I’ve had a number of clients as me lately about shoes. I’ve also brought up shoes when I’ve seen people come into the clinic with holes in their shoes (look down, how are your shoes…be honest). My go-to is that when I notice a wear pattern on the bottoms of my shoes it’s time to upgrade.

You can have a ton of fun with shoes, and there’s definitely different things that I recommend based upon what you like to do for activity.

If your go-to is deadlifting… I like to get as low profile of shoes as you can, or barefoot. My preference is to be able to feel the floor to be able to have a solid push down into the floor as the weight moves in the opposite direction (up!).

If your go-to is running… make sure you have at least some stability in your shoe. A recent continuing education class I took recommended not too minimal & not too squishy (yes, that’s my technical term today). A good shoe in the middle, like Goldilocks, is usually best. And rotate between a few pairs! I always look at 3 criteria with running shoes:

1. I shouldn’t be able to wring it out like a towel.

2. I shouldn’t be able to fold it like a taco from front to back.

3. It should have a firm back.

Most of all, find shoes that are comfortable for you! Now get out there and move! Not sure what type of exercise you want to do? Check out this post for American College of Sports Medicine recommendations!

Personally, just about every day I’m wearing Brooks. They fit all the 3 criteria, and they have a wide toe box so your toes don’t get squished. I own multiple pairs so I can rotate shoes so my feet don’t get too used to one shoe. Interested in some of your own? Here’s my affiliate link!