This morning I hit the gym for the first time of 2012. Not only did I feel like the energizer bunny (thanks to paleo/primal foods!) I wore some new athletic shoes thanks to the fine people at PlanetShoes. Last month they sent me a pair of the “new” New Balance shoes, called NewSky. I already have some New Balance minimalist shoes in black and pink, though not this version and I love them so I was excited to try NewSky. I absolutely adore the blue/grey coloring (I was getting sick of pink) and these shoes come in wide width so they are way more comfortable than my other ones. Yes, those are my pasty white legs in the photo above. I don’t usually wear shorts in the snow but I haven’t done any laundry since the week before Christmas. I got some pretty strange looks at the gym today, LOL. Shorts and a parka isn’t a good combo?
Anyway, NewSky shoes are special because they are a much greener version of the classic shoe. They are minimalist and uber lightweight, which is important to me. You also know as you lace them up that the material they are made of is different. 95% of the upper section is made of recycled P.E.T, also known as recycled plastic bottles. Cool beans! I often hesitate to buy products that make the same claim because who wants to sleep on a pillow filled with plastic bottle filling or wear a shirt made of plastic bottles, but shoes are perfect. I always wear socks with them so they don’t come in contact with skin and athletic shoes typically wear out so fast that it is reassuring to know they are made from recycled materials. Also in order to make a shoe with so much recycled material they had to completely redesign it and that meant reduced waste overall. All of the inner materials you see in typical shoes like foam and reinforcer materials are not there. This makes the material very soft and pliable, not stiff. It is evident in putting on the shoe since you need to mold it your foot and then lace it up. This makes NewSky very different from other shoes but I personally think this it is rather awesome. The fit feels custom and perfect, like I am not even wearing shoes.
Cool fact: Each pair of NewSky shoes uses 8 20 ounce plastic bottles.
I first wore these on a quick two mile hike earlier this week. They were comfortable from the get-go and I never got a hint of a blister despite them being brand new. I can’t say the same of my other New Balance shoes. Today I wore them to the gym. I had to take them off before I jumped in the pool of course but afterwards I did some weight training and they performed well. I think these will be prefect for colder days when I can’t wear Vibram Five Fingers as I normally do.
Love the fit, love the comfort, and I love that they are made from recycled materials. They get an A+ from me! If you are interested NewSky shoes come in the blue/grey you see above as well as pink and a yellow/green combo. They also have NewSky shoes for men.
Contest Closed! The winner is Debbie Clauer, congrats!
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