How To Pick The Right Gym Shoe For Women

These days, shoes come in all sorts of shapes and sizes, which can make choosing the perfect fit tough. There's a reason why they vary so much, however, as picking the right or wrong shoes ultimately affects your performance. This is why it's so important to make sure that you are choosing the right one, and that starts with knowing what to look for in a shoe.

How to find the right women's gym shoes for you

Instead of breaking a sweat just trying to find the right shoe for you, there are a few key things that you can look out for in a gym shoe. First, you'll need to decide what you need them for. Ultimately, there are three types of gym shoes - Running shoes, training shoes and lifestyle shoes.

If you're planning on running for less than 20 minutes at a time, then you should be able to use your training shoes for your treadmill runs as well as for your usual training. If you're looking to run for longer than 20 minutes, you'll need to get a separate pair of running shoes designed specifically for running.

Lifestyle shoes are fine for walking around, but they shouldn't be used for running, dancing or training. On occasion, you might find that lifting weights is also okay to do in your every day sneakers.

Running shoes

At a glance, you'll notice that running shoes tend to have thicker soles or platforms than training shoes. If you take a closer look, you'll be able to see that certain running shoes have a smooth bottom, whereas others have uneven bottoms with small indents. This is because you get two main types of running shoes, indoor and outdoor. All running shoes are designed with cushioning to support your feet when they are moving in a forward motion.

The difference between indoor and outdoor running shoes

It's important to be able to tell the difference between indoor and outdoor shoes because they both offer you protection and performance in different ways. Indoor running shoes are the ones with smooth soles or platforms. This smooth, flat surface is best designed for the treadmill or a smooth running track.

Outdoor running shoes are the ones with indents or uneven soles or platforms. They are designed this way to provide you with extra traction and grip, which is necessary when you are outdoors in harsh or slippery elements. These shoes are also fine to use for your street runs on sidewalks or tar roads.

Things to consider when looking at the size and fit of your shoes

When choosing the right one for you, make sure that there is still some space around your toes so that they can move freely without being restricted. It's also important to keep in mind that your feet tend to swell a bit when you run, so don't be scared of a little wiggle room. Your foot arch also determines which shoe you should get, as it may be higher or lower than what's considered a normal arch.

The foot arch test

One way that you can figure out the type of arch you have is by wetting your foot and placing it on a dry paper towel. When you remove your foot, your imprint should give you a clue as to whether you have a high, low or normal arch. The less of an imprint, the higher your arch.

Training shoes

Unlike running shoes, training shoes tend to have thinner soles or platforms. Instead of cushioning that is designed to support and protect your feet in a forward motion, they support and protect your feet from all directions. This means that training shoes have padding on the sides, too. All this support means that training shoes can usually be used for most of the activities or exercises that you have planned when visiting the gym.

Some training shoes will go all the way up to your ankles in order to offer your feet even more protection and keep your feet that much more stable. In addition to the extra padding they provide, they also have grips on the sides to give you more resistance.

How often should you replace your shoes?

How often you'll need to replace your shoes really depends on how often you use them, as well as the type of conditions you intend on putting them through. On average, you'll probably need to replace your training shoes every 7-8 months. If the cushioning on them looks hard, it's probably a good indicator to get a new pair.

For runners, it's a slightly different story. In general, the padding on your running shoes will probably start wearing away after about 500-800 kilometres, depending on the conditions of where you're running.

What will happen if I don't replace them?

Once your shoes really begin to deteriorate badly, your feet won't have the right protection you need. Your performance might also decline, as you won't have the same level of grip or comfort as you used to. In the worst case, you might even sustain an injury, which could cost you a lot more than a fresh pair of kicks to rehabilitate. Even worse, the injury could even take you out of the game entirely.

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Tags: Fitness, Workout, Fitness Wear