#4 Get a GOOD pair of workout shoes and maybe even some gear.
Shoes!
Forrest Gump had it right when he talked about shoes! Your shoes will be critical in your journey to good health. Why? Because everything that you do in the day (well, most things) you do on your feet and fat people usually have feet issues.
This is not to say that people who are not obese have great walking posture all the time, they don't and they can suffer from the same issues with their feet as heavy people. But, it is no surprise that heavy people will have more foot pain/problems simply because of the amount of weight that we have to bear on our feet.
If you are going to start becoming more active by walking more, you have to have good shoes! If you aren't sure what kind of step you have or what kind of shoes are good for you go to the nearest athletic shoe store (like Footlocker or a specialty store) and ask them for help. They can watch your stride and help you get the right pair of shoes for your feet.
Be sure that you try them in the store, walk in them a little and dear heavens SAVE YOUR RECEIPT. They may not work out for you.
Now sometimes you do have to give them a break in period. When I bought my first pair of Minimus shoes (the barefoot shoes) they warn you to start slow in them because they make you utilize different muscles in your legs and feet as you walk. They were NOT kidding. Honestly after wearing them for about an hour or so to walk I could barely move the next day on my legs, they hurt so badly. But now, they are my favorite pair of shoes, my go to pair and I love them. I would buy a hundred more pairs of them (and I was never a big New Balance fan anyway).
Good shoes, especially for physical activity, are an investment! If you don't have good shoes, you will have uncomfortable feet and if your feet hurt, your legs will hurt, and if they hurt your back will hurt, and if your back hurts your neck will hurt, and if your neck hurts you will get a headache and if you have a headache you won't exercise.
GET GOOD SHOES!!!
If you continue on with your healthy lifestyle habits you may find that you start doing different activities in different places. Example, I had a pair of walking shoes, then I got the Minimus shoes (for jogging), then I got the Minimus Trail shoes (for hiking/trail running). You may need to (gasp) have a few different pairs of athletic shoes for different activities that you do. High impact aerobics would probably not be the place for my Minimus shoes.
Believe it or not, I really like searching for new athletic shoes. I have an issue with matching, so I swear I would get a pair to match any workout clothes I have.
Which brings us to the gear. Shoes are a necessity! You CANNOT hope to start an exercise routine without them. The cute workout clothes, well, not so much a necessity (unless you don't have any) but they sure do look cute and make you feel cute.
I'm sure you wonder why it would be important to look cute while exercising because that red faced, huffing and puffing, sweat running in places you didn't know you could sweat from look is super hot....but, if you feel good you may do more. Yep, feeling good says a lot and does a lot!
It's nice to have some nice workout clothes. Besides you really can't run a 5k in jeans. (I have actually seen people do this at 5k races that I have taken part in, I really don't know what their problem was.)
Some nice places to get workout gear if you are heavy (because most places go up to an XL only and their idea of an XL is actually like a size 6 or something) are believe it or not Wal-mart or even I know that there are more but these are two of my favorites.
At www.walmart.com you can search in the plus active wear and Danskin Now has some cute and reasonably priced things. They don't always restock in good time, but they are nice.
www.oldnavy.com is the place to go for cute, good quality, plus size active wear. I CANNOT say enough about how I love my gear from ON. The running shorts I practically live in now, the compression pants are wonderful, the shirts fit great. I hope to order more very soon. They are fashionable so you will match the other people exercising and not feel too handicapped by the fact that you may not be able to wear UA clothes too. These are not cheap, they are a little pricey for workout gear, but the quality is great, they fit has been wonderful and I have used mine...extensively.
Have you found any brands of workout gear or shoes that you think deserve mentioning? Even if you think that you don't know anything about exercise or health, you may know a lot about shoes! Feel free to share in the comments.
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