About a week ago I went shopping for some tennis shoes. It was a total spontaneous trip, however a much needed one. I work out in the gym 3-4 days a week and the shoes I was using were flat and cheap and hurt my feet most of the time. There are a few things about me, and shoe shopping that you should know, though. First, I hate shoe shopping. GASP! I know, I’m not normal. Two, I have a really difficult time spending the appropriate amount of money on shoes. It just seems so absurd to get expensive shoes when you get go to Payless and…well, pay less. Third, the whole experience just sucks. Did I mention I hate shoe shopping??Okay, so I go into The Shoe Depot in the mall, and start looking at the tennis shoes. I need something to wear to the gym that won’t make my feet hurt, and costs under $40, that is not what I say out loud, but as I’m looking – these are my unspoken requirements. I have a high arched feet, and the trouble is, many of the shoes in my price range are flat. They may have padding, but not in the ever-so-needed arch of the foot. So I’m looking and looking, trying different styles on. Oh, another unspoken requirement – I don’t want a cheesy looking shoe, it has to look good! Anyway, I’m not finding anything, and the entire time I’m avoiding these Sketchers Shape Ups, because I can’t see how these are going to help me when I’m weight lifting in the gym. They are more for fast-walkers, right? Well after trying on 10 or 12 pairs, I put a pair of shape-ups on, mostly out of curiosity.
My first reaction: BEST SHOES I’VE EVER PUT ON IN MY ENTIRE LIFE!!! The curved bottom of the shoe curves the shoe right up into that arch of my foot. It felt like Heaven compared to the flat wedged shoe I was currently wearing. I was still hesitant in buying them though, because I still wasn’t sure that the shoes were what I needed to meet my needs. After vacillating for a little bit, taking the shoe off, putting it back on, walking around, commenting to my patient husband as to how good they felt, I finally decided to give them a shot. They were on sale for $37 or something close to that, meeting my price expectations as well. I walked out of the store, and immediately sat down to put the shoes on. I LOVE these shoes. I opted for the Mary Jane style, because they were the cheapest at the time, but now, I am so glad I did.
So I wear the shoes to the gym on Monday, elliptical, no problems, and since I wasn’t working legs, the rest of my work out was fine too. The next day, I was wearing long black pants, and the thought occurred to me; I bought Mary Jane styled tennis shoes. Unlike the picture shown, mine do not have white stitching, so the brand name isn’t obvious, neither are the lines of the shoe. I bet the shoes would look just fine with my dress clothes. And…of course they did. No one has noticed (or said anything at least) and I’m wearing the most comfortable shoes I own all day. I love these shoes! I don’t really want to wear any of my other shoes…except for maybe flip flops. Unfortunately they don’t look all that great with a dress, so I do have to keep them in the gym bag some days, but mostly, I wear them almost all the time now. I have never been happier with a shoe purchase in all my life!
As for their claims – I have no idea how they work. I don’t know if they are tightening my calves or abs, or shaping my butt, or helping my posture. Remember, I was already working out regularly before I bought them, and I’m not noticing any difference in my exercising. But I didn’t buy them for that reason. I bought them for comfort, and am a satisfied customer!
