In the NBA world, athletes in that particular universe are subject to physical rigors that most laypeople cannot comprehend. For the elite basketball player, his/her body is his/her literal temple and principal livelihood, and while the roughly 400 players in the NBA put their bodies and minds to the test daily and yearly, those outside of that realm (in the so-called real world) also have become just as conscious about their fitness and health. The FIT is a series that will concentrate on the Fuel, Information and Training (F.I.T.) that it takes for both NBAers and laypersons to be at their very best in the world, as well as focusing on the literal Food, Intelligence and Technology that also comes into play in our physical fine-tuning—because after all, without having the vital fuel, guidelines and tech advancements to feed our bodies, help us better absorb and process what’s necessary, and make the labor efficient and effective, we don’t have much to advance our collective health and performance. The FIT is here to bring to light what can make us all the uniquely tuned creatures who we presently are and can continue or aspire to be.
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by Sandy Dover / @San_Dova
Basketball players take some of the worst physical poundings of all athletes in dynamic sports. The feet of a basketball player are especially sensitive and require particular attention when it comes to performing at peak level. In this sense, the post-game/post-workout selection of footwear is vastly underrated and the right footwear in this context can not only ease your feet from excessive weight, but the right footwear can also help to strengthen and relax your feet. Enter the New Balance Minimus 10 Wellness.
The Minimus 10 Wellness has a variety of understated attributes that make the whole seemingly greater than the sum of its parts. Per New Balance:
Designed to be worn with or without socks. The slip-on MW10 Minimus Wellness shoe is sublimely comfortable, engineered for post-run recovery as well as for other casual wear. Also known as the “Minimus Life,” this shoe is your perfect everyday approach to the minimalist lifestyle.
In addition, the Wellness has additional qualities that make it uniquely functional and sustainable as a healthy footwear selection:
Ultra-light and flexible EVA midsole and outsole with full ground contact – Solid rubber inset pads for durability and traction – Slip-on construction for easy on/off wear – Synthetic/Mesh upper provides lightweight comfort and support – Odor resistant
The Wellness is really a truly, comfortable shoe. It explains on its box, there must be extreme care in the initial wears of the shoe, if your feet are not acclimated to the purposeful “under-support” of the Wellness. Soreness of your feet and/or lower legs may occur, as I encountered, but after wearing the Wellness at home for several days, off and on, my feet adjusted nicely and it’s become my go-to shoe for casual days and post-workouts.
The comfort comes largely in the mesh upper and the fact that it’s seamless on the inside helps considerably. The ground-durable EVA foam bottom is also high-grade and durable; I personally love shoes that minimize rubber as an outsole, and so the Wellness does a great job in making that happen. Also, the fact that the Wellness can be used with or without socks makes it easy to wear and requires very little thought when it comes to choosing what to put on your feet when you want to head out the door.
In all, the Wellness is a very solid shoe that resides in the strengths of comfort and active strength-building. Though not all feet may be suited to wearing the Wellness because of its minimalist construction, it’s a very avant-garde shoe that builds on good principles to produce a strong foundation and promote a new, non-traditional brand of comfort.
Ball players will love it for its ease and because of its build, the foot spreads easily while housed with the shoe. Being thin-soled, flexible, and barefoot-accessible never hurts a shoe’s case; in this case, the Wellness is a winner.
Sandy Dover is a published novelist and web & print magazine columnist in the world of publishing, while doubling (or quadrupling?) as a sports product tester and fitness advisor in the fitness world (with the two worlds often colliding). You can find Sandy frequently here at SLAMonline, as well as at About Me, Facebook and Twitter.
