Welcome back to this week’s edition of 2-Minute Tuesdays where we are choosing one exercise topic, talking about it for two minutes, and giving you three reasons why you should follow our advice. This week we are talking about shoes. We are talking about what considerations need to be taken when purchasing shoes before you workout.
1) Understand The Health Of Your Feet
Our first tip is to understand the health of your feet, meaning, “How well do your feet move?”. It is not good or bad if your feet move really well or really not well, but it is good to understand where you are. Depending on how well your feet move, it will help you choose what kind of stiffness or softness of a shoe you should get to appropriately match how well your feet move.
Action Step: Have your feet assessed by a Muscle Activation Techniques™ practitioner to get the inside scoop on the overall health, mobility, and strength of your feet. You can find a MAT™ practitioner in your area here.
Related: Three At-Home Exercises To Help Strengthen Your Feet
2) Consider The Mobility Of The Shoe
Tip number two – consider the mobility of the shoe. How well can the shoe twist and turn? Is the shoe rigid and stiff? Or is it highly flexible and mobile? Depending on how strong your feet are can dictate how much mobility you would like in your shoes. Find a shoe that is comfortable for you and can move appropriately based on your feet.
Action Step: Try grabbing the toe box and the heel of the shoe and see if you can twist them in opposite directions. If the shoe twists easily, it is a more mobile shoe. If it is difficult to turn, it is a more rigid shoe.
Related: Why Your Feet NEED To Move
3) Don’t Always Go For The Most Supportive Shoe
Finally, don’t always go for the most supportive shoe. You have to remember that support is not always a good thing, nor is it always a bad thing, either. But, it is important that you get the correct amount of support for the strength of your feet. Often times, if you struggle with a lot of foot issues or you may feel like you have weaker feet, you might tend to go more towards more of a supportive or rigid shoe. If you have stronger feet or you can handle more positions with your feet, you may opt for a more mobile shoe.
Action Step: Again, consider getting your feet checked out by a MAT™ practitioner so you can be informed where your feet are stronger and where they are weaker. Based on this information, purchase a comfortable shoe that is appropriately supportive and mobile for you.