What girl doesn't love shoes? <----this is the only Smiley with shoes. And what guy doesn't appreciate a good comfortable shoe to work out in? I know I've come to the right place for this question.

What I'm looking for is a COMFORTABLE athletic shoe to wear, either to the gym to ride the bike & lift weights in, or to walk around the river in, if the weather's nice. I had some $20 ones from Kmart, and as great as they looked & fit, they hurt my feet after awhile. I walked 2 miles in them for my Walk For PKD & my feet KILLED for the rest of the day.

So my question is, what brand of shoes do you find work best for you? Where did you get them and what do you use them for? Approximately how much did you pay, if you don't mind my asking? I want the guys opinions too b/c I'm not averse to going over to the men's department & buying shoes there.

American Aimee - I am addicted to my runners!! At first I bought them for their pretty-ness, but I can't even tell you how comfortable they are. I have Nike Shox, I use them for walking, running, jogging, weights, jumping rope, and have worn them on a hike before. I normally get extremely sore feet, and sometimes can't exercise at all because of that, but these have been SO good for that. I also have wide feet, and while they aren't marketed as for being for wide feet, they've worked really well for me. OH! And I've always have the problem where runners pinch my baby toe and force it into the one beside it, this hasn't happened with these shoes either. As for the price? 100 bucks seems to be a going rate for them, you can get them on sale because late years colour doesn't really make a huge different in the comfort

What I would suggest is to find a pair that is comfortable, doesn't matter if it's a cross trainer, walker, or running shoe. Recently my mom went to the New Balance store and the guy helped her find shoes for "her feet", they felt fine, but she worn them once and was in crippling pain.

Those are my two cents.. uhm, but I say get nike shox, heh.. only b/c they worked so well for me..

-the other Aimee

I'd suggest going a getting fitted at a good athletic shoe store. They will be able to analyze your gait and fit you with shoes that will be/should be perfect for you - and if they aren't after a few days, you should be able to return them. Your old shoes must have been awful for your feet to hurt that bad after 2 miles.

Everyone is going to have a different favorite! My favorite athletic shoe is the Brooks Synergy 2. It's a "walker" technically, but I use it for everything I do...at the gym on ellipticals, stairmasters, bikes, treadmills, doing weights, walking outside, lunges, squats...EVERYTHING! (I do not run.) My knees stopped hurting once I started working out in them and my feet to not hurt either. I'll be the first to admit, it's not a "pretty" shoe and I actually resisted trying it on the first time because of the appearance - just very boring to me - but once I put it on, I've never worn another tennis shoe. I used to buy men's shoes since I have big feet, 10.5D's, but these in women's sizing fit perfect. Cost is $100+tax.

I love my K-Swiss for working out. They are really comfy and super light-weight. Most style's run for about the $60-$75 range, but they change styles really often so if you can get an "old" model they're usually on sale.

I wear Saucony. I have very low medial malleoli (the ankle bones on the inside of your ankle) and Saucony are the only brand I have ever found that don't rub. I get mine at Lady Foot Locker and I find an occasional pair at Shoe Pavilion (they don't help you at all with fitting there, but I know after all this time what works for me).

ABSOLUTELY pay money for good shoes. Especially for heavier exercisers, good shoes are the most important investment you will make toward getting fit. The $20 shoes at KMart aren't supportive enough to protect your foot from the impact of exercising, as you've discovered. I can pay $60 for a pair of shoes, or get 2 pair for $90, or the pair I found at Shoe Pavilion were $40. I'm willing to pay the price because they're for my feet, and I kinda need those to stay in good working order.

I swear by my New Balance. I have had several pairs of running, walking and cross training shoes over the years made by NB and they have all worn really well and are the only ones which do not pinch my toes (like Nikes do) or kill my arch. I buy a half size up (9.5D) so I can fit my ortho inserts into them. I really love NB because they usually have a wide range of widths, from A to E in womens, and up to EEE for men. I usually get them at Famous Footwear or Sears or the Sports Authority, ranging from $39 up to $80 per pair depending on if they're a new model or not. I prefer Famous Footwear 'cause i can use their frequent buyer $10 off coupons for a really good deal. Right now I walk an average of 3.5 miles a day on ashpalt, pavement and dirt, and am using a cross trainer. I am now looking for what NB calls a country walker type shoe, with more of a deeper, rugged tread.

I am partial to Nike. I have tried just about every one of the "cheaper shoes" and they all end up wearing out quickly and my feet, knees and back hurt. I recently went and got another pair of Nike (not sure which kind) but they are men's because I have found them to be more comfortable than women's, and my body hasn't bothered me at all. I wear them for the gym (1 hour of cardio, 45 min of circuit training 5 days a week), to the grocery store and to walk in and my feet haven't hurt since I bought them. Neither has anything else. I paid about $60 for them but the amount of pain it's saved was well worth the money. Not to mention the fact that I can actually make it through a workout without having to stop because of the pain and joint tiredness I felt before with cheaper brands. Everyone has a personal fav. I have tried other good brands in the past too: K Swiss, Reebok, sketchers but I found that for me Nike came out on top as far as support, comfort, and lastability. But no matter what you choose you should try to make it a "good brand" of shoe because not only can bad shoes be a waste of money you could hurt yourself in many different ways by wearing a bad shoe to walk or workout in.

I love new balance.
A lady at work has a low arch and knee problems. Her orthopedist told her brooks or avia. She has gotten Avia and wears them with everything. She says they make a world of difference for her knees.

I am a Saucony lover! I was having problems with my heels doing high impact excercise, and the Sauconys have fantastic heel support. I am a firm believer in you get what you pay for. I usually pay between 90 to 120 (Canadian) for my running shoes. They are worth every penny and I find I can do lot more with them.

I've been loving my New Balance - for a while I swore by my Adidas but I've totally switched over to New Balance.

~Dee

Another rave about New Balance. Having wide feet it is hard to find something that fits well and New Balance are the ONLY athletic shoes (in the US anyway) that come in wide widths. Love them! Great quality and comfort for the money. It seems like they have a shoe for everyone.

Sara

i'm a big nike fan.when i used to play alot of rugby our fitness coach told me that if you train regularly and weigh over 85kgs your should change your shoes every 3 months. i have kept this up regularly and since then i've never had shin splints or any foot probs ever since

I wear Saucony and New Balance for walking and just in general. When I started running, I went to an athletic store and got fitted, as someone else suggested. The brand I got from the athletic store is Brooks, which I'd never heard of before, but I see that Mom2 wears them, too. They're pretty expensive, and I only wear them when I run. Even though I live in the state where Nikes were developed, I dislike Nikes immensely.

I agree with Si about changing shoes every three months if you work out regularly, and if you're heavy.

I have Nike Air (Walkers) and I LOVE them!

Hey Si and Sheila, you are giving me a reason to buy shoes I have a pair of Merell's that I love (love love love), that I use for light hiking days and every day wear. I have a pair of NB hikers that I use for heavier duty hikes and hikes I am not familiar with. I have a pair of old Nikes that I use for gym days. I'm actually thinking if I could get another pair of the Merell's that I could use my other ones for the gym. Although I guess it would be silly to wear hiking shoes to the gym. Maybe I'll look into some Saucony shoes, I've heard a lot of good things about them.