Grey swing tank | White crop bra top | Marble leggings | Black sneakers | Sunglasses | Apple Watch
A few weeks ago, one of y’all sent me a message on snapchat and suggested I do a post on my favorite running shoes, or best athletic shoes…and I LOVED that idea. First of all – I love when y’all send me suggestions for posts! Because I always want to be creating content that you’re actually interested in. Second of all, I think that’s such a great question, because the shoes I wear for a 6-mile run are completely different than the shoes I’ll wear to a class at the gym or to weight train in.
Best athletic shoes: for weight-lifting / cross-training / classes at the gym
My favorite shoes for cross-training (pretty much anything but running), are the Nike Free RN running shoes I’m wearing in the photos above. I also have and love the Nike Free RN Distance running shoes in white (pictured below).
Obviously (hence the name), you can also use these shoes for running. I personally have just never loved running in Nikes (it’s just a personal preference thing). But, for weight lifting, or the Metabolic Conditioning class I take at Equinox, or taking Beau for walks…or pretty much any other life activity, these shoes are bomb. I loved them so much that I told my mom about them. She bought them in white and loves them as much as I do!
First of all – they’re adorable. Just this weekend my mom wore her’s with a pair of Lou & Grey joggers and they looked so cute. But they are also insanely comfortable. Most days, I wear these sneakers to Flywheel in the morning and then don’t change or take them off until that night and my feet NEVER hurt. I’ve also worn them in classes that involve jumping and they provide plenty of support.
Best athletic shoes: for distance running
This is a tough one because every runner is different. Everyone has a different type of foot with different needs and a difference preference. SO first off – I recommend you go to a place like Luke’s Locker or Run-On. Have one of their employees watch you walk/run, and they will be able to make great suggestions based on the way you walk and the type of foot you have.
BUT for me personally, I love Newton’s, and my second choice would be ASICS.
I am a neutral runner – meaning I don’t pronate or supinate. My feet just go straight. I’ve never had any feet/knee problems so I don’t need a ton of support, so Newton’s work great for me. I love Newton’s because in my opinion, they are the most natural running shoe. By that I mean, the level platform of the shoe aligns with the human body and puts you in a position to run most naturally. A little bit about the technology of the Newtons (from their website): The secret sauce powering the speed of Newton Running shoes is its proprietary Action/Reaction™ Technology. Generated by the active movement of the lugs, Action/Reaction Technology creates a responsive, trampoline-like cushioning system that provides quicker bounce-back and loses less energy than a traditional foam-core running shoe.
Basically I love these shoes because they provide enough support, but not too much. It feels like natural running and the lugs underneath your toe box help improve speed (or they did with me) because they make you run more on your toes. And they are also super light!
If you need a little more support though (or just don’t like the feel of Newton’s), ASICS are totally the way to go.
I alternate back and forth between my Newton’s and my ASICS (I’ll use my ASICS about once every 5 runs). ASICS are an AMAZING shoe whether you are a beginner runner, or you’ve been running marathons for years. They are extremely reliable and provide amazing support. The ones I’m wearing in the photo above are great for neutral runners, but ASICS creates tons of shoes for people who pronate or need more arch support, and everything in between.
To be honest – Newton’s are not for everyone. You either love them or you hate them. So, if you’re new to running or unsure of what shoes to get, ASICS are probably a safer bet!
Do you have any favorite athletic shoes – for running or cross training? If so, I’d love to hear! I’m always down to try something new!
xo Lauren
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