"Shoes" by Melissa Schwab, Gold's Gym Challenge Participant

For the past week or two, I’ve noticed a lot of fatigue in my knees. I didn’t know if I was doing an exercise wrong or if the increase in workouts was just making them tired. I described my knee pain to “Trainer Kari” and she suggested that it was probably time for new shoes. I was surprised because I bought my shoes at the end of summer/ early fall. But she said that typically shoes need to be replaced every 4-6 months. So it was time to go shopping…YAY! I went to Performance Footwear and got fitted for new shoes. I was REALLY surprised with the results. First, they had me walk in just my socks to assess my gait and determined the right kind of stability I needed. Then, found out that my last pair of shoes was a whole size bigger than what I needed. Next, discovered that I measured for needing a wide width shoe, something I never knew. Yeah, I was wearing an 8 ½ and I actually needed a 7 ½ wide width shoe. The best part was when I put on the shoes and felt instant relief in my knees. They felt so good I didn’t want to take them off. The salesperson told me that a lot of our body’s aches and pains can be a result of our shoes. I admit that my typical method for choosing shoes was more about style, color and cuteness. I happened to catch an article about running shoes that says you should replace your shoes every 350-550 miles, so if you’re doing a lot of movin’ and groovin’ for the challenge it might be time to replace those shoes.

Comments

[Lori Reinbold]

I am so amazed at how much shoes make the difference in how you feel. I am a big proponent of always taking care of your feet.
One thing that I found interesting too is if you lose weight sometimes you will need a smaller size shoe! Who knew our feet could gain fat too?
Great job Melissa! Enjoying your journey.
Lori