Good Shoes: Great Workout

Ten days into the new year, and hopefully everyone is still dedicated to their fitness and nutritional resolutions. Today, I am writing to discuss the fitness aspect of resolutions, and more importantly how the proper footwear for a given activity is essential to keep you motivated and on track with those goals. When selecting the proper type of footwear, there are three standard elements of fit that should be taken into account as well as some general differences in amount of cushion and support. Hopefully by the end of this post, you will be better equipped to choose the perfect shoe for you. 

Any time you purchase a new walking, running, or athletic shoes, the three elements of fit that should be taken into account are size, mechanics, and foot type. As obvious as it sounds, sizing can actually be one of the more difficult of the three to determine. Most running or walking shoes tend to run smaller for a given size than their casual counterparts. Sizing up a full size is quite common, and since some shoes run narrower or wider, a different width may be required as well. Next, to a trained eye, mechanics and foot type are fairly easy to determine. Mechanics are simply 'how you walk or run'. For example, I am personally quite bowlegged, and when I select footwear, I generally don't need as much arch support, but I appreciate a super soft shoe. Others might have lower arches and appreciate more support from their footwear. Mechanics, foot type, and size are the three main factors when getting the right shoes. 

Also in footwear, terms such as stack height, heel to toe offset, zero drop, minimal, and natural are all terms used to describe footwear, and there are probably hundreds of combinations when it comes to shoe geometry. Although the true definition of most of these terms is highly debatable, I have defined them to the best of my ability at the end of this blog. After the size, foot type, and mechanics are determined, something based on these terms should be chosen. Very minimal, natural shoes like the Vibram Five Fingers, are a huge topic of discussion in the industry. Although running ten miles down a concrete sidewalk essentially barefoot is great for some people, it definitely doesn't work for everyone. Conversely, that person that enjoys the Vibram feel, will probably not like the feel of the super cushioned, super plush models from many other brands. Some select shoe models by Saucony, New Balance, Nike, and Brooks even make footwear that is halfway between barefoot and the built up shoes, and they have been very popular as well. Getting minimal footwear or something of more standard geometry, should definitely be considered when choosing the right workout shoes. 

Staying focused on your new year's resolutions is an important goal for many people, and the proper footwear should help you along your journey. Going to a running specialty store where a knowledgeable associate can help you with getting fit, is the first step (pun intended) in reaching your goals. Run Fit Sports is one of these types of stores. Check out the link here for some discussion and examples of different types of footwear. 

My last piece of advice: Get a shoe in a color that you love, because if you don't love the color, you will not want to wear it. Happy Running!

Terms
stack height: how tall the shoe is off the ground
heel to toe offset: a shoe's height under the heel relative to under the ball of the foot; usually measured in millimeters
zero drop: a shoe that is completely level underneath the foot; zero drop means that the footwear has a zero heel to toe offset
minimal: a general term for footwear that is closer the ground, and has zero to no stack height
mechanics: how a person interacts with the ground; how a person walks or runs