I’m no couch potato. Athleticism doesn’t come naturally to me, but I genuinely enjoy getting out there and making my body do what it thinks it can’t - and sometimes more. It’s truly empowering to physically challenge myself and triumph over my inner naysayer.

But when I’m pregnant, I tend to turn into the Stay-Puf marshmallow woman.

I’m tired. And hungry. I huff and puff after one trip up and down the stairs. If I’ve got enough energy for a walk, then I’m more likely to spend that energy trying to catch up on the mess that has overtaken my house. And then I’ll collapse on the sofa while the kids (and husband, truth be told) undo what I’ve just done.

Seems that a pleasant walk really would serve me better after all.

Thanks to RYKA and the Parent Bloggers Network, I have a new pair of kicks to show off. The MC2 Walk shoe is sleek and athletic, just as the product description says. More importantly, they make walking feel good, even for a pregnant woman who’d really rather sit on the sofa with her laptop and a bowl of ice cream.

What impressed me most about this shoe is something that brings to mind a bit of childhood trauma. I’m knock-kneed - so much so that when I put my knees together, my ankles are still a good 2-3 inches apart. Consequently, I walked around on the insides of my feet for years…with my father walking behind me shouting, “WALK ON THE OUTSIDES OF YOUR FEET!”

To this day, I’m conscious of how I’m walking, whether I’m putting more pressure on my arch than I should be. I think about it much less in dress shoes, but when I’m wearing sneakers, it’s my first thought: Do these shoes help me walk the way I should? And without hesitation I can say that the MC2 Walk does an excellent job of stabilizing my foot - so much so that I can STOP thinking about how I’m walking.

My only gripe with this shoe is that the laces are too short to tie in a double-knot. We moms spend enough time tying our kids’ shoes; we don’t need to worry about keeping our own shoes tied. But I’m resourceful enough to find another, longer pair of laces.

So that my husband can tie them for me in another couple months. Because with these shoes, I’m going to want to get out there and walk.