Check the shelves of your sports equipment store, and it seems there are more types of athletic shoes than sports for which to use them! Specialization does matter, though, because you want to wear the best shoe for your specific activity. What does that mean? It means considering foot size, shape, and idiosyncrasies about how you run, walk, jump, and land. No matter your need, there is a shoe there for you – and
it’s easy to find.

The first step (literally) is to ensure you embark upon your expedition with your feet prepared as though to do your sport. Try shoes late in the day; if you go in the morning, your foot will be smaller and tighter than it would after a day of walking; you don’t want to end up with a small shoe. Also, make sure you take
the socks you will wear when you exercise to the store. The right fit must take sock size into account.

It is helpful to know a few terms that are important no matter choice of exercise. Pronation describes movement of the ankle. A neutral foot-strike means the heel and ball land evenly, with no rotation of the ankle. Over-pronators, who have flat or fallen arches, tend to roll the ankle too far inward. Under-pronators, who often have high arches and stiff feet, don’t have enough flexion in their stride. Ankle and arch issues permeate all sports, so have an expert watch your walking and running stride, if possible.

If you have high arches, investigate cushioning shoes. These shoes are built on a curved last, with padding in the heel and/or under the ball of the foot, to encourage a rolling motion through the heel-strike to the ball push-off.

If you are a neutral strider, you can find excellent shoes offering a middle level of cushioning, motion control, and stability that will encourage an efficient running motion without providing too much extra support. Stability shoes are lighter than motion-control runners, but a little bit heavier than cushioning runners. The
average runner will often find stability shoes to be the most comfortable because they do not create a particular stride motion.

If you have reached an elite level of running, however, you will probably focus most on the weight of the shoe itself. Some of these incorporate motion-control or cushioning aspects, but mostly they tend to sacrifice therapeutic controls to become as light as possible in an effort to help long-distance elite level runners.

Severe over- or under-pronators should not look into lightweight shoes, but average striders will be quite comfortable in them, as they provide a medium level of support to the foot.

Cross-training shoes take an entirely different motion into consideration. You want a pair of cross-trainers if you make any lateral (sideways) motion in addition to impact, such as in a sport like kickboxing.

Running or walking shoes are built for the forward motion of running, and
do not provide any stability to the ankle for side-to-side motion; only cross-trainers are designed to prevent injury and support lateral moves. You should also wear cross-trainers when weightlifting, because these shoes will typically provide the most multi-directional support.

Have your foot measured professionally, and seek out a shoe built on a narrow or wide base if you have a foot that is not average width. Make sure that the shoe is comfortable and supportive in movement. Hopefully, these quick tips help you in your search – remember that not all exercise shoes are created equally!

About The Author: Bobby DeMuro is the Founder of FusionSouth, a personal training/sports conditioning firm in Charlotte, NC. He is also the Executive Director of NoFizz Charlotte, a non-profit dedicated to bringing awareness on the importance of proper hydration. He resides on Lake Norman with his 2-year old boxer, Dakota.

Grow Green Baby is a great website for organic baby products and a few fun mom products as well. They have everything to cover your baby necessities from 100% organic clothing to baby safe Green to Grow bottles and bubbly body wash to keep your baby fresh and clean.

Grow Green Baby isn’t the kind of store that wants you to take all of your baby products and throw them away just in the name of being eco-friendly, rather they’re a shop that wants to help parents and grandparents make small choices to slowly turn your home into a healthier and more earth friendly one. I love that about this site.

I got the opportunity to test out one of their wearable items. The Isabooties pictured below, aren’t they cute??

Isabooties are American made and 100% animal-free and formaldehyde free. Great for indoor and outdoor, but not recommended on heavy pavement. Can you believe these Ultrasuede shoes are machine washable?? If you were to compare these shoes to another big name you’ll find that most are not machine washable and obviously not as eco-friendly, but very comparable in pricing.

Personally, if I can find similar organic or eco-friendly products at the same or lower price I’ll definitely go for those instead. It’s my responsibility to make choices for my daughters’ future home.

Don’t worry if you don’t have a “baby,” Isabooties run all the way up to 18 months for your little one and come in several colors and styles for your little boy or girl.

Check out Grow Green Baby here: http://www.growgreenbaby.com/default.asp for more great earth friendly items.

Grow Green Baby is also giving away 1 pair of 6-12 month Granite Isabooties to one lucky reader!!

Here’s how to win:
Using the entry form directly below this post (NOT the comment form), submit your name, an email address that you check regularly, and the entry you are submitting. *Please note the Mandatory Entry MUST be completed before you can qualify for additional entries.

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Giveaway ends March 19th @12:00 am. The winner will be chosen at random, verified, emailed, and announced in a Winner’s post. The winner will have 48 hours to respond to the email from MommyB to claim the prize, if the prize is not claimed within 48 hours a new winner will be chosen at random. You must be 18 years or older to enter.