Go Green Get Fit Challenge: Week 7 shoe review

I’m one of 30 bloggers participating in the 12-week Go Green, Get Fit Challenge as part of the EcoMom Alliance Sustain YourSelf™ Program presented by PlanetShoes.com. Every Saturday I’ll be posting about progress toward my goals and other aspects of the challenge. This post marks the end of my first week.

I was delighted with the news when Planet Shoes committed to sending participating Go Green Get Fit bloggers a pair of shoes to test and review during this challenge.

My foot is almost as wide as it is long! Well, that’s an exaggeration, but generally I need the “W” that’s difficult to find in many pairs I’d like to wear.

Happily, the kind folks at Planet Shoes chose three selections that either are available in wide or in a generously sized B. (Yay!)

My final choice was the Kalso Earth Shoe in the Prosper style.

What I like

Honestly I like just about everything about this shoe.

My feet tend to sweat in leather shoes so for physical activity, I prefer a mesh upper like these.
The gray is great as it doesn’t show the dirt as lighter colors do.
Good packaging. The inside box fit the outside shipping box perfectly and both are standard cardboard that can be recycled. The shoes came in reusable bags which I’ll definitely use for packing.
Super lightweight. This is especially important when I’m traveling, but it’s nice to know I’m not dragging around an extra two pounds when I’m exercising. (Some people add weight to their workouts. Not me).
The “soft heel” in back makes it easy to slip off the shoes without untying and perfectly suits the way I prefer to do it. Also this makes for a snug fit in back.
Thumbs up for the stretch laces. They stay tied!

And what I don’t

This is the first time I’ve ever worn a “negative heel sole.” This means that the heels are slightly lower than the toes. But because the Planet Shoes website says that these “mimic walking barefoot in sand by naturally positioning body over frame and so create a better walking motion that helps improve posture and reduce joint stress,” I thought they’d work well for my arthritic knee.

It took me an hour of walking around the house in them to get used to the heel being lower. It’s amazing how such a small thing is as annoying as a pebble in your shoe until magically you get used to it. Once I was, I took off for a walk.

Unfortunately, I quickly discovered these shoes are not padded enough for me.

It wasn’t the downward slope of the heel that was the problem. Because there is so little padding in the heel, I could feel a jolt with every step. Soon my bad knee started to ache. Uh oh.

Adding a pair of Dr. Scholl’s insoles helped. But I won’t be wearing these on my regular walks either outside or on the treadmill.

Instead, they’ll serve me much better for walking on the beach and bike riding. I don’t wear regular biking shoes, and after two rides with these have found they fit the fill perfectly.

And while these are touted as “vegan,” they are of course made of polyester and we all know where that comes from. Plus, they’re made in China, so not green on the travel-to-get-to-me front.

Although I’m disappointed that I can’t use them for exercise walking, I’ve made them my primary biking shoe and definitely will pack them whenever I expect to be ambling on a beach.

If you found this review helpful, please tweet:

RT @CelebrateGreen: Check out this review of Kalso Earth Shoes from @PlanetShoes for #GoGreenGetFit http://ow.ly/cTTH5

Note: I received a complimentary pair of shoes from Planet Shoes in order to review them. In no way does this review reflect any bias on my part for receiving the shoes. Please see this link for more information on our Disclosure Policy.

Lynn Colwell and Corey Colwell-Lipson are mother and daughter and authors of Celebrate Green! Creating Eco-Savvy Holidays, Celebrations and Traditions for the Whole Family, and founders of Green Halloween®.