Finding the Right Fit

Guide to Picking the Right Fitness Shoe

If you're like me, you look at shoes as a fashion accessory, except when it comes to your fitness workouts. Runners know the importance of getting the right fit-especially as they are logging miles and miles for any upcoming 5K and longer distance races. But for those of you like me, that are walkers or group fitness class participants, you may not realize what the right shoe can do for your performance and help in reducing aches and pains.

Yesterday, I went to a local shoe store in my neighborhood. It was a short walk from my office and the last pair of gymshoes I bought was more than a year ago. Although New Balance is known for their running shoes, I was looking for something for my fitness classes.

I knew that picking out the right shoe wasn't about the colors, but I was surprised to learn a few things about finding the right shoe. Liz, the store manager, helped me find my perfect fit! New Balance offers a three step analysis to find the right shoe for your body and exercise.

Here are three things you should know about picking out new gym shoes.

1.Pressure Points. When you stand on any surface, depending on how much of your foot actually presses into the floor, determines how much or little arch support you will need in a shoe. This will help determine the shoe insert you may or may not need, to keep your body in alignment.

For me, I had uneven pressure in my heels and balls of my feet. So the inserts she put in my shoes pushed me back into my heels more, then there is less pressure on the kneecap.

2. Gait Analysis. For this test, they will have you walk or run on a treadmill and video tape your movement. How your ankle moves when your foot hits the ground is important. This helps to see if you pronate and would need support to keep your ankle upright. If you pronate, you may need a solid core on the inside of the arch of the shoe.

Liz showed me that my ankles were rolling in and that maybe some support was needed for my activities.

3. Length sizing. Lastly, the actual length of your feet while standing provides the insight on the sizing. It's here where I was able to combine both pieces of information and be guided to what shoes I might want to pick for my strength and cross training workouts.

With Liz's help, I found the right pair and they fit like a glove! Can't wait to break them in for class tomorrow!

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