"These sneaks have a more ""sneaker-like"" profile, meaning, less of a curve on the heel, which I think makes the shoe look more like a sneaker and less like some of the original shape-ups, which seemed a bit orthopedic looking for my taste. Yes, I know that seems vain and all, but I'd like to be comfortable and still wear something reasonably nice looking. I liked the choice of colors in this particular sneak. I generally gravitate towards white and these were nice as they are white with dark purple at the sole and some of the accent spots, with a little, (but not too) much light purple. They come with two sets of laces, white and light purple, so you can switch them out if you like. Ok, now that we are done with how they look, let's get to how they feel and how the sizing goes....I ordered up an entire size on these. I tried a half size and when my foot rolled forward I felt my toe hitting the top of the shoe, so I wore medium thick socks and bought a size up and they fit well. I wear an average width shoe and for me these have plenty of width for what I need. If you are thinking, ""My feet are going to look huge...."", somehow they don't, so don't worry. I would, however, buy at least a half size up. I wear between an 8.5-9 and went with a 9.5 and they have a good fit. If you consistently wear one size, going up a half size would probably do. Walking in them....I was really expecting this to be a bigger deal, since some people had told me to walk just a little while for the first week until I got used to walking in them. I wore them though for a 3.5 mile walk and then was basically on my feet all day. It is a little weird when you first put them on, as they have this rocking sensation, but you get used to it rather quickly. I likened it to wearing ice skates and walking on the rubber mat before you hit the ice, except you are a lot closer to the ground. Some say it feels like walking in sand, though I think walking in sand is alot tougher. Was I sore the next day? No, but I do exercise daily, so I didn't expect any huge difference. The one thing I did notice was that doing yoga the next day, I seemed to be even more limber than usual when doing some of the stretches (like down-dog). It also seemed to do the same with my husband's hamstrings (we bought our shoes at the same time), so I do think it has a lengthening effect to some of the muscles. One thing I will point out is that if you are looking for maximum calorie burn, the shoes are rated on the box, the originals have a ""high burn"" and these sneaks come in at a 2 out of 5, and are meant for extended fitness and wearing all day, the originals seem to have a higher sole and so if you are looking for more burn, this might not be what you want. For me though it was perfect. Included in your box is an instruction booklet, a healthy eating booklet and a dvd. A well put together package. Overall, a good shoe, extremely comfortable and if you buy on sale or on amazon a good value for what you get. "