Thanks to The Parent Bloggers Network, I've been testing a pair of Ryka MC2 Walk shoes every time I hit the treadmill at the gym for the last several weeks. The fact that this pregnant lady, who's gaining girth by the minute, can make it to the gym at all is in and of itself fairly impressive. What's even more impressive, however, are these shoes. I can't say enough good things about them. But, before I do, let me give you some background on what I'd been using before they were delivered to my doorstep.
Just six months after my daughter's birth, when I joined a gym and started working out again (OK, who am I kidding? When I started working out for the FIRST TIME EVER...), the tennis shoes in my closet were the saddest looking pieces of limp leather you'd ever seen. Man, were they ugly. The tops grazed just above my ankles making it look like I had cankles and we all know how glamorous that look is. These babies had been in my closet as far back as the days when I used to scream the lyrics to every song on Jagged Little Pill. 'Nuff said.
Luckily I started working out with a trainer who schooled me in the finer points of shoe-osity. Well, what he did was hand me a list of trainer-approved shoes and pointed me in the direction of Foot Locker. The first pair I tried on were the ones I bought even though they cost around $100. What did I know? Shoes are shoes, right? And, I figured, the more you spend on them the better they must be, right? Wrong! They were comfortable enough but after just a few short months of wear, they got floppy (and yes, that's the technical term). Arch support was no longer on the agenda.
By this time I'd ditched my trusty trainer (damn, but those guys are expensive!) and so, without a shoe guru to guide me, I bought another pair of the same shoes hoping that the floppiness was unique only to the first pair I'd purchased.
Of course you can probably see it coming: that pair started to flop as well. I gave up trying to find the perfect pair and stuck it out on my treks to the treadmill without the firm arch support I craved.
Then, I met my Rykas. From the moment I slipped them on my feet I felt as content as Cinderella when she donned the glass slipper, beating out her bitchy step-sisters and winning the heart of the prince.
Not only do these shoes provide awesome arch support but they fit snugly and comfortably all while being attractive too, which is of the utmost importance when you're carrying a bowling ball around your middle at the gym (playing up my more attractive parts--slim ankles anyone?--helps keep the Pregnant Self-esteem Monster at bay for another day). One of the biggest pluses? They're $20 cheaper than the brand I'd been using (Which I won't name here. Why give publicity to the floppy shoe pushers of the world? Email me if you must know.).
I've been pregnant before so I've already come to terms with the fact that the swelling is on it's way and no shoe, no matter how spectacular, will save me from the eventual Dawn of the Cankles. But until then I'll happily lace up my Rykas and head to the gym knowing that when people are staring at me it'll be because they're jealous of my shoes instead of wondering if I'm going to deliver a baby, right then and there, under the weight machine.
Be sure to visit Ryka's contest. They're giving away 50 shirts and 50 pairs of shoes a day through October 5! And, visit The Parent Bloggers round up of Ryka reviews to learn more about Ryka walking and running shoes.