Hey, Nike Made a Walking Shoe

You know I’m a runner. I’m running my 11th Broad Street run this weekend. But I am open to all forms of fitness and walking seems to be very much on trend right now, as ridiculous as that sounds. Maybe it started with the hot girl walk and grew with the recent lifting trend because too much cardio will kill your muscle gains. There is even a newly added walking category in the Harrisburg half marathon!

A bunch of my friends have ditched the intense cardio and added regular walks to their schedule. And here is why walking is the “it” way to exercise. Anybody at any level and at any age can walk. Walking is free. Walking is convenient and available wherever you are. You don’t need to belong to a fancy gym to walk. Walking will burn calories and help you lose weight. Walking will improve your heart health just like any form of cardio. Walking will strengthen your joints, muscles and bones (and obviously, walking is much better on your joints than some other forms of cardio). Walking can lower your blood pressure and reduce your risk of chronic disease. Walking also does wonders on your mental health. Walking will lift your mood, reduce stress and improve your sleep. Walking has even been shown to jumpstart your immune system.

One of my friends recently introduced me to a sneaker made for walking, and as soon as I saw it, I knew I had to share this unique shoe with you all. Nike is embracing the walking “trend” by creating their first sneaker made just for walking. Sure, you can walk in your running shoes (as long as they aren’t marathon shoes), but doesn’t this popular form of exercise deserve a sneaker all its own?

Meet the Motiva, Nike’s first walking sneaker. Motiva takes the elements of comfort, durability and support and delivers a shoe that is made for a walk, a jog, a stroll, a trek, a march, a stride… or even a run, if you must.

So why is this shoe good for walking? For one, it’s very cushiony, comfy and bouncy. That bounce will move you along. And that bounce comes from the exaggerated rocker of the shoe. The rocker is that curve along the sole of the shoe. And this sole has a big curve. The curved shape naturally propels the foot forward.

Another special feature and what makes this sneaker unique are the groves along the bottom of the sole. These bumps help disperse the impact of the pavement underneath you as you walk. The bumps also hit pressure points on the foot, adding to the ultimate comfort of the Motiva.

I am a huge fan of the Motiva myself because this sneaker single handedly helped me survive the family vacation in Disney World last week. It was in Orlando that I put the Motiva to the ultimate walking test: 12 hours, 3 parks and 20,000 steps. These sneakers held up to the intensity of walking around Disney World, Hollywood Studios and Epcot, while pushing strollers, holding kids, racing to lightening lanes and jumping aboard rides. I was energized in my Motivas and it wasn’t just the Mickey pretzels and Dole whip. You really are bouncy, comfortable and so cute in this shoe.

I love how the Motiva looks on my feet, too. It’s way more stylish than my usual running sneakers. And I’ll attribute that to the sleek silhouette, large cushiony sole, and great colors. You might even need more than one pair to match those cute hot girl walk ‘fits!

Speaking of ‘fits, every fabulous shoe needs an equally fabulous outfit. And Nike has all of the strutting ladies out there covered head to toe. The Indy and the Swoosh bras are best for the low to medium impact exercise of walking. And I like them paired with a medium support legging like the Universa. Don’t be deceived by the term “low impact” though. I found these pieces to offer great support.

If you want to score a pair of Motivas (or anything else from Nike) at 15% off, head into the beautiful new Nike Rise store in the King of Prussia Mall (located right across from Nordstrom, on the second floor). This store focuses on “Serving Her” through key women’s fitness products. They also have a nice selection of men’s and children’s clothes in this huge store. When you download the Nike App and use it for the first time in the store, you’ll get 15% off your purchase, including the Motiva. And since the beautiful weather we had earlier this week has been overtaken by the clouds and rain this weekend, it’s a perfect time to go shopping.

*All photos in this post are clickable. And this post contains links that are commissionable for me, at no additional cost to you. Rest assure, I only write about products that I genuinely use and love, and that will never change!