Prior to becoming a pilates teacher, I did not concern myself much with feet. Well in the world of pilates, feet are everything. It is the foundation from which your core muscles literally initiate from. In the world of a pilates teacher, you can read a person's entire posture and imbalances based on their feet. One of the first exercises that you learn in pilates is footwork on the reformer. While this exercise is not only important in teaching you awarenss of how you use your feet as connected to your core, it is amazing how disconnected people are to their feet. But this is another topic for another day.
I was working with a client the other day, and at the end of footwork, we always give them a stretch by pulling on their heels (note: this alone is a reason to try pilates just once!). Normally I am not phased by this action, but on this particular day I could not help but notice how soft her feet were. I did not say anything because frankly that is weird. As we moved through the workout, she was in the midst of a stretch where she had to grab her foot, and she actually made the comment how soft her feet were. Again, this is not a normal comment. After I confessed that I had passing thoughts of the same, she confessed her secret - aloe gel in her new addidas socks. Being the manic researcher I am, I ventured on an aloe quest.
Upon further research, I learned that while I always associated aloe with sunburn, the combination of amino acids and vitamin E give it a "wound healing" affect, which essentially makes the skin soft. In addition it is helpful for constipation and other intestinal issues. But the real question on everyone's mind, was how does the aloe stay in the sock despite multiple washes? Evidently it all comes to the technology and Adidas has this niche covered. So while it could be branded as a brilliant marketing scheme, I saw/felt the results and feel this is a positive step in big brands embracing mother nature's healing powers in their products. And frankly, pilates teachers around the world thank them for it!!
