Are Your Shoes Hurting Your Progress?

Hi everyone!

I recently got the opportunity to test out a brand new method for finding the right type of shoe and support. Having the right support and wearing the right shoes in your workouts is CRUCIAL to being able to workout effectively and prevent injury.

This new method is called the “Perfect Fit System” and is available at RoadRunner Sports stores. You may remember that I did a workout shoe review a while back and RoadRunner happened to be the store I went to in order to check out a wide variety of workout shoes!

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HOW DOES THE PERFECT FIT PROCESS WORKS?

First, they asked you questions like what type of workouts you do, what your activity level is, how often you work out, whether you have any injuries, etc.

Then they have your step on the Fit Drones, a 3D scanner that gives you all sorts of stats about your feet cool, huh?!). It scans your feet and tells you your foot size, width, and how high your arches are.

I was surprised to find some imbalances between my left foot and my right foot. My arches were two different heights and, when this happens, it can cause imbalances in the feet which leads to imbalances at different points in the body such as the hips, knees, and back.

Another interesting thing I learned was that, since losing weight, my feet actually got smaller and went from a size 9 to an 8.5! 

The next step was to hop on the treadmill and do a really quick light jog. While jogging, they record how your feet land as you run. I was shocked to see just how much I pronate, which is when your ankles and feet turn inward while walking/running. The opposite, if your feet and ankles turn outward, is called supinating.

Either pronating or supinating can cause imbalances in other parts of your body if not corrected with proper shoe and arch support, as well as proper stabilization exercises.

The next step in the Perfect Fit process was to custom fit my insoles. The insoles were molded to my feet and designed to help the fact that I pronate. What’s great about these insoles is that I can take them in and out of any shoe, ensuring that my arches and my feet are supported no matter what!

Lastly, they had me test a few moves like a squat and a single leg squat to assess my mobility in my hips and ankles. In my case, with the single leg squat, my knee did cave in a little bit (it was my first time trying it!) and my ankles pronated, as expected. This is where the custom fit insoles and the right shoe will help compensate for the imbalance and ensure that I don’t injure myself while working out.

Getting proper support for your feet and arches is the first step to ensuring that you are protected from injury and can effectively perform your workout routine. In addition to that, actually working on strengthening your stabilizer muscles is just as important!

Below is a link to my video with a behind the scenes look at my Perfect Fit review, along with a quick 3-minute Stabilization Circuit that will help you increase strength in your feet and arches as well as improve your overall balance.

At the end of the day, imbalances are normal and everyone has them to a degree. However, when you have imbalances, major joints can be affected when you’re running, training, or even just in day to day life. Luckily it’s just a matter of finding out what your imbalances are and then getting something adjusted to you! If you’re interested in finding your perfect fit, you can head to your local RoadRunner Sports store or visit them online.

Hope you found this blog helpful! Any comments or questions? Don’t hesitate to ask below!