Ryka Women's Training Shoes - Lightweight Gym Shoes for Women with Cushioned Support - Perfect for Running, Cross Training & Workouts

I was immediately surprised when I put these on right out of the box, they felt so comfortable, like they were my good old worn and true exercise sneakers. Nothing hurt.Pros:- There is ample room in the toe box area, so there are *no* toes being pinched, and the tops *don't* press down on the big toe.- The entire ankle area is well cushioned. And there is *nothing* hard inside the ankle cushions that you feel digging into your ankles (like other Ryka models I tried).- The tongue fits perfectly. It is not too short, nor too long. It does *NOT* dig into your upper ankle. You don't feel it at all. It doesn't shift around while exercising.- There is a harder protective layer on the toe edges to prevent injury from bumping toes.- The material is breathable so your feet don't sweat.- The tops of the shoes are soft and flexible, and very bendable. When you bend your foot, you do not feel any part of the shoe creating hard creases that dig into the tops of your feet (like some other models I tried).- The laces are made of quality material. It is very easy to tie and untie.- The shoe is very supportive in lateral movements. They hold your feet firmly, so you don't feel like your feet are sliding around inside, which is especially important in the forefoot area. They may appear narrow and too tapered at the front, but there is just enough room to not cramp your toes, while keeping your feet firmly supported.- Great for Step exercises and for turning type moves in HIIT exercises. Shoes are light weight and don't have a high platform, so you don't lose your balance landing on a Step.- The insoles are great. They are not too hard, nor the mushy memory foam type which I hate in exercises shoes. Therefore, you get just enough cushion for impact and not too much cushion dragging you down for lift off.- I have very flat feet, and often have pain with sneakers that have stiff built-in arches that push hard into my feet. These have an arch, but they are not the hard, stiff type; they give comfortably and don't push into the bottoms of your feet.Cons:- Wish there was a little more padding in the balls of the foot for high impact, but it is sufficient to do the moves without pain.