KickStart Fitness

Is there a certain type of shoe that’s better for indoor exercise?

                                                                       -Cindi, San Ramon, CA

It is very important for your foot, ankle and knee to wear supportive shoes when you exercise.  Tennis shoes should usually be replaced every 300-400 miles.  If you run 3 miles a day, five days a week, you would need new shoes every five months.    As a general rule, I never wear my gym shoes for outdoor activities.   Don’t wear your gym shoes to the zoo, or when doing errands.  Get yourself casual sneakers…consider that your gym shoes are for serious business.  The ground outside is harder on shoes.  Uneven terrain, coarse gravel and more dirt and grease (not to mention the risk of stepping in gum, spilled food and dog waste) will all wear down the ‘grip’ of your shoe tred and add miles to your soles.

You can basically do any exercise indoors that can be done outside, so the question depends more on the type of activity. If you only run or walk, a running shoe is fine both indoor and out.  These shoes have a wide sole for stability.  If you are doing classes such as zumba or kickboxing where there are fast directional changes you are going to want to buy a cross trainer shoe.  This provides a supportive sole that will keep you from slipping, but it is not as wide as a running shoe which will interfere with performance.  If you are doing classes in a room that has indoor/outdoor carpet, I strongly suggest you find a shoe that has very little tred, feels ‘slipperier’ or has less grip.  Compare the pictured soles: the blue sole is much more appropriate for carpet.  The carpet provides so much friction that a shoe with a strong tred will cause you to ‘stick’ to the floor.  When you change directions this will make you more likely to twist your knee, roll your ankle and cause undue strain on ligaments.  Make sure your shoes are tied tight when exercising so your foot tendonds don’t overwork.  As for weight lifting, any type of tennis shoe will do.  Toning shoes should absolutely never be wore to do anything other than walking on flat surfaces.   As for brands, it is really just personal preference.  My shoes are almost always Nike.  I go shopping with an open mind, but usually end up with Nikes because they fit my foot well and have innovative styles.  

Tangent:  I never wear any of my gym clothes or shoes for anything other than working out.  Don’t wear your gym clothes to clean the house or go to grocery store.  Thinking of your gym clothes like a uniform changes your mind set.  You suit up for battle and this raises your motivation and determination.  If football players wore their pads to go to Target then they would probably not be as aggressive on the field.   This is sports psychology.