I explore the ongoing debate between barefoot running and using heavily cushioned shoes, such as the ON Cloud 5 shoes, in the video below.

Barefoot running encourages a natural gait, engaging the muscles in your feet and lower legs more effectively. This can improve balance and strength over time, but lacks the cushioning needed to protect against impact on hard surfaces, increasing the risk of injury, especially over the long term.

In contrast, heavily padded shoes like the ON Cloud 5 provide substantial cushioning, which reduces impact on the joints and makes them ideal for long-distance running and everyday wear. While these shoes offer comfort and shock absorption, they may promote heel striking, which could lead to biomechanical inefficiencies or injuries in the long term.

In the review of the ON Cloud 5, its lightweight feel and stylish design makes it versatile for casual use. However, I don’t think that it is the best choice for serious longer distance runners, as it lacks the responsiveness needed for intense training or high-performance running, and it does not provide enough padding.

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THC comes from the leaves and flowers of the cannabis species known as marijuana and has long been classified as illegal in many countries due to its psychoactive properties. On the other hand, CBD used by Alpha CBD is extracted from another type of cannabis plant known as hemp. This is because molecular CBD is the same whether it is sourced from hemp or from marijuana. However, hemp CBD products usually contain low traces (or zero) % THC and has no psychoactive effects.

This means that products made from Hemp CBD don’t make you high, as well as offer numerous therapeutic benefits to humans and other mammals.

While there are some studies that have been done, there are not many because of the obvious reasons surrounding the laws on CBD oil (that have changed, thus being able to sell the oils now), but many people have spoken of the positive effects that they have experienced while using the oil.  

To find out more, I would strongly advise reading up on the benefits and the effects of the CBD oil on the Alpha CBD blog as they cover a whole range of questions and provide pertinent information on it, and how it works with the endocannabinoid system.

Alpha CBD has a perfect concentration of 600mg of 99% pure hemp CBD in each 30ml bottle. Alpha CBD Drops contain a specially formulated balance of CBD, organically grown hemp seed oil and refined coconut oil, known as MCT oil. This product combines the benefits of pure hemp CBD with essential oils and natural extracts. What’s more, it is easy to use as each bottle includes a dropper which contains up to 1ml and 20mg of hemp CBD oil.

• 0% THC and therefore non-psychoactive
• Blended with natural essential oils and herbs
• 100% plant-based
• High in Omega 6 and Omega 9
• 600mg hemp CBD
• 30ml (1ml and 20mg of 99% pure hemp CBD per dropper)
• Can be used topically
• Ingredients: hemp-derived CBD extract, organically grown hemp seed oil, fractionated coconut oil (MCT) and stevia to sweeten the taste

Pros of the CBD Oil

I noticed differences in 2 main aspects:

• Sleep. From the first time I used the oil. I did feel like I had a deeper sleep. In terms of consistency, there were still a few nights where my sleep was not as deep/good but overall there was quite a noticeable difference.  
• Anxiety/stress. In terms of anxiety where my mind overthinks things and runs ahead of myself, I did feel a difference with this. I felt a lot calmer after taking the CBD oil, was able to ‘just be‘ without having hundreds of thoughts taking over and could process things better. So if anxiety is a big thing for you, I would recommend trying this and seeing for yourself if it helps.

I cannot really say if I felt a huge difference in terms of muscle recovery (independent from the deeper sleep) but I could need to use it for a more prolonged period.

Cons of the CBD oil

For me, I seem to feel slightly nauseous sometimes, just after taking the CDB oil. This doesn’t last long and within a few minutes it subsides. I have the same feeling when drinking hemp protein powders, so perhaps it is just my body reacting to something in it, I’m not entirely sure.

The CBD Pain Freeze gel

The pain freeze gel works quite well, and it is great that all the ingredients in it are more natural based ingredients such as Menthol, Eucalyptus, Peppermint, Arnica oil and more. When you apply it you feel a cool tingling sensation (hence the term freeze gel). The gel helps with muscle pain and inflammation, and does get to work almost instantly upon application.

There is a whole lot more information on the Alpha CBD website about the products so I would recommend reading it all to get a good idea and understanding of the products and what they are useful for.

Some of the positives of the gel include:

• Almost instant pain relief
• Cooling effect
• Blended with natural essential oils & herbs
• 100% plant-based
• For almost any kind of pain
• Tested 2 times before we package it
• Manufactured in Pharma Labs (GMP and ISO Certified)
• Non GMO
• Vegan and Vegetarian friendly

Pricing and Orders

There are various sizing options and quantities but the CBD oil costs R599 (30 ml, 600 mg), while the CBD Pain freeze gel costs R149 for the 50 ml and R288 for the 100 ml bottle. The 30 ml Cbd oil will last you a month taking 1 ml a day.

On their website Alpha CBD do offer various combo deals that you can look at depending on what you want to get. They have also introduced a new skin care range. 

All orders can be done online via their website and shipping is around +-R99. I chatted to Bruce, who is the owner of the brand. He was incredibly helpful and ready to assist me in any way that he could as well as to provide me with any information I needed on the products.

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@ashwillrob is an Alpha, if you have been following him you would have seen he is busy with amazing things. Extreme athlete, fighter, movie star, gentleman, inspiration and a man who does not take no for an answer We are humbled that you are part of the Alpha team. Our pain freeze is an almost instant relief for any aches, pains and sore muscles and provides him and you with the necessary relief to amplify your day. www.alphacbd.co.za 10% Discount Code: ASHLEY10 #cbd #cbdpainrelief #instantpainrelief #movies #muaythai #pain #recovery

A post shared by Alpha CBD (@alphacbd_sa) on Mar 7, 2020 at 9:07am PST

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Businessman, model and Protea Karate Athlete: We met Chris in our cell-group, he has been such an instrumental part of the spiritual growth of the Alpha board of directors. Chris has been blessed with a number of new ventures and opportunities on his table, this comes with anxiety (which loosely translates to uncertainty about the future) and an uneasiness during the day. Alpha CBD has helped him balance out his day and calmed him down in the midst of all of these amazing opportunities, keeping him focussed on what he needs to do to pave his way into his future. Putting in the hours will ensure results. Keep going Chris, the reward will be worth it. www.alphacbd.co.za 10% Discount Code: CHRIS10 for a start to a healthy lifestyle #cbdoil #model #anxietyrelief #futureplans #entrepreneurlife #cbd #alphacbdsa #resultsdriven #cbdhealth #cbdwellness

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So @brucesteyn lost the office “ching chong cha” battle and got pushed to fail by international pro bodybuilder @juanbothmapro.. This is part of the Alpha CBD muscle recovery challenge. We back our products, to the point of 1 of us being trained by absolute professionals, pushed to the limit to induce sore muscles in order for Alpha CBD to keep developing products to ensure your lives and lifestyles are elevated. More on this little adventure to follow. Trainer – @juanbothmapro Trainee (full of tears at the end) – @brucesteyn Session captured by trigger finger @shelly9_ behind the lens Thanks to @olympus_planetfitness for hosting us, those machines are out of this world. Most of all the stairs on the way out, after legs with @juanbothmapro that was really REALLY difficult. What sport should Alpha CBD try next? #webackourbrand #alphacbdsa #alphalete (in the making) #cbdmusclerecovery #musclerecovery #cbdoil #cbdhealth #cbdwellness #cbdtothecore #gym #gymlife

A post shared by Alpha CBD (@alphacbd_sa) on Dec 21, 2019 at 7:29am PST

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• Tracks your steps
• Measures your heart rate
• Tracks your heart rate and duration of your workout
• Vibrating alarm
• Weather updates
• Phone notifications and find my band/device
• Gps tracking of cycling/walking/running

One cool new feature of the band, is that it’s waterproof! This is one of the main reasons I went for Mi band 3 as I can now swim with it and not worry about always having to take it off if I have to shower or go swimming.

I put together a short video below, just showing some of the features of the Mi band 3 and to give you an idea of the look and feel of it. 

A look at the Xiaomi Mi 8 and specifically its Camera:

I also got my hands on the Xiaomi Mi8 smartphone, which is powerful smartphone. I specifically bought it for its camera and to be able to video in higher frame rates than I was able to previously (on my dslr I can only go up to 60 frames per second).

If you’re interested to see what it can do check out the video below, which shows a few sample pictures and videos I took with it as well as what sort of video settings you can expect and use on it.

To use these images or get more checkout unsplash!

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Bluetooth earphones have been around for quite some time, but I only just came to the party recently and bought the Otium bluetooth sports earphones from Amazon. I gave them a try and this is a review on them from my own experience.

Check out the full calisthenics training video I did in Newlands forest with the earphones!

Quality:

• The build quality of the earphones is great. I was expecting them to look and feel quite ‘plastic’ like, but they are quite sturdy and strong.
• The sound quality is also awesome and blocks out quite a bit of the surrounding ambient sounds. The bass is also quite deep for these type of earphones. 
• Overall I was quite impressed with their quality.

Pros and features:

• All controls are on the right earphone. You can switch them on and off, increase/decrease the volume and skip songs all from there. I prefer the controls on the earphone like this rather than the others where the controls are built onto the cord.
• A primary reason why I bought these, with the ear clips, was to ensure they don’t fall out while training. During some of the calisthenic holds I am upside down, or jumping around doing box jumps. I am pleased to say not once did they fall out, so they do stay in all the time.
• The battery life is incredible. They last me over a week of training almost everyday for about an hour or so. The charge time is quite quick as well, about two hours.

Cost:

• In South Africa, these are available on Amazon. I think they can be bought from selected shops around the country but the price is much more than on Amazon, even with the delivery. Amazon delivery is quite efficient, and I have never had any issues with it. It usually takes about two weeks to get here and you can track it all the way.
• They cost +- USD 20, plus +- USD 12 for delivery and import taxes.

Cons:

• The only aspect of these earphones that I have a small issue with, is that your ears do start to hurt after using them for some time (just over an hour), but I think that will be the case with pretty much any style of these in ear, earphones.

I think you can gather that overall I am very happy with them, and I would certainly recommend them, especially for their price they tick all the boxes.

To use these images checkout unsplash!

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This video shows the unboxing of an HD Action Camera (https://www.takealot.com/waterproof-h…) and some sample footage of it to see just how ‘good’ it is…

Get to know the family – Part 6 of 8: #GoProHERO6 features an all-new voice command feature called Wake on Voice. Simply enable the feature through preferences + the camera will respond to "GoPro Turn On" + "GoPro Start Recording" while it's powered off. English not your first language? Don't sweat it, #GoProHERO6 recognizes 10 languages + multiple dialects. #GoProZA

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With so many different smart watches and fitness activity trackers available now, it can be difficult to know what each one really does and how to use them, making the choice that much more difficult.  The video below gives a brief look and overview of the Samsung Gear 2 Neo Smart Watch!

Check out the video below to see and hear more about the Samsung Gear 2 Neo Smart Watch works:

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This review is on the Fossil Q Motion activity tracker.

Fossil produce a variety of goods from clothing, to belts, to wallets, to jewelry and to their main products, watches. They have gotten into the smart watch market in recent years and have also brought out simple activity trackers such as the Fossil Q Motion that is used in conjunction with an app called Fossil Q Legacy.

Check out the video below to see and hear more about the Fossil Q Motion activity tracker and how the Fossil Q Legacy App works.

Pros and about the Fossil q motion activity tracker:

• Good quality and build. Robust and lightweight with a few stylish colours.
• Uses 3 watch batteries that last about 6 months.
• Tracks your sleep and steps.
• Vibrating alarm that works independently, so no need to keep it connected via Bluetooth to your phone. You can set the alarm in the Fossil Q Legacy app.
• You can sync it with the app on your phone every few days to update all your data.
• It is fully water proof.
• The app is nice and simple and easy to use.
• You can set up custom colour notifications to show on your tracker via your phone.

To note:

• The design is a bit different to the usual trackers and takes some time to get used to it.

cons:

• More thought could have been put into the strap design. The ‘clip in strap’ is not very tight. Many times it has become unclipped and has come off while sleeping and also while training.
• It would have been nice if it had a watch face just with the time as it then gives it much more purpose.

Cost:

The Fossil Q Motion activity tracker sells for +- USD95.00 (On Special USD39.99)

The Fossil Q Motion activity tracker is a cool and stylish basic tracker to have. Though, if you are looking for more functionality and a lot more features in a tracker, check out other advanced trackers like the Garmin Vivofit.

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Speed Shelf Trading is the Official importer of Actos and Ballop V1 Lite & V2 Range of Skin Shoes to Cape Town, South Africa. Swim shoes for men, woman and kids are available to purchase online with competitive shipping rates and fast delivery.

I have also reviewed their skin shoes some time ago. In my experience their service has always been incredible and prompt. They have many different shoes for both men and women, so if you’re looking for a great Christmas present for someone, it could be a great place to start :p

Check out the video below to see and hear more about Actos and these sneakers:

 
Pros and about the shoe:

• The sneakers are really comfortable, they fit well and are quite the lookers. The stylish colours make them stand out just enough.
• They come in a few other colours such as black, mint, peach and grey.
• They remind you to recycle the box it comes in.
• Only BPA-FREE materials are used to be free from environmental hormones.
• The sneakers are really comfortable and lightweight and have no laces (woohoo!). I am not a fan of laces and prefer slip on shoes way more. If shoes do come with conventional laces, I usually change them to the ‘lock laces‘ which are so much more convenient.
• They are well designed with a comfortable and cooling mesh exterior that makes them breathable.

To note:

• These sneakers are designed primarily for walking and mostly casual wear, so for basic gym use and some jogging they are fine, but I wouldn’t advise them being used for specific sports such as say soccer or tennis or squash, where you are running and stopping with quick changes in direction. Rather get more specific shoes/trainers that will hold up for that if that’s what you want, especially for regular use. For more durable active shoes, you can try out the Ballop V2 Skin-Fit.

Con:

The only sort of down fall that I found of these would be the high sole. They have a somewhat traditional sneaker under sole that starts higher at the back and tapers off towards the front of the sneaker. I myself prefer flatter shoes like the Nike free run 5.0, so these are bit high at the back for me which I’m not a fan of, and I tend to initially feel that ‘highness’ as I walk in them. Although, this really boils down to personal preference.

 

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Overall the Ballop Fashion Sneakers are a great, stylish and comfortable pair to have. Perfect to add to your wardrobe for that stylish sporty look
  

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The Lindt 85% Cocoa Dark Chocolate is perfect for proper dark chocolate lovers, as it moves away from the ‘normal’ sweet taste of chocolate and really delivers on the dark and bitter dark chocolate taste that we love. The taste and texture is amazing as is always the case with Lindt, and it melts in your mouth just how dark chocolate is meant to.

The review is quite basic and to the point, being based upon four aspects:

1. The ingredients
2. The taste
3. The texture
4. The sweetness

Ingredients:

Cocoa solids: 85%

The great thing about Lindt is that they list the percentages. Some brands simply call it dark chocolate, and then on the ingredients list the cocoa solids percentage as somewhere between 30 and 50%. 30% is really low and doesn’t quite count as dark chocolate. Obviously the higher the percent the darker it is.

Texture:

Most of the Lindt chocolate is made with the same consistency and texture, so, much like the Lindt 70% dark chocolate, the 85%’s texture allows the dark taste to really engulf your taste buds just as you would want it to.

Taste:

The chocolate tastes exceptionally good and is of a high quality. It does lean on the darker side as it is 85% after all. So this dark chocolate is really suited to people who prefer the more bitter and not so sweet tasting chocolate. If you only like sweet chocolates, I think you should try the 70% dark chocolate first.

Dark chocolate sweetness rating: 1 -5

4 out of 5.

The higher the rating is, the less sweet and more dark chocolaty taste it has.

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This first dark chocolate review is of the Lindt 70 % Cocoa Dark Chocolate. It is one of the best dark chocolate bars out there and probably has the best balance of ‘darkness’ and sweetness to make even non dark chocolate lovers find it appealing, as anything above the 70% mark starts to become too bitter for some. The taste and texture is amazing and it melts in your mouth just how chocolate is meant to. Lindt also lists the cocoa solids as 70%, which hopefully shows that it really contains that amount.

The review is quite basic and to the point, being based upon four aspects:

1. The ingredients
2. The taste
3. The texture
4. The sweetness

Ingredients:

Cocoa solids: 70%

The great thing about Lindt is that they list the percentages. Some brands simply call it dark chocolate, and then on the ingredients list the cocoa solids percentage is somewhere between 30% and 50%. 30% is really low and doesn’t quite count as dark chocolate. Obviously the higher the percent the darker it is.

Texture:

Some dark chocolate is too soft and melts a bit too easily in your mouth and thus doesn’t really last. This usually happens when there is not enough cocoa solids and the chocolate may not have been tempered well. I like it when it lasts a bit and has a bit of thickness to it, allowing the dark chocolate taste to really engulf your taste buds. The Lindt 70% bar does that quite well, but there could be a tiny bit more of something at the end.

Taste:

The chocolate tastes exceptionally good and is of a high quality.

It also has a great balance between sweetness and ‘darkness’ to make it not too sweet and not too bitter. If you have a slight inclination to dark chocolate but are still a bit hesitant because of the bitterness, the Lindt 70% dark chocolate is definitely worth a try.

Dark chocolate sweetness rating: 1 -5

3 out of 5.

The higher the rating is, the less sweet and more dark chocolaty taste it has.

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