Carefully Choosing the Right Sports Shoes

Sports activities are a healthy lifestyle that needs to be applied everyday. To get the maximum benefit from exercise and prevent injury, proper sports shoes are needed. Mistakes in choosing sports shoes that cause discrepancies with sports activities undertaken, can cause various complaints. Starting from blisters toes, pain in the calf (shin splint), heel spurs, achilles tendon pain in the back of the foot (achilles tendonitis), back pain, knee pain, and hip pain.

Choosing Sports Shoes As Needed

Exercising three or more times per week requires special sports shoes. There are several categories of sports shoes, namely shoes for walking, shoes for running, and shoes for field sports. There are also outdoor sports shoes and other special sports activities, such as golf and cycling. Here are the most commonly used sports shoes, including:

• Running shoes.

This type of shoe is very flexible so that it can support the legs to bend each time the user steps. However, this type of shoe is not suitable if used for other types of sports. For example for tennis which requires sideways movements.

• Aerobics shoes.

For this sport, the shoes used must be flexible, able to support and become cushioning that dampens, while minimizing impact on the feet.

• Shoes for walking.

Walking is a form of exercise that is very good for heart health. This sport requires shoes that can reduce pain in the heel and ankle. Choose sports shoes that are lightweight, but able to reduce the impact on the heel of the foot. Walking shoes should be stiffer at the front so that the toes are more comfortable.

• Tennis and squash shoes.

In sports activities that use rackets, it is recommended that you use special sports shoes that can support sideways movements. For this reason, these types of shoes are usually stiffer and heavier than running shoes.

• Basketball and similar sports shoes.

To get the maximum benefit from the function of sports shoes in open or closed playing fields, such as basketball or similar sports, shoes are needed with a combination of flexibility while supporting sideways movements.

• Soccer shoes.

Shoes for soccer must be able to reduce the amount of pressure on the feet. Including when the game was carried out on an artificial grass field. If the shoes are used incorrectly, the ball player is at risk of calluses on the surface of the skin or impaired growth of toenails.

• Cross trainers shoes.

This type of sports shoes combines several functions at once so that they can be used in more than one sports activity. Its features must have flexibility on the front of the foot for running, but must also have good control for wider movements such as aerobics or tennis.

Tips on Buying Sports Shoes

Before deciding to buy sports shoes, consider the following:

• Visit a specialty shoe store that sells sports shoes. This shop usually has staff who already have knowledge of shoes that fit your sporting needs.
• Buy shoes when the maximum foot size, ie before night or after a day of activities or after you exercise.
• Do not believe the assumption that shoes will be more comfortable after use. Shoes must be comfortable from the first time they are used. Use shoes to step in before buying.
• Bring socks from home, which you usually use. If you usually wear other equipment, wear also with shoes.
• Avoid shoes that are too fit. Between the shoes and fingers there should be space of about 1 cm.
• The heel with the shoe firmly attached. Do not choose shoes that feel loose in the heel.
• There are types of shoes that can be used for several activities at once, but if you do one type of exercise more than three times each week, consider buying shoes specifically for sports that you do regularly.

Keep in mind that sports shoes have a lifetime. After being used for about 6 months, or 300 hours for aerobic exercise or around 480-800 kilometers to run, usually the inside of the shoe has decreased in quality. So don't be too fond of shoes. If you regularly exercise, then also pay attention to the durability of your sports shoes. Brand and price do not become a benchmark, but the suitability of the foot and the activity is the most important in choosing sports shoes.