Anniversary Celebration Sept 1-5, 2005!

For a decade, Z-CoiL® Footwear has been providing pain relief for millions of people, allowing them to lead normal, productive, pain-free lives. EZ Shoes in the Bay Area is proud to have been a part of this mission for the last two years.

Through the use of a patented coil spring placed in the heel of the shoe, Z-CoiL® Pain Relief Footwear™ reduces the impact on the body by 50% and provides a 40-50% energy return. By reducing the impact, the pressure on the feet, legs, knees and back is significantly reduced thus relieving inflammation and pain. People who suffer from arthritis, plantar fasciitis, lower back issues, knee issues and hip issues all benefit from this technology. Nearly 1 out of 3 adults suffer from arthritis which limits them in their daily routines, and Z-CoiL® Footwear has played a major part in assisting them with their quest for a pain-free life.

EZ Shoes is joining Z-CoiL® in the celebration of this milestone with an Anniversary Event in our store from September 1-5 with refreshments and a time to renew the friendships we have made with the thousands of people that we have been able to assist. A new limited edition shoe (pictured above) will be available for purchase and a percentage of each sale of this shoe will be donated to the Arthritis Foundation.

We hope to see you in the store!

Till later,
Caesar...

Posture and Z-CoiL's

I had a customer come in the other day and tell me that her Z-CoiL's had also fixed her chronic headaches! Hmmm, I thought to myself... why would this be? It finally dawned on me that the foot bone's connected to the leg bone, the leg bone's connected to the hip bone... Well, you know the song! It turns out that when this woman first came into our store, her posture was horrible. She had started out with plantar fasciitis, which caused her to limp. The limp caused her hip and lower back to hurt because she was leaning forward and to the side as she walked to try and hurry through her step and take pressure off of the foot. This caused the muscles in her whole back to tense up, all the way through her neck, which in the end caused the headaches!

It is amazing what good posture can do for your overall health. Z-CoiL's change the way you walk and stand. When you walk and stand improperly you put pressure and stress on many body structures in your feet, ankles, knees, hips and back. Z-CoiL's will tip your hips slightly forward and put your back up straighter, because you are properly supported under your skeletal system. It is amazing to see the instantaneous change in many people's posture when they first walk in Z-CoiL's! It happens daily in our store. I even had one of our senior customers tell me that he can breathe better!

So, stand up straighter with less pain, walk better, and feel younger with a pair of Z-CoiL's!

Until later,
Caesar...

Company Honors Inventor and Founder Alvaro Z. Gallegos with 10th Anniversary Signature Shoe

(I-Newswire) - ( Albuquerque, NM ) – Ten years ago, Z-CoiL® Pain Relief Footwear™ came on the scene, dramatically changing the way thousands of Americans manage their foot, leg, and back pain. Now, to celebrate the visionary creation of inventor Alvaro Z. Gallegos, the Z-CoiL Footwear company is releasing a special, limited-edition Z-CoiL® 10th Anniversary Signature Shoe. This one-time-only style will go on sale nationwide on September 1, 2005, and will be available only while supplies last.

Z-CoiL® Pain Relief Footwear™, specifically engineered to relieve foot, leg, and back pain, is a growing force in the pain-relief industry. The shoes are designed with three special components that work together to provide exceptional support, cushioning and impact reduction.

Each shoe features a built-in rigid orthotic, which runs from the heel to the metatarsal heads, helping to equalize pressure distribution and support the foot. At the forefoot, the shoes provide four times more cushioning than popular running shoes, as tested by Sandia National Laboratories. Unique to Z-CoiL® footwear is the visible conical-shaped coil under the heel. This tempered coil compresses with each step, helping to reduce pressure and the rate of impact while improving ankle stability.

More than 20 years ago, Al began toying with the idea of developing a special shoe with a spring in the heel to help reduce his own chronic foot, knee and back pain caused by years of long-distance running. In 1995, with the help of his son Andrés Gallegos, Z-CoiL’s president and CEO, the first marketable coil-based shoe went on sale in Albuquerque, called the Z-Tech Recoil. Further engineering and design improvements ultimately resulted in the current Z-CoiL® line of footwear, which paved the way for corporate growth in 2001.

The Z-CoiL® 10th Anniversary Signature Shoe is reminiscent of Al’s original “Z-Tech” shoe in terms of its colorful style, but is reconfigured with the current Z-CoiL® design, and features Al’s signature stitched on the back of the heel. “Z-CoiL is a realization of my father’s dream and years of perseverance to help others who are in pain,” says Andrés. “I cannot think of a better way to honor him than through this special shoe.”

“Z-CoiL® footwear is truly life-changing footwear,” Andres adds. “We have thousands of customers who share their amazing testimonials about how the footwear put them back into the game of life because of Al’s invention.”

Approximately 200 distributors now carry the footwear in the U.S., Canada, and Puerto Rico. Visit the Z-CoiL website at www.zcoil.com to find a footwear distributor near you, or call 800.268.6239.

Testimonial -Kristi Dolan

Pictured above is Kristi Dolan and her daughter, Kelsey. Kristi is an ophthalmic technician who first came into our store in May of 2004. She was suffering from feet problems, which ended leading to problems in her back and knees.

"My husband met a lady who was wearing them (Z-CoiL's) at work one day and he asked about them," says Kristi. "She gave such rave reviews that I came the next day and purchased a pair of white Freedom 2000's.

"Being on my feet 8 hours per day, it was either finding relief from being on my feet all day or getting a new job. Within a matter of a few months, all foot and back pain were gone! They are the greatest!" concludes Kristi.

She was in the store purchasing a second pair of Freedom's to add to her wardrobe. The only issue she said was that she had a whole closet full of shoes that did not get worn now!

Till later,
Caesar...

It's Anniversary Time!

I can hardly believe it... It's coming up on our two year anniversary! What makes it even more special is that Z-CoiL is celebrating their tenth anniversary! Z-CoiL has now been providing a decade of pain relief for millions of people, allowing them to lead normal, productive lives pain free.

Thousands of people have been through our doors and as you can read in our testimonials, their lives have been changed forever. I remember one of our first customers who thought I was nuts... She worked in the shopping center that we are in and said that there was no way we would survive the first year selling these "ugly" shoes. Instead of discouraging us, it actually added fuel to the fire, making us want to succeed even more, knowing that there were a lot of people we could help.

We are planning something special along with Z-CoiL to celebrate September 1st, so keep watching this space for more information!

Till later,
Caesar...

Testimonial - Corvette Wallace

Corvette first purchased her Z-CoiL SideWinder Sandals about a year ago. She came into the store using a cane and suffering from leg, foot and back pain. These conditions led to weight gain, which only caused the problems to worsen. Corvette is on her feet all day working in a Pharmacy, so she needed something to help reduce the pain.

"Since purchasing my Z-CoiL's, I've lost weight, been able to walk everywhere, and work 9-12 hour days with energy to spare!" says Corvette. "Before, I was in such pain that I was using a cane and a great deal of pain medications. Not any more!" she concludes.

Corvette told us that she had not used her cane since a short time after she purchased Z-CoiL's and that she does not miss it one bit!

Till later,
Caesar...

Testimonial - Lynn and Richard Bennett

Lynn and Richard Bennett first came into our store a couple of years ago and both were suffering from back issues. The Bennetts own a clock and novelty item store in Capitola, CA called Hour Place. Besides their store, they both work full time jobs, so they are kept quite busy!

Lynn is an Administrative Specialist for the local school district in Santa Cruz. She currently has three pair of Z-CoiL's which includes the pair of Black Taos Straps that she purchased today.

"I have suffered from back pain for years resulting from a back injury on the job," says Lynn. "I have been doing chiropractic care for the past 7-8 years. It had definitely helped but I still needed regular treatments.

"Since having my Z-CoiL's, I have only seen the chiropractor once or twice in the past couple of years! I am able to walk several miles and stand for long periods of time without pain," Lynn concludes.

Richard also works as a grocery clerk full-time and currently owns two pairs of Z-CoiL's.

"In the grocery business, I am on my feet 9 hours a day, and with a second job, my days are 14 hours long!" says Richard. "Since purchasing Z-CoiL's, I have had minimal to no back problems. I am able to stay on hard concrete floors for extended periods of time with no problems. Using store equipment (handtrucks, forklifts, etc.) is not a problem.

"I was a frequent visitor (once a week) to the chiropractor. Since my first purchase of Z-CoiL's nearly two years ago, I have seen the chiropractor 3 times for a routine adjustment. He asked to see the 'miracle shoes' that have taken away his income. I did with pride!" adds Richard.

They were on their way through town returning from a buying convention for their store, which was 3 days of walking on concrete floors for many miles. They commented that without the Z-CoiL's, they could not have done it!

If you are in the Capitola area, make sure you stop by and visit them in their store. They have many unique items that are great for the home or make wonderful gifts! You can visit their web site at www.hourplace.com.



Till later,
Caesar...

Watch this space!!

So, you might ask, "What am I watching for?" Well, I can't tell you yet... but I know you will like it! It's very, very special and people will be envious... Just a few weeks of suspense...

Till later,
Caesar...

What a Great Day!

Number one: I am alive, healthy, pain-free and doing something I love!
Number two: We had a lot of customers in the store today!
Number three: We made a whole lot of people much happier and in less pain than they were before they walked into the store!

What else can you ask for?

The customers today ran the gamut from foot issues to lower back issues to hip issues... In all cases today, the people felt much better than before they visited us! All of them had immediate relief while walking in Z-CoiL's. One person was amazed with the amount of cushioning that she felt and how it really reduced the impact on her back. Another thought we did something to her old shoes, because when she put them back on, they felt horrible, and she had always thought that they were the most comfortable shoes ever invented!

Can I guarantee that everyone that tries on a pair of Z-CoiL's will get some amount of relief immediately? No! But what I can guarantee is that we will do the best possible job to make you as comfortable as possible and relieve as much pain as possible so you can live a more normal, pain free life.

Until later,
Caesar...

Adidas 1

The Adidas 1 is the newest impact reduction footwear on the market retailing at $250. So, we decided to test them out to see how they performed against the Z-CoiL footwear. Adidas describes them as follows:

- Using a magnetic sensor beneath the heel, the adidas_1 monitors changes in impact, pace and ground condition 1,000 times per second.
- A tiny microprocessor, beneath the arch, is the brain of the shoe; capable of 5 million decisions every second; It reads the data from the sensor and uses it to figure out the level of cushioning you need.
- Then the microprocessor sends instructions to a small but powerful motor that adjusts the cushioning level to give you the optimal level of performance

Sounds great, right? Well, my 16 year old cross country track runner decided to put them to the test. Here's a brief synopsis of the shoe from Matt:

"I am a 16 year old cross country runner for Los Gatos High School who has experienced severe pain in my knees due to growing pains. The terrain that I ran was a combination of asphalt roads, running trails and mountain dirt trails. It varied from very flat to very steep with most of it being on hilly terrain. It has 5 different softness settings, so I set it on the softest to help with my knee issues.

"The shoe was much heavier than any of my other running shoes due to the extra weight of the magnet, spring, cable and microprocessor. The material on the shoe was very stiff and I received blisters in the heel and on the side of the ball of my foot the first time I ran in them. After some modifications of the heel and some point stretching on the ball, the blister issue was resolved. The front sole of the shoe, though, was stiff which made going up hill difficult. They did reduce the impact on my knees and reduce the pain while running.

"After 67 miles and less than two weeks, the right shoe started rattling and felt different than the left shoe. The magnet had come loose in the heel and the microprocessor was not sensing the impact correctly, causing issues with my right knee. I exchanged those for a new pair, made the same adjustments for the heel and ball of the foot and began the trial again. After 34 miles and less than one week, the left shoe was rattling and once again the magnet had come loose. This time, the shoe would constantly adjust itself from soft to hard to soft again while running! These wreaked havoc on my knees to say the least! It was decided not to try a third pair for fear of causing injury.

"I would not recommend these shoes to anyone!" concludes Matt.

As you can see, the shoe did not hold up. With the Z-CoiL's, we can replace and repair the heel if necessary. Also, the uppers of the Z-CoiL are much softer and can be stretched easily if necessary. We have no batteries nor microprocessors so the longevity of the shoe is greater and care of the shoe is much easier.

Revolutionize the shoe industry? I don't think so... at least not with the Adidas 1.

Till later,
Caesar...

Hip day!

Today was an interesting day in that all customers had hip issues!

The first person of the day had already undergone two hip replacements and it was time to get one replaced again. Just like our "real" hips, artificial hips will wear out to. This young lady came into the store limping and it was evident that she was in pain. She tried on a pair of Z-CoiL's and walked around a bit. After just a few moments, she just stood in one place, shifting her weight from one leg to another and said "Hmmmmmm." I asked if that was a good "Hmmmmmm" or a bad "Hmmmmmm!" She replied that she could not believe it but her hip wasn't hurting! She walked around a bit more, but decided she needed to do some more research on Z-CoiL's before she took the plunge and invested in this unique footwear. I think she will be back... and she's probably reading this as I write!

Another person had a hip replacement and her other hip was starting to go. She did not want to go through another surgery at age 71, so that brought her into our store. After wearing them for awhile, her daughter noticed that she was not limping in the Z-CoiL's! It took awhile to fit her due to her pronation, but I think we got it!

There were several other hip issues also, and we managed to get Z-CoiL's on their feet and in all cases, the pain was greatly reduced or totally disappeared.

The bottom line is that the natural shock absorption that we have does wear out over time. Z-CoiL's add that shock reduction back, supplementing what you have left, and the net effect is that the pain is reduced or eliminated!

Till later,
Caesar...