November 26, 2010-present weight loss




2012 weight loss



Thursday, December 1, 2011

A Big Ole Pain In My--- Foot

My pretty new sneakers
PS- I no longer wear WIDE!
   
I desperately needed new sneakers last month.  I had been wearing the same sneakers since before I had surgery last year, and they were in bad shape.  The insole had completely formed to my feet and gave almost NO support.  I was also suffering from this horrible pain on the balls of my feet that radiated out to my toes.  It would start when I was on the elliptical and would sometimes get so intense that I could not complete my routine.  Once the pain started, it even made riding the recumbent bike difficult and painful.  It was terrible. 
   
I assumed that the new sneakers would alleviate this pain, but no such luck.  I put them on, worked out and the pain was as bad as ever.  I did some research online, and I found that the pain was likely caused by the way I was moving on the elliptical.  I always positioned my feet towards the back of the pedals, meaning that my weight was in front of my feet and I was constantly rocking my feet back and forth/putting all of my weight on the balls of my feet.  So I tried a new approach.  I moved my feet to the front of the pedals and focused on keeping my feet planted on the pedals.  With my feet towards the front of the pedals, I no longer need to lean forward as much to move my arms.  It hasn’t completely relieved the pain, but it has reduced it significantly.  The toes still get a bit tingly- at least it is tolerable now!
On the subject of sneakers, I learned something interesting when purchasing my newest ones.  The store I go to is focused on runners, and I just love it.  Not like I do the whole running thing with any degree of frequency, but still.  I like the salespeople, who are both knowledgeable and helpful.  I planned to buy two pairs of sneakers and asked the sales guy if there is a benefit to rotating the sneakers on a daily basis rather than wearing one pair to death and then replacing them with spares.  He said that after a workout, the insoles take 30 hours to fully spring back to life and that I can prolong the life of both pairs of sneakers by rotating them.  Who’d a thunk that insoles were so finicky?        

8 comments:

Rachel said...

I have the same problem on the elliptical!!! My tootsies get all tingly!! Glad to hear that I am not alone! xx

MandaPanda said...

When I was preparing for the 3 Day, I went to a runner's store to get some new shoes and I'll never go anywhere else. They were SO helpful. They even had this machine that analyzed how you walk/run and what kind of arch you need. It was awesome! Best pair of shoes I ever bought.

Rhonda said...

Wow, that's great advice to get about your shoes, thanks for sharing with us. :)

Amanda said...

I love your new little picture above your 'about' section!

Getting the right pair of shoes is so important. I am so picky and I never know exactly how they are going to be until I work out with them...

Maybe I should go get a shoe fitting, too!

Beth Ann said...

I always do better when I revolved my sneaks too, but I never knew why! I love that you figured out something to ease the pain on the elliptical. My toes always get numb on that thing too.

Beth said...

Never new that about sneakers. Sounds like a good excuse for me to buy a second pair!

Melissa Wolf said...

Count me in on the tingly toes thing...It's the pressure of the extra weight on our feet, don't you think? You inspired me to get a new pair of sneaks...mine are shot. Glad you're taking such great care of yourself!

Cece said...

Great new pic ! And, thanks too for the tip on buying two pairs of shoes. I am due for a new pair so I suppose I should 'spring' for two.