New Year's Resolutions For The Sneakerhead

We’re past the point of saying “Happy New Year” according to Larry David’s rule of law, but the dawn of a new year is one that brings hope and promise for many. It’s a chance to reset expectations and begin anew as the holidays end and everybody gets back to whatever business they might find themselves in. Resolutions might feel a little outdated in this era where people are in a constant loop that neither has a beginning nor an end, but when one is able to take account of their surroundings and see what could use some improvement or at least a level of introspection, it can be useful to ground yourself and get ready for what’s next.

So what does that have to do with sneakers? The joke is that all sneakerheads resolve to do is buy more sneakers, but that is simply not the case. A sneakerhead’s resolution for the new year might involve their hobby in a very tangential way, but then there are the resolutions that bring sneakers front and center. We’re taking a look at some of the more common New Year’s Resolutions that people try to set for themselves while examining them from a sneakerhead’s perspective.

Going to the Gym - Workout Shoes

Old bearded men have Christmas, accountants have April 15, and super hot people who work at the gym have January 1st. It’s the days when people come barging in to employ their services with all the enthusiasm and sincerity of a couple on their wedding day before reality sets in. Your social media feeds are more than likely filled with ads with miracle products that promise to get you fit. Gym memberships surge during the start of the new year and chances are you’ve made a commitment at least once to make better lifestyle choices that include going to gym. So you’ve got the new membership, the gear, the calendar all set to “do not disturb” between 7am to 9:30am, what gym shoes are you gonna wear?

You’ve no doubt seen Reels or TikToks of people working out in the gym wearing everything from Dior Jordan 1s to Yeezy sock pods. Don’t be that person who’s just in it for the approval of social media. Put on a pair of Nike Metcons (the most popular trainers in the world) or On Cloud X4 so you blend in with everybody else and get your work in without having to draw attention to yourself. Ultimately when you do reach your fitness goals that’s when you show off what you’ve been striving towards and then you act a little silly in all-black Air Force 1 while showing off the abs.

Running - Best Runner

If the gym is too much of a commitment from a time and monetary standpoint, there’s always the tried and true method of waking up at the break of dawn and getting a run in as everybody else gets a start on their day. The satisfying feeling after a good run in the morning is vastly underrated as it powers you through the rest of the day, ready to tackle anything headed in your direction.

The adidas Adizero Evo SL has been earning plaudits ever since it first debuted last year. The soft and bouncy Lightstrike Pro foam midsole makes them a versatile performer that you can take for different types of runs while looking fresh every time with its bold implementation of the Three Stripes. And with some technical updates on the way, adidas appears to be putting a lot of faith in the runner. Other options for upgrading your run game could have you taking a look at the HOKA Clifton 10, the Brooks Cascadia 19, or the popular Nike Vomero 18, or the higher-end Vomero Plus and Vomero Premium variants.

Dress Better - Sneakers for the Office

The debate between working in the office and remotely from anywhere in the world will rage on as long as companies try to justify the obscene amounts of money they are paying to lease out office buildings. But for those who have been ordered to come back to the office because the billionaires need someone to talk to in person about their rantings that inevitably become content for the LinkedIn Lunatics subreddit, you are going to need to update your wardrobe from tech fleece all day every day. Once that part is settled and you’ve subscribed to a clothing mystery box every month, the kicks to match them are going to be critical.

Remove all of the Jumpman logos, the ZoomX and Nike Air branding, and you could easily slot the Air Jordan 40 in any best dress sneaker for 2026 list. The latest Jordan flagship model was a massive tonal shift for the brand after spending its 30s firmly in the performance sector. Meanwhile, Edison Chen seems to be on a mission over at adidas to change the perception of iconic models like the Superstar and Gazelle by elevating them with dress shoe elements such as premium leather upper, ripple soles, and a judicious use of varying shades of brown.

Dress Better - WFH Sneakers

But what if you have a boss who knows that you can get the job done, no matter where you might be in the world? It’s a strange concept to many, but being able to just do the work and not have to worry about office politics, meaningless meetings or putting on a manufactured front can lead to a more productive workplace, in-person or online. Remote work means you really only need to be presentable from the waist up for Zoom meetings, but there is something to be said for going through the motions of taking a shower, putting on clothes designated for work and wearing sneakers that keep you comfy as you sit or stand by your work desk.

Since your footwear won’t be seen on the Zoom meetings, the focus will be on maximizing comfort. APL made headlines last year as John Cena’s sneakers of choice during his retirement tour, but the brand has some hidden gems in its catalog as well. The Techloom Bliss is a slip-on sneaker that one could wear while being stationed at the desk. If you have to take a break to “touch grass” after being in front of the computer all day, Nike’s newly introduced Mind 001 Mules or Mind 002 sneakers could be what you’re looking for to connect yourself to your surroundings.

Save More Money - Budget Sneaker

Who could have guessed that Fat Joe would be so prescient when he was talking about prices a few years back? There was a time when we could hand wave a $20 price bump to a retro because groceries were stable and video game consoles went down in MSRP as the years passed by. But the past year has given us a lot to think about when it comes to our discretionary income and sneakers might not be top of mind as they were before. A budget-conscious sneakerhead might spend less in 2026 than in 2024, but they are still a sneakerhead.

Hoopers looking for signature products at non-signature prices need look no further than the WNBA’s biggest star in A’ja Wilson. The Nike A’One is a solid performer at a price that does not break the bank. For off the court matters, Vans has been making a lot of noise in the community lately with the Old Skool 36, the recent Chanel bag-inspired Souvenirs, and the Pearlized Pack. While they resell for nearly triple their $125 price tag, being able to score the next wave of these at retail in 2026 is something you’re going to want to look into.

Reduce Stress - Comfy Sneaker

Is the comfy era here to stay or a passing fad until a sneaker emerges that captures the collective’s imagination once again but isn’t exactly the easiest pair to wear for more than a few hours? It shouldn’t matter because even if the pendulum swings back in the direction of retros or sneakers that aren’t meant for everyday use, people should be more conscious about their footwear and how it affects their health. One solution could be investing in custom insoles. Another path is pushing brands to “Protro” or “Restomod” their old models so they meet the standards that today’s generation is accustomed to. Or you could get out of the cycle of hype and just rock what feels good all day.

Released to much fanfare during the second half of the 2025, the Jordan Trunner O/S got a push that is uncommon for a non-signature Jordan release. It could have something to do with the comfy Cushlon 3.0 ride and made-for-2026 aesthetic that pays homage to the Trunner’s heritage while feeling right at home with today’s tastes. Another heritage line that is seeing a rise in popularity lately is ASICS’s Gel-Nimbus line. The latest model is the Nimbus 28 and it has been thriving alongside the retro-inspired Gel-Nimbus 10.1 which uses the tooling of the popular Gel-Kayano 14.

Personal Growth - Non-Hype Sneaker

Focusing on self-improvement is a big resolution that people make for the new year. Sometimes that can take on the resolution of being more open-minded and not be so quick to shut things down just because they happen to be different or something they’ve never tried before. For others that can lead to someone who might have a limited food palette to expand their horizons or an ardent fan of a particular genre of music or film to check out titles that they’ve shunned for their entire lives. For sneakerheads, it can be as simple as looking a little deeper into what’s available at the stores they already frequent.

The rise of brands like HOKA and On Running does not mean the end of the hyped Nike and Corteiz collab that has teenagers and grown adults running around the streets of Manhattan searching for clues on the next drop, but it does mean that the times are changing and it is very real. Thanks to the work of creatives like Joe Freshgoods and Jae Tips for New Balance and Saucony, respectively, sneakerheads are opening their eyes to brands that a decade ago they would never have had pairs from. And as superstars in the sneaker world like Kyrie Irving break the stigma that used to come with associating with a Chinese brand, the sneaker community benefits because it won’t just be the same 10 to 20 sneakers that pop up on social media to farm likes.

Travel More - Best Sneaker for Going Overseas

Travelling outside of your usual haunts can be scary for those who are creatures of comfort, but it can be fulfilling in so many ways. Whether you want to go on a cross-country trek around the US or head overseas to experience different cultures and ways of living, seeing beyond your doors can help open your mind and understand how we all try to co-exist in this world that we have. And if you’re a sneakerhead, you also get to see outside of your little bubble where people don’t share the same tastes in footwear.

Unless your name is PJ Tucker and you have custom-made luggage for your sneakers, chances are you are taking your old reliables for traveling. Because who has the time to flex or do the Jumpman pose in front of a national monument when you have to get from one place to the next as comfortably as possible?

On a personal level, there is something touching about travelling to countries like the United Kingdom and Japan and rocking New Balances made locally. Their price tags, especially the Made In Japan pairs, are nothing to laugh at, but there is something deeply enjoyable about being able to bring the sneakers back to their place of origin.

Learn New Skill - Golf Shoe

Like a hooper who spends their summer in the lab developing a new skill to take them to the next level, people try to start their new year off with an honest attempt to bring something new to the table. For people who might be inclined to travel, it might be learning the nomenclature of their destination. For someone in the workplace looking for that edge that will get them a promotion, they can go back to school in their free time. And then there are the aspiring golfers who swear this will be the year they finally get serious and take up the game of golf. Whether it’s to find a common ground with friends who already play or it’s a chance to rub shoulders with those higher up in the corporate ladder, golf breeds camaraderie that is hard to replicate just sitting at a desk all day.

Over the past decade, Nike and Jordan Brand have worked tirelessly to bring their heritage models to the game of golf. It hasn’t been the free-for-all of seeing Jordan retros and Air Maxes on the PGA Tour that maybe some were hoping for, but there has been a nice variety of golf shoes from brands big and small that have brought a more youthful and diverse energy to the game. There are the Foot Joys and the Sun Day Reds of the world who still traffic in golf’s traditional look because that’s not going away soon, but every time an Eastside Golf teams up with Jordan Brand or a Malbon hooks up with adidas, it’s going to bring a different audience that otherwise might have never even given the game a chance.

Organization - Shameless Sole Retriever App Plug

The beginning of a new year is a nice and clean way to reset and start anew. Once the dust has settled and the boxes have either been stored nicely or sent to the recycle bin, you have to ask yourself, how can you become a better sneakerhead in 2026? There’s no one-size-fits-all answer to a question with such existential meaning. A fan of Jordan retros who has all of the pairs they could ever possibly need could be looking at their collection with amazement with a thirst for more, but there will be those who see dread because they will never have the time to wear all of them or the space to actually store them properly. Someone new to the game could be looking at the year that was and wonder if they spent way too much time chasing social media posts for links to drop or hitting refresh on their laptop on release day.

And that is where the Sole Retriever app comes in. Tracking releases, raffles, and shock drops from all over the world, you are never at risk of missing out on the elusive pair that you’ve been thirsting for since they first leaked on an influencer’s Instagram story six months prior. Autocart quickly gets you to check out faster than filling out the form every time you miraculously are able to add a sneaker to your cart. Real-time news and features are always fresh and ready for you to check out so you are always up to date on the happenings in the sneaker industry and culture.

Juan Martinez

From video game journalism to veteran of the sneaker blog era to podcasting about well, everything, Juan is smiling through it all and can't believe this is his life. After recently getting into Formula 1, he now has hot takes about who the greatest driver of all time is. Email: juan@soleretriever.com