So I hate to admit this but I haven't bought a new pair of sneakers in about 2 years. I'm looking for some suggestions. Mostly, I'm going to be running and doing excercise dvds. The pair I have now is Nike and they held up pretty nicely but I didn't think they were that great when I ran. Plus Im a big girl so I need something with lots of support.
If you're going to be running, the best thing to do is go to a running store and get properly fitted. The staff will look at your old sneakers to detect the wear pattern, and watch how you move so that they can suggest the right pair. It's really important to have a good pair of sneakers for running.
Any respectable athletic store will have staff who know what they are talking about for shoes & should measure & watch your gait & ask you lots of questions about your activity. They should be more concerned about the right fit for you then the brand.
I have cross-trainers because I do so much weight lifting. They're more stable than a running shoe.
I swear by Saucony sneakers when it comes to running. They fit my wide feet perfectly (Nike's and New Balance are too narrow, Addidas are usually okay), very high quality, very comfortable, and they have a good reputation in the running world. Having said that your feet may be totally different from mine and they may not work for you at all. As someone else suggested go get fitted at a specialty running store, it can make ALL the difference in the world, yes they actually make different shoes for different feet and different gaits, not all sneakers are made the same way.
I also run in Asics. Like everyone else said, go to a store staffed by runners and get professionally fitted. Running is a really high-impact sport and you can cause serious injury if you don't have the proper shoes.
I hate to tell ya, but you're going to need to buy 2 different pairs of shoes. Running shoes are only meant for that - running. They don't have the support for side-to-side motion that often comes with workout DVD's and they usually don't have a lot of heel support since that's not where the impact comes in running. Buy running shoes for running and cross trainers for everything else. That's what I've had to do.
Oh, and just so you don't go in unprepared: a lot of times heavier runners (like me) need more support and therefore the shoes can be more expensive. My last pair of running shoes cost me $135. Be prepared to spend more on running shoes than on regular shoes... Bottom line - listen to the people at the running store, they know what they're talking about.
After years of guessing which shoes were best for me, I took the same advice. They did a quick analysis of my running/walking style and put me in the best shoes I have ever worn! While they were saccony's, I think the real benefit was that the were a particular model of the shoe line that fit me best. In the past, I viewed a Nike as any other Nike.
Yup - another vote for professional running store fittings...I didn't heed this advice myself when I started running, and wound up with a dead toenail from running in shoes that weren't big enough. Not to mention how much better my feet feel in general with my shoes (Mizuno Nirvanas, just love them).
Sneakers
