Humble brag: I do *a lot* of walking. But not necessarily for fitness (I mostly save that for the gym). We live within walking distance of my youngest daughter’s elementary school, so I walk her to and from school. I also have a 1-year-old dog who needs her fair share of exercise (read: tiring out) so we regularly walk the streets of our neighborhood.
However, I didn’t realize how much I needed walking sneakers until very recently. A couple of months ago, I received a few pairs of walking sneakers to test out and see if they deserved a spot in our walking shoe review. Tough job, right? Anyway, after a few weeks, I was quite impressed with one pair in particular, the Reebok Women’s DMX Comfort + Sneakerwhich is now on sale for as low as $48 during Amazon October Prime Day.
Reebok Women’s DMX Comfort + Sneaker
Amazon
When I put the shoes on, I was immediately greeted by the cloud-like soles, and there was a nice combination of shock absorption and springiness to my stride. I’m guessing that’s thanks to the shoe’s DMX cushioning, which is touted as moving air from heel to toe with every step for that springy feeling. This cushy support even relieved some knee pain for me one weekend: I’d been on my feet all day and had already logged upwards of 10,000 steps when my right knee started aching. I took off the different pair of sneakers I was wearing and laced up these Reeboks—within an hour, my knee pain had subsided.
The knit upper has just enough stretch that the toe box gives my toes room to move and stretch, but there’s also a sense of snugness. Some sneakers, especially if I’ve walked a lot that day, will irritate the top of my foot, but this shoe never did that. Looking at the shoe specs on Reebok’s site, the tongue is padded—a feature I never thought to consider.
Another EatingWell editor told me that these walking sneakers are waterproof, so I was excited to test that feature. It was kismet when someone accidentally emptied a 16-ounce water bottle onto my foot. My sock stayed completely dry!
Now, in all my years of shoe testing, I haven’t found a pair that doesn’t come with at least a few drawbacks—but the cons of these Reebok walking shoes are minimal. My biggest complaint? I ordered the “feel-good blue” color and found that it showed dirt pretty quickly. Additionally, the tread is fine for walking on pavement, but there isn’t enough grip to wear them on a dirt or gravel trail. And lastly, they really are just a walking shoe. I tried running in them and wearing them to the gym for a HiiT-like class and I found them too springy and cushiony for those applications.
While they’re usually $80, these Reebok walking shoes are now up to 40% off for Amazon Prime Big Deal Days. But if they aren’t for you, don’t worry: We’ve tested many, many, many shoes here at EatingWell. And these two pairs below are some of our most recent editor faves:
Brooks Ghost 16
Amazon
This is a walking shoe favorite among EatingWell editors. “They’re quite comfortable, giving you ‘squish’ without feeling unstable or like you’re walking on a platform,” says commerce editor Katie Tuttle. In addition to walking, she found they worked well in her HiiT classes: “They definitely made exercises like burpees and jumping rope less painful on the knees and feet,” says Tuttle. Quick sizing tip, though: They seem to run about a half size small, so consider sizing up.
Brooks Ghost Max
Amazon
Turns out, a lot of the EatingWell team likes Brooks’ sneakers. The Ghost Max is one of Kristin Montemarano’s current walking shoe favorite. And they’re also up to 37% off right now for Prime Big Deal Days.
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