Fitness is essential for our physical and emotional well-being, and aerobic exercise is an excellent way to achieve it. According to recent statistics, more than 24 million people engage in aerobic exercises, which offer numerous health benefits. This includes improved heart and lung function, reduced cholesterol levels, and stress reduction. So, if you’re looking for a fun way to improve your overall fitness and health, consider adding aerobic exercise to your routine. However, as with any workout, taking care of your feet is crucial to enjoying its full benefits.
Aerobic exercise demands quick, lateral movements, jumping, and leaping for extended periods of time, putting a strain on your foot, ankle, and lower leg muscles. Improper shoes, surfaces, or routines, or straining muscles by overdoing or underdoing can create several foot-related problems. Experts, therefore, suggest that your foot needs specialized attention while practicing aerobics.
Proper Shoes for Aerobics:
Wearing inappropriate shoes while performing aerobic exercises is a common mistake that most people make. Hardwood floors with padded mats are the ideal surfaces for aerobic exercises. However, shoes provide the necessary arch and side support and also feature soles that facilitate the twisting and turning in an aerobics regimen.
Therefore, wearing running shoes is not recommended as they do not have the necessary lateral stability to support your aerobics session. The heel of running shoes is too high, creating acute outside flare that increases the risk of injury from the side-to-side motion involved in aerobic exercises. On the other hand, specialized aerobic shoes should provide adequate cushioning and shock absorption to compensate for pressure on the foot, which is many times greater than walking. They should also have good medial-lateral stability to mitigate impact forces, which can reach six times the force of gravity.
Arch Design:
Aerobic shoes need an incredible arch design that will compensate for forces that occur during side-to-side motions. When shopping for aerobics shoes, look for shoes with sufficiently thick upper leather or strap support to keep your foot stable and prevent slippage of the foot and lateral shoe breakup. Moreover, make sure the shoes have high enough toe-box and an acrylic blend sock to prevent irritation and blisters to your toes and nails.
Two essential tips:
When buying your aerobics shoes, it’s critical to wear the shoes in the afternoon when your feet are more likely to swell. Also, make sure that you wear the same socks during your aerobics session that you wear while shopping for shoes.
In conclusion, aerobic workouts are an exciting and enjoyable way to improve your physical and mental health. However, it’s crucial to have proper shoes that provide arch and side support, cushioning, and absorb shock. Aerobic shoes must also have robust medial-lateral stability to reduce the impact forces on your foot. Dr. Gilbert Huang DPM is available to provide expertise on whether the shoes you plan to purchase for your aerobic exercise are appropriate for your feet. Moreover, stretching all muscles, tendons, and ligaments in your leg, ankle, foot and toes during warm-up and cool-down periods before and after aerobics will enable injury-free workouts. Enjoy the benefits aerobics offer by selecting the right shoes and taking great care of your feet.