New Season, New Shoes

By Gini Grimsley, Director of Fitness Product, VASA Fitness

Warmer weather means we get to do all the fun outdoor activities like walking, hiking, golfing, and running. Most of us are excited to pull out our shorts, t-shirts, and tank tops, but what you wear on your feet is just as important.

Finding shoes that fit well and are made for the specific activities you enjoy is extremely important. The average person will walk over 115,000 miles in his or her life, and if this is done in illfitting shoes, those miles can be painful and lead to injury! Each foot is made up of 26 bones, 33 joints, 107 ligaments, 19 muscles, and more nerve endings than anywhere else in the body! Needless to say, this intricate body part is very important for your health and lifestyle.

Our feet are very sensitive to vibration, and many nerves in the foot are stimulated with each step we take, forcing our bodies to maintain balance and stability by adjusting the rest of the body’s position. Foot misalignment can play a large part in knee, hip, back, and shoulder pain by creating muscular imbalances and added tension in certain muscle groups.

Shoe designs have changed over the centuries, from the clogs of the Scandinavian countries to the high heels of high fashion. The one common trend we see in shoes is that they are rarely built for the feet that go in them. Most shoe designs, both antique and modern, typically force the foot to acclimate to the shape of the shoe itself, and over time, this can completely reshape your foot. Modern lifestyle and leisure shoes are built with high arches, narrow toe boxes, stiff soles, and lots and lots of cushioning, which is not conducive to the standard construction of a foot.

However, the foot is a dynamic region of the body and has builtin shock absorbers. The bones and soft tissues of the foot act as springs to absorb the vibration of each step by spreading the toes to disperse force and then rapidly rebound to assist with walking and running motions. Wearing shoes that are too narrow or have too much cushion can train the foot to rely on the structure of the shoe for the dispersal of stepping forces instead of its own mechanisms. This can lead to the flattening of feet and possible joint pain in the toes.

Pick The Right Shoes For Your Activities

Making sure your feet don’t hurt while doing the activities you love will enhance your enjoyment and reduce your risk of injury. A good rule of thumb for picking shoes for any activity is to start with a wide toe box (the area of the shoe the ball of your foot and toes fit into) and zero drop (minimal heel elevation). These two parts of the shoe are most responsible for proper foot alignment and gait (walking/ running technique).

Since spring activities involve being outdoors, the sole of the shoe should also be considered. Golf shoes usually have spikes or cleats to increase traction with the ground during the golf swing whereas true tennis shoes have heavily reinforced sides to maintain traction during the movements of a tennis match. Running shoes usually have a lifted toe area and minimal grip on the sole compared to hiking shoes that have heavier, thicker soles with lots of grip to prevent slipping during a hike.

Here is a list of recommended shoes to consider when purchasing a new pair for various springtime activities.

Walking/Jogging/Running

Shoe Specs: wide toe box, 10 mm drop (experienced runners can go down to 0); moderate cushion

Examples: Altra Running, Nike Pegasus, Brooks Ghost

Golf

Shoe Specs: wide toe box; less than a 10 m drop; sturdy, stiff upper with minimal to moderate cushion

Examples: Eco Biom C4, Adidas CG21, Footjoy Stratos

Tennis

Shoe Specs: wide toe box; reinforced along the sides; modified hemingbone sole pattern; stiff midsole with moderate cushion

Examples: Nike Vapor React NXT, New Balance 796v2, Adidas Barricade

Leisure/Lifestyle

Shoe Specs: wide toe box; zero drop; minimal cushion (it is best to be barefoot as much as possible)

Examples: Toms, Vivobarefoot, Xero Shoe, Merril Glove, Flux Footwear, Birkenstock

While this list is not the most exhaustive, it should be a great starting point for finding a pair of shoes that fit your feet and will help you perform your favorite activities. Over 70 percent of the adult population will experience back pain and over 25 percent currently experience chronic knee pain, so proper foot function and health play a big part in holistic well-being. A great pair of shoes will enhance what you love doing and should be considered an investment in your overall health!

About the Author

Gini Grimsley

Gini Grimsley is the Director of Fitness Product for VASA Fitness where she creates cutting-edge fitness programming for VASA’s clubs across eight states.