Are Your Shoes Ruining Your Life?

I have a cousin who I tease because she refused to get rid of a pair of New Balances she owned since her early high school years (she’s 30 and she just recently got rid of them). I lovingly nicknamed the shoes her Old Faithfuls. The shoes earned this nickname because not only were they in it for the long haul but because she wore them to anything that required movement. Hiking, dancing, moving from one apartment to the next, you could guarantee she’d wear her Old Faithfuls.

I personally think it’s awesome that she could find such a pair of shoes that could make it through hell and high water. In fact, I envy her because none of my shoes have my back (or in this case feet) like her Old Faithfuls had hers.

It was safe to say that this pair of shoes was in her top five, and although they were dependable, they weren’t necessarily good for her or the activities she chose to participate in.

I always found myself questioning when she would consider finally letting go, even more so when I realized how the shoes could potentially ruin her workouts, activities, and even her health.

Old worn-out shoes do not always pose problems for active lifestyles. Some of the most recent designs, including the popular knits, have been known to put a damper on certain types of exercises.

So it's extremely important to know when to replace a pair of shoes, but equally as important to choose the right shoe for your workout.

Different shoe designs support our feet differently and what may work for one person may not work for the next. What we may not realize is that there is a ton of technology that goes into building sneakers and wearing shoes that aren’t appropriate for our specific workouts could cause harm.

For example, if you’re participating in a class or sport that requires a great deal of lateral and agility movements, you want a shoe that supports it.

If you’re doing high-impact movement and jumping, you want a shoe with shock absorption. Low-impact exercises (weight lifting) wouldn’t require the same type of shoe as the former and may have to be replaced less frequently.

There are certain signs to pay attention to when it comes to replacing shoes. How’s the tread looking?

Examine this just as you would your tires. Is it more worn in certain spots? Are you starting to feel abnormal pains in your back, ankles, legs, hips, or feet? Feeling any friction or blisters starting to form? How often are you wearing this pair? Do you also wear this pair daily and to run errands?

Beyond all of this, one important key is to make sure you are not only picking a shoe suitable for your specific workout, but you are picking shoes in the right size with adequate cushioning, shock absorption and arch support.

By picking a shoe that is too small or too large, you’re pretty much asking for an injury. Even lacing them too tight or too loose can pose a threat.

You put yourself at risk of stress fractures, shin splints, ankle pain, tendonitis, bunions, and damaged toenails. You may know your shoe size, but some styles run smaller or larger, so don’t skip the fitting, keeping in mind that our feet may swell throughout the day.

With so many athletic brands and designs, it may take some research and a few trips to the mall, but your perfect shoe is out there! Remember to check in and replace them as necessary and to choose functionality over style every time!

Jasmine Danielle is a Los Angeles based dancer and fitness trainer. She received her BFA in Dance from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and has studied with FiTour, the National Federation of Personal Trainers, and the Equinox Group Fitness Training Institute. Jasmine is currently a Group Fitness Instructor for Equinox, Everybody Los Angeles, and Sandbox Fitness. Her fitness modalities include ballet, dance cardio, barre fitness, TRX, treadmill interval training, cardio kickboxing, jump rope, indoor cycling, and metabolic conditioning.