Is your footwear up to the job?

As it approaches time for me to throw out some beloved footwear, just wanted to give you a wee reminder of the importance of looking after your feet.... We often overlook the importance of the correct footwear when attending classes or participating in sports. Trainers come in all different shapes and support levels and it's important to get the correct type for your gait and your chosen activity. Dance shoes often have a little pivot point on the bottom to allow twists and turns without damaging joints (as do basketball boots I believe). Cross training requires soles with multi directional grips to allow for different movement patterns in all directions and running trainers tend to have a front to back grip pattern for forward momentum! Each activity has a specific requirement, so something to remember when replacing trainers. Another important factor is our gait. Some people tend to over pronate, meaning their foot rolls excessively inward when walking/running, whilst others under pronate causing them to carry weight on the outer edge of their feet. Both these gait issues can cause problems ,not just on the foot, but on back, hips, ankles, knees etc., particularly if you don't have the correct footwear support. So if you have any issues or participate in a lot of activities, then gait analysis may be worthwhile. You can get this done in some running/sports shops, or you can try the wet paper towel test at home for a simple way to get a general idea (check out Google for this). Neutral gait is when the foot position is neither under or over pronated and again, this requires appropriate footwear. If you use trainers with the incorrect support for your gait, you may find those niggles get worse. A final factor to consider, is when to replace your trainers. I personally overlook this and think they should last forever! News flash.....they don't 👎 Did you know that experts recommend we replace our trainers every 300-500 miles, and that a one hour Zumba class could equate to 2-3 miles? ( I know, right!). Hmmm....food for thought..... If you've made it this far, way to go. So when did you last check your trainers?

#footwear #trainers #exercise #fitness #sole