How You Can Protect Your Feet During Aerobic Exercise

Aerobic exercise is important for keeping your body healthy, and it's also a fabulous way to promote and maintain weight loss. Aerobic exercise can be defined as brisk physical activity that gets your heart pumping. It makes your lungs and heart work harder during exercise in order to supply the body with the increased level of oxygen it needs. This in turn helps to promote better circulation of oxygen in your blood.

You can achieve this by biking, swimming, running, dancing, or any number of activities. Even great sex can be aerobic exercise. Many people take aerobic classes or spend an hour on the treadmill at the gym.

While aerobic exercise has many benefits to the body, it can do a real number on your feet and ankles. You may experience swelling of the feet and ankles, especially if you have circulation issues already. Some people will have cramping, pain, or even develop plantar warts, athlete's foot, or blisters. Muscle strain and sprains are also common problems that can occur. Another often experienced foot problem is nerve damage, in some cases even permanent nerve damage.

So, you need to do your aerobic exercise to fulfill that cardio requirement your personal trainer (or that guy on your DVD at home) says you need, but your feet are pretty important. Should you just give up and resign yourself to being well...voluptuous?

Well, I suppose you could. However, a healthier option would be to take steps to protect your feet during exercise. But how can you do this? Try these tips.

Warm Up

Be sure to spend a few minutes stretching before you start your workout. This way, your muscles will be pliable and less likely to cramp and strain, and you'll significantly reduce your risk of muscular injury.

Drink Up

Be sure to drink plenty of water before, during, and after your workout. Dehydration is a common cause of muscle cramping.

Get Some New Socks

Cotton socks might cost less, but investing in a pair of microfiber socks just might save your feet from blisters. Microfiber wicks moisture away from your feet, helping them to stay drier during exercise. This can help prevent blisters. You can get microfiber socks at www.footsmart.com.

It's All in the Shoes

It's very important to get a good pair of shoes that are suited to the type of exercise you're doing. For example, be sure to get running shoes if you're running or aerobic shoes for the class at the gym.

In addition to getting the right type of shoe, it's even more important to be sure the shoe fits properly. Shoes that are too tight can cause nerve damage, blisters, warts, and pain, while shoes that are too loose can cause muscle strain and sprains, among other things.

Be sure your shoes aren't broken down. If you must, keep them to use in the garden or the next time you go fishing, but replace your work out shoes often to protect your feet. Broken down shoes can cause tendonitis and uneven posture.

Flat Surfaces

Whichever type of aerobic exercise suits you, be sure to do it on a firm and flat surface. Uneven surfaces can cause more muscle strain and increased risk of sprains.

Take a Break

If you notice these symptoms, it's time to take a break from your usual routine for a day or two. Consider cross training for awhile. You may even just slow things down a bit. For example, if you run every day, try brisk walking instead. This way, your feet have time to recover, rather than causing overuse injuries.