Welcome to another night (or day) in Carol's Corner. Hope you've had a wonderful and productive day. The weather was nice today, but it's raining at the moment. Tomorrow will be warmer , but then right back in the thirties and crappy for Easter Sunday. Funny story about my dress. I thought it was black. Was getting ready and put on a black Cami Shaper underneath, and I thought this just doesn't look right. So I' m looking under bright lights trying to figure it out. I put it next to the navy Cami Shaper and determined that it was indeed a very deep navy. Before I continue, I decided to name today's ensemble “Circle's of light meet the darkness of night”.
So after determining that this dress was not black but navy, I decided that my accessorizing was going to be done using all white, with touches of silver from my bracelet and watch. I had navy shoes, so opted to go with them. I also have a pretty white lacy sweater I have been using over the dress when it's cold. This is the first I've used a totally white FitBit combo. Enjoying the whole ensemble. This is another of those dresses that totally covers me, but that I feel totally sexy in.
So the topic I've chosen for tonight is ” The scoop on choosing the right exercise shoe”.
I'm utilizing information from WebMD, which I've found to be a very good resource on many fronts. The information comes from the Fitness and Exercise section, and an article which is titled” 5 Biggest Mistakes When Choosing Workout Shoes”.
WHY YOU SHOULDN'T REACH FOR THOSE COMFY OLD SNEAKERS AFTER ALL.
The single most important piece of equipment in any kind of exercise program–running, aerobics,hiking, tennis, basketball–is the right pair of shoes.
A good pair of sneakers can make or break your workout. And it's easy to go wrong. Here are the five biggest shoe mistakes people make.
GRABBING WHATEVER'S HANDY
“The biggest mistake people make when they start running, jogging, or some other exercise program is just reaching in their closet and pulling out an old pair of sneakers. An old pair of shoes may no longer have the support you need. And even more problematic, that pair of shoes may not be appropriate for the activity you choose”, thus says Tracie Roger's, PhD, a consultant for the American Council On Exercise.
CHOOSING THE RIGHT SHOE–FOR THE WRONG WORKOUT.
You need to choose the right type of shoe for the type of workout you'll be doing.
A shoe made for running is very different from a shoe made for tennis or basketball.
Joe Puleo, author of “Running Anatomy” say's,” Running shoes have no lateral stability built into them because you don't move your feet laterally when you run. You're only going forward. A running shoe is built to give you support and stability as you move your foot through the running gait cycle”. It seems that for those of us who do walk video's,this is something to consider since we do both forward, backward, and lateral moves as we are working out.
Puleo says both basketball and tennis shoes need to be stabilized laterally. That's because you move your feet side to side a lot when playing these sports. Again, those of us who do walking workouts need to be mindful of this. He states that you can't build a running shoe that has lateral stability, and you can't build a basketball and tennis shoe that doesn't have it.
Even walking shoes differ from running shoes.
Runners land more on their forefoot, while walkers have a heavier heel strike, says Catherine Chueng, a foot surgeon with the Post Street Surgery Center in San Fransisco. ” So for running, you want a shoe that has more cushioning on the forefront, while walking shoes should have stiffer rubber to support the heel”.
Can't you just get a good cross-trainer, and use it for everything? Maybe, maybe not.
There's no specificity to them–you can't do any one thing well. They have some lateral stability to them, so you can play an occasional game of basketball with your kids. You can run a mile or two. But most of them are not very good shoes for any particular activity.
Then again, some people aren't heavily into one sport or activity. For them a good cross-trainer might be a good choice.
“A good cross-trainer will allow you to do the treadmill, some walking on asphalt or on a track, and light jogging” says Kathleen Stone, a past president of The American Podiatric Medical Association (APMA), “Not milage, of course. But I like them for people who are doing a variety of athletic endeavors casually”.
To choose a good cross-trainer, Stone suggests you look for:
1). A firm heel
2). Good support ( you shouldn't be able to bend the shoe to easily)
3). Lightweight ( you don't want to add a lot of pounds to your feet
But the APMA recommends that if you're going to participate in a particular sport 2-3 times a week or more, you should choose a sport-specific shoe.
LOVING THEM TOO MUCH
“Your workout shoes should be your workout shoes and not your running-around town shoes. You'll break down a pair of shoes standing in them or wearing them to the mall and running errands much faster than you will when you're running or exercising”.
LOVING THEM TOO LONG
Another big mistake people make with athletic shoes is not replacing them often enough. ” They think they should replace them when they start looking bad”, Rogers says. “But shoes start to breakdown while they're still looking good. The support–the reason you buy the shoes in the first place–is gone, and you'll start feeling strange aches and pains in your knees, hip, and back”.
Most experts reccomended runners replace their shoes every 300-500 miles. If you don't run enough to have a mile count, or running's not your sport, you should replace your shoes once a year.
“If your exercising on a casual basis, you can make your shoes last a year”, Stone says. ” But if you're working out every day, 6 months is pretty much your limit”.
You should also have your shoe size rechecked every year, Cheung says. ” Foot size doesn't stay the same; our foot size tend to grow bigger as we age”.
DOING IT YOURSELF
Unless you've been playing your sport or working out in your specified area for a long time and have learned exactly what shoe is right for you, it's a bad idea to just walk into a sporting goods store, try on a few pairs of shoes, and walk out with what you think is best.
Instead, go to an athletic shoe specialty store to get an expert insight on the right shoe and the best fit.
“The staff there will do a real fitting, evaluate your foot,and take a history of your athletic activities and what shoes may have worked for you before” Puleo says.
“They'll watch you walk or run on a treadmill or outside”. They'll take three measurements– not just one–on the metal plate known as a Brannock Device that we've all seen in shoe stores.
” You'll need to know not just length but also width and arch length,”Puleo says. “All three of these numbers together determine what size you should wear. And each shoe can be cut a little differently– a 10 and a half isn't a universal 10 and a half in all shoes–so they'll start with a number and work from there”.
A good athletic shoe specialty store will also have a liberal return policy–so ask. Some may permit you to return shoes if you've only worn them indoors, not outdoors.
So there you have it, the scoop on everything you should know about choosing a shoe that will be right for you and the purpose you're using them for. I hope you will find this useful and beneficial to you in your fitness goals. As I'm sure with most of you as with me, if you don't have a shoe that you feel good in, it's much harder to keep up your exercise routine. Pretty soon, hubby is going to have to take me to get the kind of shoe I need to start walking outside,as I try to get ready to attempt a 5K on Mother's Day. So get those shoes on and get walking. Till next time, God Bless.
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Carol's Corner 
Reblogged this on Carol's Corner and commented:
Re Blogging this one on choosing the right exercise shoe. Still exhausted from our travels. Probably going to have to reblog for ine more night and will try to figure out a new topic to pursue Sunday night.
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