ve become slowly addicted to exercise (though my current situation wouldn’t indicate that).  I’m a die hard fan of Cathe Friedrich (I feel like I personally owe her for the 45+lb loss over the last two years) — and even when I try to stray from her, I find myself annoyed with inferior video instructors and just happier I dump my dough in her.  She’s fantastic for cardio and she’s fantastic for weights.  But I’ve been wanting to incorporate more “toning” like workouts.  I’ve never been good at pilates frankly, hence my inclination to do STS for three months instead.  But I want to be better.  But I need something more than a pilates class.  I need something that’s CHALLENGING.  That’s why I love Cathe and I hate running.  I get bored.  So something not boring but tough and compelling.  Physique 57 is exploding all over the web forums, sounds perfect for me, and then I find out the cause of the explosion: Kelly Ripa does it and she endorses it.  Holy crap, when did she get that buff?