Review of New Balance Fresh Foam

Recently on Tidy Away Today, we decided to branch out a bit and widen the topics we cover to include more family and lifestyle, as well as home interiors. So today I’m writing about the New Balance Fresh Foam trainers my eldest son and I were sent to recently to review. The New Balance Men’s Fresh Foam Boracay for Alex:

And the New Balance Women’s Fresh Foam Zante for me:

I’ve never been particularly fit or healthy but – apart from my three pregnancies – managed to keep my weight fairly steady over the years. However now in my forties, I’ve definitely noticed that I’ve been putting on a few pounds, the dreaded middle age spread. I know I can’t be complacent about my health & fitness if I want to stay feeling youthful for as long as possible.

So about six weeks ago I consciously started eating more healthily. I cut out all unnecessary snacking and ate sensible amounts at mealtimes, keeping all my food pretty wholesome. I felt really focused and only ate a bit of chocolate about two or three times in a month (which if you know what a chocoholic I am, that is amazing) – and it worked, I lost a few pounds. It’s not enough though; I also need to get moving more, so I also decided to embark on a ‘Couch Potato to 5K’ programme. But then a horrible summer cold put a spanner in the works and I started eating anything I wanted again and didn’t feel up to exercising. Now I’m over it I’m feeling motivated once more and the fitness programme has begun in earnest!

I don’t know about you, but having a great new pair of trainers is a motivating factor for me! But I am also concerned nowadays about not injuring or straining myself, so it was important for me to make sure I was wearing footwear that is designed for jogging/walking in and eventually (hopefully!) running.

My son who is thirteen really enjoys sport and has agreed to help me get fit. He plays a lot of rugby, tennis, basketball and football and will be my exercise partner. We started a couple of days ago; I got my fitness gear on (I’ve spared you the photos of that) and the New Balance Fresh Foam Zante trainers and we headed to the local recreation field. Alex challenged me to alternate walking and jogging between the rugby posts on the field while he cycled alongside encouraging me! I found that a good way to start from scratch. The only exercise I get normally is walking to school and back a couple of times a day, so I thought I’d be awful at this, but actually I wasn’t as breathless as I imagined I would be, which was heartening. I’m going to go to the field every other day (hopefully) to start with just to get my stamina up a bit before I properly start the Couch to 5k which I’ll then need to do three times per week.

If you don’t know about the programme, there’s an app you can download onto your phone which talks starts you off doing 5 minutes of walking, interspersed with a minute of running. Apparently you can get from zero to running 5K in 6 or 7 weeks’ time. It sounds unbelievable to someone like me, but I’m determined to give it a go and if it works for me then anyone will be able to do it. I’ll keep you posted (if I say that out loud, on here, I’ll have to stick to my promise!!).

The trainers themselves feel amazing on, they are light as a feather, so comfy, cushioned and bouncy. Alex said they’re like walking on a cloud and I would agree with that. You really get that springy ‘foam’ feel when you move and you can sense the impact being absorbed when you jump in them. (I think I could even handle a mega city centre shopping session in them, too!)

Alex looks way more cool in his than I do in mine, so here are some more pictures of him. He has been enjoying wearing them at the weekend with his jeans or shorts and has played tennis and basketball in them. He wore them on a school cinema and ice skating trip during the last week of term so he obviously likes the look of them as well as the comfort, which is important when you are a teen. In a breathable neoprene fabric, they seem to keep his feet cool all day which is what you want especially over the summer or if running a long distance.

And here’s a little pic of me wearing the womens Fresh Foam Zante:

With the New Balance signature ‘N’ on the side, they are bold and eye-catching and although I’m not a wearer of bright colours normally, I think trainers can look a bit dull without colour. These are really rich, vibrant and fun, with a hint of retro cool. The Fresh Foam Zante was also awarded Competitor Magazine’s ‘2015 road shoe of the year’.

If you are embarking on the road to fitness and are interested in checking this footwear out, these Fresh Foam Zante are in the Purple Cactus Flower with Blue colourway, currently £67 on the New Balance website (regular price £95) and although I can often be a size 4 or 4.5 in regular shoes and sandals, I’m finding this pair in size 5 just ideal for me – they fit me like a glove.

Alex’s Men’s Fresh Foam Boracay (regular price £95) are in Grey with Neon Green. Fresh Foam can also be bought in kids sizes up to a 13, for £40.