Rx Running Shoes

Generally when taking care of your health, you will visit a doctor to diagnose a health issue. On some occasions as we get older, we visit our doctors for routine medical checkups. Why do we visit the doctor? Why not just go to the drug store and pick out a few drugs and take them? Wouldn’t it save us time to just go online and research our medical issue and then proceed to fix it?

Of course not, this would be ludicrous. In most instances we would probably do more harm than good?

If this is true, why then do we buy our walking and running shoes without first consulting with a professional? How many of us, visit the nearby big box retailer to get the great deal on the newest Nikes? I suppose we have to assume that we do not take our feet and legs as seriously as we do our other body parts.

I think we can agree, for the most part, we are all made just a little different from the next person. Therefore, we all may need a little help in finding a shoe that fits our height, weight, style of walking or running and distance we walk or run. A professional running store employee should be able to help us find the shoe that fits our bodies.

The benefit of having the right shoes is that we will be able to prevent some injuries that probably could have been caused by buying the wrong type of shoe. Look at it as a prescription for running shoes.

Keep Your Running Shoes Healthy

Do you keep track of how many miles you run or walk in the shoes you currently own? Do you change shoes when they fall off your feet? Do you walk around in your shoes, even if you are not running?

These are three great questions in regarding shoe health. The answers to them should be as follows;

Do you keep track of how many miles you run or walk in the shoes you currently own?
I hope the answer to this is “Yes”. Why is this important? Just like you have an expected life span, your shoes have an expected life span. By logging how many miles you put on your shoes, you will know when it is time to get another. Do not fall in love with your shoes, when its time to depart, keep them out of the rotation. Besides, you can use them to grocery shop, kind of like retirement for your shoes.

Do you only change shoes when they fall off your feet?
The right answer to this is “No”. You should change shoes ever few hundred to thousand miles, depending on the manufacturer’s recommendation. A great resource for this will be your local running store employee. They should know this information if they worth anything. You should also be able to research this information through the running shoe company website.

Do you walk around in your shoes, even if you are not running?
I hope you answer “No” to this question. Use your running shoes to run in, use other shoes which have reached retirement age for walking around. This way you get to keep your shoes longer and they will probably remain cleaner and fresher for an extended period of time.

Walking Shoes vs. Running Shoes

The beginning of each year provides us with an opportunity to look back at our accomplishments and forward with new goals. If you are like most people who will make a list of goals or initiatives, you want to achieve in 2008, why not add to the list to look into getting a new pair of walking shoes.

When talking about walking shoes the question that arises all the time is “should I get a walking shoe”, or “is a running shoe adequate”. I am sure if you asked ten people there is a chance of getting five answers for walking shoes and five for running shoes, just a guess I am not entirely sure. However, rule of thumb should be in play. What are you comfortable with? Have you tried both and which one do you prefer?

Here is a general thought on whether to purchase walking or running shoes for recreational walking fitness programs.

If you are a fast walker and I mean competitive walker then you should get a walking shoe as they have thinner soles that have more flexibility which are required for the heel to toe motion that walkers use to propel themselves forward.

If you are a recreational walker whose aim is to be fit, then running shoes with thicker soles that provide better comfort and cushioning can be used.

As with all equipment purchases, you have to feel comfortable with what you have bought, it should feel good to you. If you have questions, stop by a running store and ask one of the professionals. If need be, go to two or three stores to see if there is any difference in the answers you receive. They will also allow you to try on a few pair to walk or jog around the store to see if they fit comfortably. Take your time; make sure they work for you.

By Speedy Sneakers Walking and Running Clubs for women

Rotating Shoes to Avoid Injury

Whether walking or running for fitness there are two essential pieces of equipment that you should always own, and that is, two pairs of walking or running shoes.

So what is the importance of having two pairs when one is only necessary? The main reason is to avoid injury. Each set of shoes are made slightly differently, even if they came off the same factory line. Chances are that your two pairs even if they are of the same make, probably were manufactured at different times and maybe even different factories. The shoes will wear differently and this little difference can actually help you to avoid injury. If you own one pair and they wear the same way, which they will, then you can get an injury due to the constant stresses the shoes will place on the same area of your body. However, if you have two pairs and they wear differently then the stresses placed on your body will be distributed over different parts of your body, especially your feet, knees and legs. This “stress distribution” will actually help in avoiding overuse injuries.