The Importance of Proper Footwear, Part 2

“Why, Kitty!” I hear you say. “Are those the Asics Kayano 19 I see on your feet?”

Yes. Yes, they are. They are like wrapping your feet in marshmallows and walking on tiny feather pillows.

I took them for a test run today. Well, test walk. I was able to walk at double my usual pace, and maintain it longer, with minimal pain. Unfortunately, still not one of my better workouts since I ate too soon before I went to the gym and ended up with some nasty pains in my side. But I was able to “walk” at a near jogging speed. I’m on my way to running.

Running Out of Excuses

The Asics are starting their final leg (ha ha) of their journey and should be here this week. I think that was my final excuse for skipping workouts, and now that’s eliminated.

Oh, sure. There are a lot of other excuses I could use. But there are responses to all of them that present a stronger argument.

Speaking of excuses, this subject is a great excuse to post a cat picture!

 

I’m too tired!

Of course I’m too tired. My metabolism is tanking because I haven’t worked out in awhile. And the longer I go without working out, the worse it’s going to be.

 

I’m sick!

See “I’m too tired”… exercise helps my body fight off infections and viruses. Even if I’m feeling under the weather, I need to at least do a little bit, or I’m not going to feel better.

 

I don’t have time!

Yeah. Eliminated this one when a 24-hour gym opened half a block from where I live.

 

I can’t afford a gym!

I have weights at home. I have a huge, police-patrolled parking lot at work that’s empty when I leave.I live across the street from a park. And, really, if I can afford fast food 2-3 times per week, I can afford $10/month for a gym membership (or $20 in my case, because tanning and hydromassage).

 

I don’t know how to work out properly!

It’s 2013 now, and the internet is totally a thing. There are websites, videos, how-to guides, all from professional trainers who know their stuff. Not knowing how to do something is no longer a valid excuse.

 

I’m too fat!

Well, duh. I’m fat because I’ve sat around on my ever-growing backside, doing nothing for a couple of decades now. This excuse only works if I want to continue in my present state (I do not). Yes, I probably am too heavy to run. But I can walk. I can cycle. I can lift. And I can keep doing these things until I’m no longer too heavy for running. And then… I can run.

 

The importance of proper footwear

I haven’t been working out much since the 5K last month. I had noticed before that my feet would often cramp up, toes would go numb, knees and back would hurt… I know now that this is from improper shoes. I never thought it could make that huge of a difference, but apparently I did some real damage to my tendons and my toes by walking five miles in cheap shoes.I wore them to the gym once more, and couldn’t get through a fifteen minute walk. It had a drastic effect on the shoes that I eventually chose to buy, as even the high quality, designed-for-running shoes were hitting my injured spots and causing pain. I’m told this will go away with time and proper support. New shoes are on the way, and I’m looking forward to getting back to the gym

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In the meantime, I’ve been “spring cleaning”… scrubbing floors, flipping mattresses, scrubbing out the fridge and freezer. I looked into it, and it seems you burn about four calories per minute doing “vigorous” cleaning. That definitely qualifies. It’s not ideal, but it’s better than being sedentary.