Professional athletes put a lot of emphasis on their shoes. Admittedly, they sometimes have commercial reasons for doing so, but the right footwear is a vital part of their complete toolkit for success. Thus, alongside training, diet and preparation, professional sportspeople pay close attention to their equipment.
Similarly to good quality tires on a car, the right pair of shoes offer a whole range of benefits to the wearer. While good tires offer better grip, control and lower fuel consumption, shoes also make for a surprisingly long list of advantages.
How can good shoes help?
Picking the right shoes from Nike stores in AU, for example, helps your feet by reducing the stress placed on them and reduces the likelihood of pressure points. This limits the chances of verrucae or painful corns developing. Well-ventilated shoes also help ensure your feet remain as dry as possible to avoid fungal conditions, blisters, or painful sores.
Good shoes are not just about your feet. Strong ankle support and the right fit inside the shoe can limit the stress on your joints, legs, and knees. This reduces the risk of injury and minor niggles as you play sport, run, or even walk.
Lastly, putting some effort into your search for new shoes can reduce pressure on your wallet! Finding the right shoes reduces your churn rate and will mean the ones you buy will last you a lot longer. Spoiler alert – it is not just about buying the most expensive shoe!
How will you use your shoes?
With this in mind, the first question to ask yourself is how you plan to use your shoes. If the use will vary, such as walking to work and running 5 mile runs twice a week, the best plan is to buy two different types of shoes.
This approach will help in two ways. First, you will choose the right type of shoe for the two very different purposes. Second, you will be able to dry out your shoes properly to avoid putting on damp, sweaty ones, which can cause sores.
Even the most expensive running shoes will struggle on a technical mountain trek. Similarly, hiking boots will not be the most practical for walking the dog or getting around town. As well as negatively impacting the shoe’s longevity, wrong footwear choices such as this can also contribute to a lack of support for the ankle area.
Getting some advice
Once you have a shortlist of the types of shoes that might be a good fit for you, the next step is to do your own research online and read some other customer reviews.
Another resource is the staff in your shoe store – they usually have some level of training to advise you on the best shoes for your needs. Of course, with their sales targets in mind, they may try to steer you towards the more expensive options, but even with this in mind, they can still offer some good advice on what shoes best fit your needs. Even still, do not rely only on their advice – do your own homework first.
That’s not my job
If shoes could talk, they would be able to say, “that’s not my job”! For example, buying the top pair of running shoes and hiking a river trail in them seems like an obvious mistake, but it is pretty common.
You will be spending good money on your shoes from Nike stores in Au, so why get the wrong ones for the job? The best plan to avoid wasting your hard-earned dollars is to make sure you get the best pair for the use you have in mind.
The difference between walking shoes and running shoes is a particular mistake people make. Because they often look similar and are both made by the big brands, it can be tempting to think that one pair will be able to do everything.
But consider how much you will use your shoes for different purposes. The reality is that most of the time, during a normal day, you will be walking. Therefore, it may be advisable to buy yourself a separate pair of running shoes, especially when considering the biomechanical differences between running and walking.
Walking is the natural human motion, whereas running is a forced motion. This is why walking shoes are designed and made in a different way from running shoes. The latter puts a lot more stress on the feet, joints and ankles, and as such, the demand for running shoes is a lot more intense.