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Some surprising facts from the Colonel
Trainer tutorial
From winklepickers to stilettos to six-inch platforms, the dictates of fashion have not always been kind to our feet. When it comes to buying trainers, too, it's easy to be seduced by gimmicks, gadgets and go-faster stripes.
The quest? To find a perfect match between your fragile feet and your chosen sport. Just as our physiques vary, so different activities make different demands. So, it's essential to buy shoes that are designed for a particular purpose. These can seem expensive compared to everyday footwear but, before you even walk into a shop, remember this: the price of a good pair of trainers is a fraction of the cost of a very average physiotherapist.
Lateral thinking
Let's start on the court. Tennis, squash and badminton involve frequent side-to-side motion, so shoes for racquet sports must provide lateral stability, support the ankles and have relatively firm, flat soles: a built-up heel would make them unstable when you're moving quickly. A quarter of all ankle ligament injuries are sports-related, and most ofthese are due to wearing ill-fitting or unsuitable shoes.
Straight walking
Running and walking, on the other hand, are generally done in a straight line, therefore lateral stability is less important. Key features here are shock absorption and devices to correct the idiosyncrasies of our running or walking styles. Devoted walkers should really buy a walking-specific shoe, if possible.
Unshockable
Aerobics involves both lateral and straight-line movement, so shoes need to be strong, stable, low-heeled and offer adequate shock absorption for high-impact work. Companies like Reebok have always designed specialist aerobics shoes for women, but men wanting to perfect their grapevines have less choice and should choose a cross-trainer.
Cross-trainers are all-purpose shoes for both sexes - supportive, stable but comparatively heavy, and they're suitable for the gym and for exercise-to-music classes. However, they're absolutely not designed for running. 'If you're going to run for more than 15 minutes at a time, a pair of specialist shoes is essential,' says Max Bower, assistant programme director at Central YMCA in London.
When time runs out . . .
How do you know when trainers are at the end of their useful life? After all, they may still look in reasonable condition, with little evidence of wear on the sole. However, the midsole - the important bit that contains shock-absorbing material - degrades every time the shoes are worn. Considering runners create a load of up to five times their own body weight each stride, and aerobics devotees up to eight times, it's easy to see why skimping on shoes is a false economy. Running shoes need replacing every 500 miles - which, for a 20-miles-a-week athlete, means twice a year. Cross-trainers used two or three times a week will last for around 100 hours of exercise or nine months. If you still need convincing, try one old trainer and one new trainer in the shop - you'll feel the difference in cushioning and support.
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