I had no idea that I had gone so long between posts....... June was a very busy month but a great one. In early June, WW had a "FitParty" day to end our spring Live Life Active campaign. I got to help out with one of our local events and we had a great time. We did hula-hooping, Zumba with coined hip-scarves (even doing routines with more of a Mediterranean/bellydance flair instead of Latin flavored), and a quickie yoga session.
But the one talk/presentation that I got the most out of was a presentation about shoes. You see, I have about 3 pairs of tennis shoes -- they are not sneakers, they are not gym shoes, they are TENNIS SHOES. And for some of us who speak Southernese, it's actually "tenny shoes" (pronounced "tinny"). I've worn good ol' tinny-shoes for years on end, but I couldn't tell you the last time I had bought a new pair. A fitness seminar I took this spring had a great reminder from our leader: "if you can't remember the last time you bought new athletic shoes, you need a new pair." Rut-roh Raggy. She was right. I couldn't remember...... All three had heavy heel erosion on the sole, and one pair (a nice pair of mesh Adidas running shoes) had even worn a hole right at the left big toe. The last pair I bought was a knock-off pair of the Reebok rock-n-toners that were all the rage a few years ago, and honestly, I bought them to keep at the office for when I could walk on lunch hour.
About 18 months ago, I had a severe shooting, stabbing pain in my left foot, searing across the top from the middle section just below the big toe, diagonally up to just below my little toe. OUCHIE! I was doing a calf raise, so this didn't exactly help matters when you're trying to stand on the balls of your feet. By April, it was no better. My lymphedema therapist's husband is a physical therapist and avid runner, and he was speaking to me about it .... suddenly, he mashed on my foot and I nearly came off the table. He suggested I get checked for a stress fracture. And I did just that. Luckily, nothing broken but they gave me a beauty of a velcro boot to wear for a couple of weeks. Eventually the pain went away, unless I overdid things, such as walk more than about 2 miles. Or stand for long periods of time. Recently, it was getting to the point that if I walked my normal route (between 1.5 and 2.0 miles), I would have to take the next day off. Step cardio? RIGHT. That would earn me at least 2 days off.
And then came Dane, from the store, to speak to us about the right shoe. What he said began to intrigue me, and I made a note to myself that I would have to check them out and see what they said about new shoes. It took me about 3 weeks to actually get over there one Friday after work, and it just so happened, he was the one who helped me out. Found out that I need a "stability shoe" (a little extra heavy-duty foam in certain sections) in order to support my feet and ankles properly. So after trying on eleventy pairs, the first ones were the best. Awesome shoes from Brooks, and so far, ten days later, my feet are thanking me.
You see, when you aren't in pain as you walk, do step, or any other activity, it inspires you to want to keep doing it. It makes you WANT to lace up those shoes. It makes you want to put a spring in your step and know that you can do the same the next day. And so far -- yeah, I'm doing more!
And my other shoes? Well, what I'm thinking is that there's always someone else who can use them. They are still good shoes to cover your feet, just not optimal for running or workouts. So I plan to donate them to a charity that shoes the homeless or needy. Not that I couldn't just toss them in the Goodwill bag, but something is telling me to give them away instead. I won't ignore that voice.
And I'm loving my new tenny-shoes. A very SNAZZY purple with lime green laces. Oh yeah! That's me! :)
But the one talk/presentation that I got the most out of was a presentation about shoes. You see, I have about 3 pairs of tennis shoes -- they are not sneakers, they are not gym shoes, they are TENNIS SHOES. And for some of us who speak Southernese, it's actually "tenny shoes" (pronounced "tinny"). I've worn good ol' tinny-shoes for years on end, but I couldn't tell you the last time I had bought a new pair. A fitness seminar I took this spring had a great reminder from our leader: "if you can't remember the last time you bought new athletic shoes, you need a new pair." Rut-roh Raggy. She was right. I couldn't remember...... All three had heavy heel erosion on the sole, and one pair (a nice pair of mesh Adidas running shoes) had even worn a hole right at the left big toe. The last pair I bought was a knock-off pair of the Reebok rock-n-toners that were all the rage a few years ago, and honestly, I bought them to keep at the office for when I could walk on lunch hour.
About 18 months ago, I had a severe shooting, stabbing pain in my left foot, searing across the top from the middle section just below the big toe, diagonally up to just below my little toe. OUCHIE! I was doing a calf raise, so this didn't exactly help matters when you're trying to stand on the balls of your feet. By April, it was no better. My lymphedema therapist's husband is a physical therapist and avid runner, and he was speaking to me about it .... suddenly, he mashed on my foot and I nearly came off the table. He suggested I get checked for a stress fracture. And I did just that. Luckily, nothing broken but they gave me a beauty of a velcro boot to wear for a couple of weeks. Eventually the pain went away, unless I overdid things, such as walk more than about 2 miles. Or stand for long periods of time. Recently, it was getting to the point that if I walked my normal route (between 1.5 and 2.0 miles), I would have to take the next day off. Step cardio? RIGHT. That would earn me at least 2 days off.
And then came Dane, from the store, to speak to us about the right shoe. What he said began to intrigue me, and I made a note to myself that I would have to check them out and see what they said about new shoes. It took me about 3 weeks to actually get over there one Friday after work, and it just so happened, he was the one who helped me out. Found out that I need a "stability shoe" (a little extra heavy-duty foam in certain sections) in order to support my feet and ankles properly. So after trying on eleventy pairs, the first ones were the best. Awesome shoes from Brooks, and so far, ten days later, my feet are thanking me.
You see, when you aren't in pain as you walk, do step, or any other activity, it inspires you to want to keep doing it. It makes you WANT to lace up those shoes. It makes you want to put a spring in your step and know that you can do the same the next day. And so far -- yeah, I'm doing more!
And my other shoes? Well, what I'm thinking is that there's always someone else who can use them. They are still good shoes to cover your feet, just not optimal for running or workouts. So I plan to donate them to a charity that shoes the homeless or needy. Not that I couldn't just toss them in the Goodwill bag, but something is telling me to give them away instead. I won't ignore that voice.
And I'm loving my new tenny-shoes. A very SNAZZY purple with lime green laces. Oh yeah! That's me! :)
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