I Got New Kicks!!

Until this week, I've been rocking the same pair of workout sneakers for the last 2 years... I got them while I was living on Cape Cod during an impromptu TJ Maxx shopping spree with my friend April around Easter of 2011. At the time, I loved them - a brand new pair of workout sneaks will do wonders for your exercise motivation, and I felt awesome as hell in my new pink and greys.

That pair of workout sneakers feels way less awesome and snazzy two years later. It's not exactly my fault that I waited this long to replace them. Oh, whose fault is it, you ask?

NEON'S.

That's whose.

I know you noticed the absolutely obnoxious assortment of workout sneaker colors that have been all the rage in the last 12-16 months. You couldn't walk past a Foot Locker without putting your sunglasses on - the most ridiculous 90's neon color combinations were just assaulting your eyeballs from the storefronts. I blame it on the 2012 Olympians... they were all sporting the worst neon yellow highlighter sneakers that this side of the year 1994 has ever seen.

Apparently I was the only one who got the memo that your workout sneakers don't need to be so visually abrasive. I could not bring myself to buy any of those shoes, no matter how badly I needed a new pair. I'm someone who listens to my gut when shopping - if I get a really great "feeling" when I see an item, I know that it's my style and that I should try it on or buy it. It's like having a very quick conversation with every item I see in a store.

And every conversation I had with those ridiculous neon sneakers ended with me saying, "NOPE."

Thank goddddd that the tides are turning and the colors are returning to normal! I was finally able to find some sneakers that don't look like they belong on a space mission!

.  no shades required for viewing  .

They're Nike IN-Season TR2's and they are not wack. They even have a fancy gel cushion on the inside. My last Nikes were not cross-trainers - they were actually running shoes. Now that I know better, I definitely wanted to make sure my next workout sneaks were cross-trainers. The biggest difference that I can point out between the two is the thickness of the sole, and thus the distance that your feet/heels are from the ground. Closer to the ground, your foot and ankle are more stable and less likely to roll. So if you're doing something like squats (where it's important that your footing is stable and your ankle doesn't roll), you'll want a training shoe. If you're doing mostly running, it's more important to have the right support to cushion that high-impact activity and you would want a thicker, more cushiony sole. #Learnin.

I've worn these to the gym once already and they felt great. They fit really well (I wear a size 8), they're pretty lightweight, and - most importantly - they are not neon orange with highlighter-yellow stripes and neon teal swooshes.

And! There was a sale going on - buy one pair get another half off - so I jumped on it as an opportunity to scoop up something else I'd been wanting: a pair of all-white, low-top Chucks!

.  fresh  .

I like to have a couple pairs of the high-tops at all times, but this is my first pair of the low-top Chucks. These were running huge and I had to buy them in a size 7.5, which I haven't worn since middle school. I was also looking for some all-white Adidas shell toes, but those were nowhere to be found so they'll have to wait for another day I suppose. I went through a few pairs of those in college and they're classicccccs. In the meantime, these new low-tops are going to get plenty of use this spring and summer!

This was definitely a spur-of-the-moment shoe shopping trip. I was just so surprised to not be appalled at the sneakers in the front of the Foot Locker that I had to take advantage of it and just pull the trigger on some new kicks. The best part is that each pair of sneakers cost way less than I'd expected to have to pay for them when they went onto my List Of Shit To Get. Holllllla!

And now, some Jay-Z and some Justin Timberlake to celebrate them going on tour together:





What do you use for workout sneakers? I'd be very curious to know!