Aaand we’re back with part two of the Reebok and FitFluential Blogger Event!
Lunch
After a short but intense and crazy fun CrossFit workout, it was time for lunch!
Lunch at the Reebok headquarters included a beautiful spread of sandwiches and salads and I made sure to dabble in both.
Gosh, I love roast beef and cheddar cheese. It’s a winning combination in my book.
I also really liked the salad I made using the ingredients they had on hand. It included mixed greens, steak, peas, blueberries, corn, carrots, tomatoes, walnuts, olive oil and balsamic vinegar.
While we ate lunch, two Reebok employees conducted a mini focus group, asking us for input about their shoes while giving us previews of future Reebok shoes and listening to our feedback. I wish we would’ve had time to discuss Reebok apparel in addition to shoes since I feel like there are certain qualities I always hope to find in fitness apparel but have trouble finding at affordable prices.
We also learned a lot about the various Reebok sneakers on the market today.
I thought the above little buyer’s guide slide was particularly interesting.
If you’re unsure of your foot type, you can place your foot in a bucket of water and then step onto a newspaper and see which print in the above slide most resembles your own. Depending on your foot type, different athletic shoes may work better for you.
- Flat arch: Look for shoes that offer “stability” or ones that offer “motion control”
- High arch: Look for shoes that are marketed as “flexible” or “soft” and offer “cushion” for the foot
- Normal arch: Look for shoes that are “neutral” and offer “cushion”
Our group then headed out for a tour of the facility to see where the magic happens at Reebok. We were able to listen to some pretty cool information about what all goes into creating a shoe and getting it to the point where it’s approved for sale to consumers.
We learned that a select group of runners often log 200 to 300 miles on trial Reebok shoes and come back with a list of thoughts for the employees about what was great and not so great about the test product. That information is then used to tweak everything until a quality shoe is made.
One of the coolest things we learned about new Reebok shoes is that some of them have “U-Form” technology. The use of a hair dryer basically gives you a perfect-fitting shoe. For the U-Form shoes, consumers use a blow dryer on the shoes for a solid two minutes before putting them on. The U-Form technology is activated by the heat which then causes the shoe to become soft and mold perfectly to your feet before hardening up and feeling like a normal (but better-fitting) shoe again. (My favorite shoe with U-Form technology was the CrossFit Flex Nano.)
Dance, Dance
Late in the afternoon, Reebok planned another workout for us, but this time it was a dance workout!
The workout was led by Ilyse Baker, who Reebok flew in from California especially for the occasion.
She’s got mooooves (she previously worked with Rihanna and LeAnn Rimes!) and took us through a hip hop dance routine that basically left everyone laughing and feeling completely awkward while we had a blast and dropped it low.
Afterward we were all a little sweaty, but my energy was back! I was feeling a little sleepy before the class and dancing just reminded me about how a quick workout can leave me feeling rejuvenated!
Hi Cat!
The event concluded with snack time (I had the most amazing cookies from the Reebok cafeteria and will try to get the recipe to share with you guys), before we all headed our separate ways.
I caught a plane to Tampa yesterday evening and arrived a little after midnight. Now I’m spending the weekend in St. Pete with my parents’ for Mother’s Day and am off to get a haircut with my sister!
Thanks so, so much to Reebok for showing all of us such a great time yesterday. It was a blast and I am very grateful for the opportunity!
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