I'm an oddball and hate shoes (I'm so happy sandal weather is here!). So I always exercise barefoot when doing my daily videos at home. But I'm starting to get pain in the muscle BENEATH my calf, in one leg. I'm wondering if this is because of all the impact?

I am currently doing daily pilates, yoga and the 30 Day Shred. 30DS is the only new element to my exercise routine (I'm on day 12), which is a mix of cardio and strength.

What do you guys think?

that question was asked on jillian's podcast (re 30 Day Shred) and she said to please wear shoes because it will be easier on your ankles and joints.
pilates and yoga without shoes. yes, of course!

festivus, i too loathe shoes and so did my first 9 days of 30DS without shoes.

ooouchie, both my ankles (the front attaching the top of my foot to my calf) hurt with every step i take. i've now started wearing my shoes and can feel a big difference when working out, though when i wear flats, i am still getting some of the flashes.

WOW! i was gonna post this question earlier this morning, but decided against it, although, i was just going to ask how people prefer.

It really depends for me; I do weight training with shoes on, i feel more stable. I so some cardio with shoes on also, but when i get a bit hot, i take them off to cool down slightly. I've not had any pains; prehaps check your form and make sure you're doing it all best you can.

Shoes provide both stability (to prevent injury) and cushioning (to prevent too much impact/shock on joints). You can replace the cushioning part with a well-carpeted floor or yoga mat, but the stability part is important.

If you're interested in doing a total body workout without shoes, you might check out the Yoga Booty Ballet series...they recommend you do their cardio without shoes, and it doesn't have any jumpy/high impact stuff that will hurt joints (unlike 30DS...IMO, doing a jumping jack without appropriately stabilizing shoes is just asking for an injury).

I tried 30DS without shoes once, and my feet and legs KILLED me for a week. Never again!

Ok, so I'm not completely weird. I'll try it with shoes tomorrow! Although I'm not looking forward to the icky hot feet feeling.

I hate shoes too but...

About 10 years ago, I used to do exercise videos at home and never wore shoes. I didn't do any high impact exercises but low/medium impact. 30DS does have some high impact moves.

I woke up one day and couldn't sit up as the pain was so severe. It took me 30 minutes to be able to deal with the pain to sit up. I slowly and painfully drove myself to urgent care. I got a cortisone shot and some pain meds. I ended up seeing a chiropractor which helped. That was the last time I did an exercise video without shoes.

Oh my goodness! That's terrible!

I have been exercising barefoot for a while but have noticed I don't balance as well and my ankle joints suffer!

So today was the second day of wearing shoes for the 30DS, and it really did make a difference! Especially all of the plan position stuff. Thanks for the advice guys!

It depends on which workout I'm doing.
If I'm doing the Hip Hop Abs, which is a standing routine with a lot of leg lifts and such, I'll wear my jazz-sneakers.
If I'm doing my Denise Austins or Bellydance workouts I usually do it in my socks.

Yeah, I tend to wear just socks when I do my DVDs which is not good. Trying to convert myself over to doing it right with shoes.

I always am barefoot around the house, but I have very high arches, and I wouldn't dream of exercising without shoes.

I would think that exercising would put a strain on a barefeet, even with walking in place. Just my opinion, though.

Ok you guys convinced me... next 30DS i'm wearing shoes!
Reading this thread I went "so THAT'S why my ankles have been killing me"