What to Wear to your next class - SHOES

I get this question fairly often - "I want to come to ____ class, what should I wear?" - so I thought I'd address it here.

WEAR WHAT MAKES YOU FEEL GOOD and doesn't interfere with your workout.  Spend more time thinking about your footwear than the rest of your attire.  So, what does that mean?

Your feet are super important and are your first connection point to the earth/ground/floor pretty much all the time.  The kind of class you're going to will dictate what you should have on your feet, and this really is the most important decision you're going to make in getting ready for class.  I'll start bare and go up from there:

Bare Feet: Going without shoes is perfect for Bellydance, Pilates, and Yoga, for different reasons.  In bellydance, your entire foot is needed to make the magic happen so having access to and awareness of your toes, ball of foot, and heel is essential.  In yoga & Pilates you spend most of your time on the mat, again with awareness of the whole foot, so having your feet bare keeps you from slipping and sliding.  Oh, and YOUR TOENAILS DON'T MATTER, so come to class even if it's been ages since your last pedicure - I promise, our teachers don't care (and may be ages from their last pedicure, too). If your feet run cold you may want to bring a pair of socks into the classroom for shavasana/bliss time.

A note about Grippy Socks: If you really don't want bare feet for whatever reason, grippy socks like the ones from Rock These Socks may work for you.

Tennis/smooth soled "gym" Shoes: Referring to *actual* tennis shoes, these are great for Zumba.  You do a lot of twisting and turning in this class, so having a shoe that will move with you is really important.  Running shoes or anything with a lot of tread/traction is NOT a good fit because the shoe is designed to stay put.  That's awesome when you're out running but if your shoe stays put and your ankle moves you're can end up with an injury.  Tennis shoes, Dance Fitness shoes - anything with a nice smooth sole will be your Zumba friend but they're best reserved for indoor use only.  Their lack of tread can make them wear down really quickly if you use them outside.

Cross-Trainer "gym" Shoes: Wear these to Kettlebell AMPD, Moxie Boxing, and Circuit because they offer you a lot of support.  Since we're not doing all the twisting that happens in Zumba the tread/grip isn't a problem, and these shoes tend to have a bit more shock absorption which is nice when we do burpies and jumping jacks.  These can be worn indoors and out, but bringing your workout shoes and changing when you arrive will keep them in good shape for longer.

Running Shoes: You guessed it - these are great for running!  They can also be used for walking and tend to last longer since they're designed for outdoor use (and beagles love them).

What do I wear?

I have a high-quality pair of "studio shoes" - they have a pivot point under the ball
of the foot, good ankle support, and a minimal amount of tread.  I am able to wear them for all of the classes I teach that require shoes (Zumba, Ketllebell AMPD, Moxie Boxing, Circuit).  When I teach Pilates and Bellydance my feet are bare (my favorite).

One general note about shoes and studio-based fitness classes.  It is highly recommended that you keep your fitness shoes as fitness shoes.  Bring them with you and change at the studio, reserve them for use in your classes.  This will help you make fewer trips to the shoe store and will keep you safer from injury.  How?  All the little things you can pick up in your shoes (especially those with tread) can change how they function under your feet and leave you at risk for slipping, sliding, and twisting when you're not expecting it.  As the weather changes this is an issue, too - wet shoes slip WAY more than you think!

I promise my next "What to Wear" post will be about the rest of your outfit, but shoes needed a post all their own.