[labellaleah]

i've been doing aerobic videos at home to work out about 30-45min a day since last tuesday. on saturday i woke up to pain in my right foot, around the arch. i've been working out without shoes since i'm on the top floor of an apartment building...does anyone know if this is what's causing the pain?

thanks!

[mandalinn82]

Working out without shoes = a bad idea. Proper athletic shoes support your ankle, foot, and arch. They cushion your landings so your feet aren't jarred as badly by each step. They also can help keep your foot in a proper position so you land right on each step, which makes you less prone to injury. You have to get shoes! It won't be significantly louder and will probably help with your pain.

[tdiprincess]

I personally wear crocs. They don't make as much noise as sneakers but have pretty decent support. They're also light on your feet and breathe pretty nicely. But definitely wear some type of footwear. I live directly above my landlord. I workout at 7am each morning. He hasn't complained yet...
And do give your body a rest too. I don't know how many days each week you exercise, but taking one day a week to rest it is always a good idea!
keep up the great work!

[Athenawithheart]

Unless you're doing yoga or pilates, definitely wear supportive sneakers shoes properly fitted for your foot type. It sounds like you possibly may have the beginnings of plantar fasciitis...

[labellaleah]

thanks for the replies. i probably should have known better but i didn't know if it was because i started working out again after taking such a long break or what. the pain subdued on sunday but it's back again today.

i never heard of plantar fasciitis...i'll look it up.

[saef]

You may want to do a Google search on "plantar fasciitis" & see if your symptoms match the way that injury is described.

When I started exercising, I was at 247 pounds, & I over-did my power walking regimen. (Remembering how hard I'd walked when I was 70 pounds lighter, I tried to launch myself right back into that routine.) Also, I used shoes that were not giving me enough support. I was power-walking every day for an hour or more on concrete sidewalks & the poured concrete roads in my heavily urban area just outside of New York. (For some reason, we don't have a lot of blacktop here -- mostly poured concrete.)

So, naturally, I developed pains in my feet -- but was determined to power through the pain. I told myself pain was part of becoming fit & swore I wasn't going to wimp out.

A month or so later, when I finally did hobble to the foot doctor, barely able to walk, he x-rayed my feet & found arthritis in the joints of my big toes, particularly on the left foot. To compensate for this pain, concentrated at the front of my left foot, I'd been striking hard on my left heel, which led to my developing plantar fasciitis. Not fun. Two years later, I'm still recovering somewhat.

This led to prolonged rest, which scared me, because I thought I'd regain all my weight -- then more sensibly varying my exercise routine on bikes, ellipticals & rowing machines, and taking up swimming again. Oh, and I got orthotics to fit inside my sneakers (even a pair for my bedroom slippers) & started really spending $$ on good supportive sneakers.

Use me as a cautionary tale. If your body gives you pain, listen to it. When you don't listen to it is when you get chronic problems.

My foot doctor says, if the pain is anywhere from the ankle downward, stop what you're doing immediately & pay attention.

[Seattle Podiatrist]

Definitely do not work out without shoes. The best idea is to wear stable shoes and good OTC arch supports. Superfeet is a good brand. Please don't work out in Crocs - they are unstable and I treat a fair number of ankle sprains from Crocs wearers.