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Nike, Puma, Adidas... your favorite workout shoes

I love shoes! I love vintage Reebok Pumps, Nike Air Max, Puma Kings and LA Gear Lights. However, some shoes are better than others for your daily workout. Let’s take a look at the best and the worst.

What to look for in a workout shoe

When you are going to by your next pair of workout sneakers there are a few things you need to look out for. A good shoe can be the difference between a great workout and a bad back or leg injury so make sure you choose carefully.

Forget fashion
As much as it pains me to say this, you need to forget about what the shoe looks like if you want to keep your feet healthy.

Now, no body loves a good shoe as much as me (my vintage Reebook pumps just got stolen on my trip to India and I cried for hours) but our primary concern as fitness freaks is good health.

Stability
As we are running, jumping, squatting and kicking all over the place we need to make sure our shoes have good amounts of stability.

What this means is that the sides, top and especially the back should offer enough support so that our ankles do not move around too much. However, this should be balanced support as we need a certain amount of flexibility for the foot to operate properly so don’t buy shoes that are too hard or too soft.

The best test for whether a shoe offers enough support in my opinion is to squeeze in the back heel with your thumb. If it caves in easily then it is probably not a good buy.

Cushioning
You should make sure your sneakers have enough cushioning so that when you run or jump you don’t take the force of the impact in your feet.

Size
Make sure the size of your sneakers is perfect. This may seem pretty obvious but I have (more than once) bought a ill-fitting sneaker because it was nice looking and it was the last one in the shop or the last one on sale. It is better to wait and find one that fits like a glove.

Comfort
Some shoes just aren’t comfortable! And, sadly, you often get what you pay for. I have found that an extra 40 or 50 dollars can go a long way in getting both a long lasting and a nice feeling shoe.

However, there are always those people who insist that cheap shoes are the same as expensive ones. If you can find a cheap shoe that is as nice as a pair of Nike Air Maxs’ then by all means buy them!

Specialty Shoes
There are all types of shoes on the market these days - cross trainers, runners, walking shoes, fashion shoes… the list is endless. Many people think it is all rubbish but I can assure you that the companies spend countless dollars on research and development and each type of shoe is really well suited to that type of activity.

Runners, for example, really are not appropriate for walking, weight training and other forms of exercise as running uses the balls of your feet and not much else. Make sure your choose the right type of shoe.

Best Women’s Running Shoe
This shoe would be one of my best picks for the eager jogger or runner. Asics are so comfortable and have been the shoe of choice for runners for so many years now.

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