This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Health & Fitness

Proper footwear advice for exercising

This entry talks about whether you should buy a new pair of shoes or use last year's choice when starting to exercise again.

So you want to start exercising again.  Spring is in the air and your motivation to get out and get active is at an all-year high. You search through the bottom of your closet, looking for last year's running shoes, hoping you remembered where you put them.

The question that I get a lot is "can I still wear these shoes or should I get a new pair."

For some people, this is not much of a question. They have to get the newest, sleekest and sexiest running shoes on the shelf, and if looking good helps motivate you to get out and exercise then I say go for it.  While your sweating and laboring for your next breath remember...YOU LOOK GOOD!

Find out what's happening in Plainviewwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

For others, this question is a very serious one because if I tell them to ditch the old sneakers it will break their heart. There is a funny thing that happens with certain people; runners in particular. They don't want to get rid of their old running shoes.

They become very attached because those old shoes are "very comfortable." I've had clients come to me who regularly run 5 miles at least 3-5 times per week and who have had the same shoes for the last five years - no kidding.  Someone who runs that kind of mileage, that frequently, should be changing shoes 2-4 times a year.

Find out what's happening in Plainviewwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Here is the low down with deciding what to do with your old shoes. If you don't put a lot of mileage on your sneakers then you can get away with keeping them an extra season (maybe). Remember that shoes provide support and shock absorption based on the actual physical material of the shoes. The material will lose those abilities the more you use them even though the shoe itself may not show outward signs of wear. 

Foot, ankle, knee, hip and back pain can all occur as a result of shoes that "don't work" anymore so be careful and when in doubt just get a new pair.

When purchasing a new shoe please remember that not all shoes are the same.  Without getting into the specifics of how to match your foot to the correct shoe (we could do that in a later entry if there is interest - let me know) the easiest thing to do would be to buy the same shoe again - assuming that last year's shoe didn't cause you any problem. 

If you want to change it up then I would suggest buying within the same brand.  For example, while all Nike's aren't the same, you have a better chance of picking a similar shoe as opposed to buying New Balance instead.

Once you have your new shoes, give them 2-3 times to break them in and see how they feel.  Your feet can also change within a year so whether you bought a completely diffferent brand of shoe or are using the same old ones make sure you pay attention to how your joints feel both during and after exercising. That is often the first sign that perhaps the shoe doesn't match the foot.

The next blog will be about what to do with all of those aches and pains we get when we start exercising again. Please feel free to comment or ask questions. Let me know what topics you are interested in.

Yours in Health

Chris Ostling PT, DPT

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?