ortholite fusion insoles [giveaway]

My feet stink.  Literally (ew) + figuratively.

When I was training for the Chicago Marathon a few summers ago, I was training in 80 to 90 degree weather for hours at a time.  And let me just tell you, I sweat profusely.  So much so that the sweat would drip down my legs (from my sopping wet shorts) and into my shoes.  And let me tell you, they STUNK.  Badly.  I remember apologizing to a shoe store worker fitting me for new shoes because my running shoes stunk so bad.

On a daily basis, I deal with foot odor from being in tennis shoes all day long.  While it’s worse in August + September when I spend most of my day outside in the heat, I can’t seem to get away from having smelly feet by the end of the day.  It’s not fun and I’m sure Matt (and MacKenna) don’t really appreciate my smelly feet.

My feet also stink in that I can’t keep them from getting injured.  I come from a terrible line of genetics when it comes to feet.  I have incredibly high arches that causes me to have really bad hammer toes.  Weak toes = weak foot + ankles muscles.  I can always tell when I need to replace my shoes because my feet start to hurt terribly.  In the past, I have had stress fractures, tendonitis, plantar fasciitis, black toenails, and neuromas – all in my feet.

Given my podiatric history, I was ecstatic to receive an email from Lindsey at OrthoLite asking if I would be willing to try out a sample of their Fusion Insoles.  OrthoLite Fusion insoles are a little different than your average insole:

• They are designed to fit pretty much any shoe, athletic or not
• They are made with an open-cell foam, that helps keep air circulating, meaning your feet stay cooler and drier
• They also wick away any moisture from your feet (SCORE!)
• They have a unique spring-back technology so they don’t lose their cushion over time
• Their patented anti-microbial formulation keeps them free of bacteria, fungus, and shoe odor (DOUBLE SCORE!)
• They are lightweight and fully washable

The added bonus of these insoles:  for every pair of $20 insoles sold, they donate $1 to the Level Field Fund, offering support to athletes who might not be able to pursue their sport financially.  There are some amazing athletes who received grants from Level Field Fund and I think it’s awesome that OrthoLite gives part of their proceeds to help these athletes out.

I have to admit, upon first opening my package of OrthoLite insoles, they weren’t exactly what I had pictured.  I had visions of arch support and mounds of cushioning, but these were different.  These insoles are just that – insoles. They are not orthotics, like I had expected them to be.  So, instead of sticking them in my running shoes (I need a little more support for my arches given my background), I stuck them in the tennis shoes I wear to school every day.

I absolutely loved how light they were, and I have to admit, I definitely noticed a difference on how dry and odor free my feet were at the end of a long day of teaching.  While they’re not exactly cushioned, I never dealt with sweaty feet, even on days when I ran around with my kids.  My shoes smell incredible (well, incredible for shoes) – if you didn’t look at the outside, you would swear they were never warn with how great they smell (again, for shoes).

And today just happens to be your lucky day!  OrthoLite has offered to giveaway a pair of their insoles to three (3) of my lucky readers!  All you have to do is leave a comment below telling me whether you were blessed with good feet or bad feet.  Easy enough right?!  I will choose 3 random winners to be announced Monday morning. 

(Entries must be submitted by Sunday, February 26 at 10:00 PM Central Time.  Giveaway open to readers in the United States only – sorry Canada!)

[Full Disclosure:  OrthoLite provided me with the information, samples, and giveaway in exchange for my review.  I was not compensated for my review and all opinions are my own.]