Dr. Grimes’ 20-1-7 CHALLENGE:
- For the first TWENTY weeks of this year,
- Pick ONE healthy change every Sunday, and
- Commit to that change for SEVEN days.
If the SHOE Fits…20-1-7 Challenge Week #13
While the saying goes “If the shoe fits, WEAR it,” this week’s challenge is almost the opposite, because we are talking about your athletic shoes. Call them sneakers, tennis shoes, running shoes, whatever- here is the important challenge. Look at the bottom of your shoes. If the tread is obviously worn smooth in any part, it’s time for NEW shoes. My mantra is “yes, new shoes may be expensive, but NEW SHOES are cheaper than NEW KNEES (or hips).”
Over and over in my twenty years of practicing family medicine, I see injuries/aches/pains that can be prevented by proper footwear. If you are walking or jogging regularly for exercise, odds are good that you should be replacing your shoes every six months…even though the “shoe still fits”- meaning you have no foot pain, and the tops may even look “practically brand new”.
Look closely at the picture above, and notice the circle pattern…and lack thereof, in an unequal fashion on the two shoes. When these shoes were new, every section had that circle and line pattern. Now you can clearly see I have worn through the tread, and I am overdue for new shoes.
BOTTOM LINE: Look deep into your “soles” to see if it is time for new shoes! While this is not my typical “daily” 20-1-7 Challenge, I will commit to getting new shoes TODAY that I will wear in my daily 2-4 mile dog-walks.
PS. I strongly encourage you to head to a local running shoe store with experienced and knowledgable sales people to be properly fitted for shoes. They should not only measure your foot, but watch you walk/run/jog to help advise you on your shoes. Locally here in Austin, I recommend Ready to Run.
20-1-7 Challenge Week #1: COLOR
20-1-7 Challenge Week #2: Veggie Spiralizer
20-1-7 Challenge Week #3: Medication Dispenser
20-1-7 Challenge Week #4: Meditation
20-1-7 Challenge Week #5: WATER
20-1-7 Challenge Week #6: Exercise BOOST
20-1-7 Challenge Week #7: FLOSS
20-1-7 Challenge Week #9: RESIST
20-1-7 Challenge Week #10: No W(h)ining
20-1-7 Challenge Week #11: YOGA
20-1-7 Challenge Week #12: CLUTTER CONTROL – in 10 minute daily organizational attacks. FEEDBACK: Wow, I should have started this decades ago! At least for my personality, this technique worked wonderfully. I am amazed how much I was able to get done in a short burst of cleansing, one drawer at a time. By picking the areas I spend the most time (like bathroom/kitchen drawers and laundry room), I am reaping the mental benefits of feeling more calm and simply by removing visual clutter.
As for my YOGA do-over…less success there. Perhaps I need to try an actual class some time- for me, the less interactive apps were a bit of a hassle to use (to look at the small screen, figure out the pose, etc.) I also had achy wrists (from computer overuse on a photoshop project) that contributed to sapping my motivation for yoga poses.