{"id":604,"date":"2012-11-13T08:00:41","date_gmt":"2012-11-13T16:00:41","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/healthyfootnotes.com\/?p=604"},"modified":"2015-11-11T21:40:30","modified_gmt":"2015-11-11T21:40:30","slug":"a-blog-by-maria-goodwin-ambassador","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.vionicshoes.com\/blog\/a-blog-by-maria-goodwin-ambassador\/","title":{"rendered":"A Blog by Maria Goodwin, Ambassador"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Sixty one\u00a0pounds heavier than\u00a0she\u00a0is now,\u00a0Maria had plantar fasciitis\u00a0as well as sore knees.\u00a0 It didn\u2019t help at all that\u00a0she wore unsupportive\u00a0flip flops in the mild Florida weather.<\/p>\n

After seeing Orthaheels\u00a0demonstrated on QVC,\u00a0she decided to give them a try.\u00a0In a few short days,\u00a0\u00a0she experienced\u00a0less heel pain and, conversely, less knee pain.<\/p>\n

Shortly after,\u00a0Maria joined Weight Watchers and lost 61 pounds which led to huge life changes: Her plantar fasciitis\u00a0and knee pain were gone, she took up Zumba\u00a0as\u00a0her exercise of choice, auditioned and was chosen to tap dance with an over-55 tap troupe and began to walk on a regular basis. Maria attributes Orthaheels\u00a0and weight-loss to her pain relief and newly discovered activities. She’s ready to throw out all other shoes in her closet and replace every pair with Orthaheels.<\/p>\n

In her first blog entry,\u00a0Maria recalls her path –\u00a0from recognition to making\u00a0a change:<\/p>\n

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\n(before)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 (after)<\/em><\/p>\n

Looking at a before<\/em> photograph of myself, I thought, “Wow! When did THIS happen?”\u00a0 Somewhere along the way from college to retirement, a fast-paced career had left me overweight, sedentary and unhappy.\u00a0 Finally at retirement (or semi-retirement because a Type A never really retires), I decided it had to be about ME now.\u00a0 So after a somewhat slow start, I finally determined I would get healthy the \u201cold fashioned way\u201d\u2026\u2026..diet and exercise.<\/p>\n

I joined Weight Watchers (for about the 12th<\/sup> time in my life. I still remember the plan where they had to eat liver for lunch\u2026.yuck),\u00a0 and this time it worked!\u00a0 Then I decided I would embark on an exercise program.\u00a0 OMG\u2026sweat? Me?\u00a0 Yep\u2026..gonna do it!!<\/p>\n

Being a former dancer in my youth, I chose Zumba\u00a0and augmented it with weight training and walking.\u00a0 Turned out I LOVED Zumba and still do it.\u00a0 I am also somewhat of an exercise junky now, always wanting to move or be active in some way.<\/p>\n

Now, after losing 61 pounds and discovering I love to exercise, you\u2019ll find me doing activities daily such as Zumba, tap dancing, reformer Pilates, and walking.\u00a0 I walk whenever I can and love being outside enjoying Florida\u2019s beautiful weather!<\/p>\n

Even more unbelievable, to me anyway, is that along the journey I developed a passion for healthy cooking.\u00a0 In fact, I blog recipes on facebook\u00a0about how to eat healthy and clean.\u00a0 Who knew a VitaMix and slow cooker would become my best friends?<\/p>\n

Now I look forward to concocting new dishes and delights or just taking my favorite recipes and tweaking them a bit to make them healthier.<\/p>\n

In fact, one of my favorite recipes is for a Ratatouille.\u00a0 I got it from the Moosewood Cookbook and make it all the time.\u00a0\u00a0 My husband (who lost 68 pounds) and I enjoy it with brown rice and\u00a0 some protein\u2026..usually shrimp.\u00a0 Maybe you\u2019ll enjoy it, too.<\/p>\n

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INGREDIENTS:<\/p>\n