I’m a Supinator, What Are You?—Selecting the Walking Shoe

Supination
Pronation

Feature Entry: I’m a Supinator, What Are You?—Selecting the Walking Shoe

The MoneyWalker logs about 25 miles a week which equates to 1300 miles a year. Even the best walking shoes need to be replaced ever 350 to 500 miles which means I change shoes after 4 months. Taking the shoes longer means that I am walking with “stretched” shoes that have lost their support and cushioning. I spend $100 for a jogging shoe, the Brooks Adrenaline GTS. These are top of the line and well worth the $300 a year expenditure. I tried less expensive models and experienced joint discomfort, ankle turns, poor balance, and occasional falls. When moving to my top line shoes, most of the problems disappeared and walking became more enjoyable.

Selecting the right shoes is an important consideration for the serious walker. Most experts on fitness and walking recommend shopping at specialty stores that cater to joggers and runners. The best running shoe is usually the best walking shoe. The specialty stores have experts that can help you determine the best shoe for your individual walking pattern.

When visiting the store, take a pair of your current walking shoes. More than price and comfort, selection decisions should be based on your walking pattern. Walkers will have one of three patterns—supination, pronation, or neutral. To determine my pattern, I examined the soles of my existing walking shoes. I noticed that the outside edge from heel to toe had excessive wear. Thus, I am a supinator which means that I underpronate and that I should buy “neutral” shoes with “curved lasts.” The shoe’s “last” refers to the form on which a shoe is constructed - resulting in the inside shape of the shoe. Lasts may be straight, curved or semi-curved.

If my shoe wear pattern had shown excessive wear on the inner side of the walking shoes, I would be considered an overpronator, or more simply a pronator. My shoes would tilt inward if I placed them on a flat surface. Pronators will require orthotic inserts or specially designed “motion control” shoes. The shoe last should be straight.

Finally, if my shoe soles revealed balanced wear, my gait category would have been considered neutral. To learn more about selecting the best fitting walking shoe for your gait category Google Wendy Bumgardner’s About.com walking blog entitled “Walking Shoe Wear Patterns.

MoneyWalker

Found Money Update since last post = $8.50 over four walks for $2.13 average per walk

Weight Gain/loss since last post = 175.2 lbs, up from last post.

Phone APPS and Weight Loss

The Iphone

Feature Entry: Phone Apps and Weight Loss

To understand this blog entry, you may need a brief crash course in social networking terminology. A smartphone is a personal computer that is contained in what formerly was a cell phone. An app is an application that you can download to your smartphone for a nominal amount of money and are often free. Since the smartphone was invented a couple of years ago, there are apps for everything imaginable including weight loss/weight maintenance assistance.

The National Weight Loss Control Registry of Brown University is making good use of the app for food tracking. The Registry has already established that by keeping a personal food consumption journal, your chances are doubled for weight-loss success.

Here is the rub. As my Anthony Trollope friend Dolly Longestaffe likes to say, “It is such a bother.” But food journaling need not be that difficult. It seems the behavior need not be connected to counting calories—just a quick notation of what has been consumed seems to do the trick.

However, with smartphone apps, you can have it all and avoid the excessive “bother.” Just download an app and it allows quick and painless logging of food and exercise information. A bonus of the app is that it also counts the calories and exercise expenditure. Moreover, the selected app gives immediate feedback as to your weight loss and calorie goals. Available apps include Lose It!, My fitness Pal, My Net Diary, Daily Burn, Calorie Counter by Fat Secret, and SparkPeoples app.

Most of these are free are cost just a few dollars a month. They are customizable and some will establish a daily calorie budget for you—how cool is that? Also, the apps help you establish a community forum for support and questions and most provide motivational testimonials (social networking.) My blogs are filled with comments concerning the value of “personal accountability.” The app lets you know if you are meeting your goals, and if not, why not.

It turns out that we lose weight differently. We all have a nutrient specific RDA—computer speak for recommended daily allowance. For those that like competition for motivation, the app provides an internal motivation device which helps the weight loser/weight maintainer focus on “beating” a personalized daily calorie goal or “outscoring” one’s RDA.

Apps have built-in help for setting your RDA. A general rule is to multiply your goal body weight by 10 for sedentary folks and by 12 if you exercise regularly (exercise 3 times a week); or by 14 if you exercise moderately three to five days a week; and by 16 if you exercise intensely five to seven days a week. Most apps help you with this by asking a series of intensity/frequency/intensity questions. Caution, many of the programs overestimate the calories burned, so experiment with your own exercise routine.

My factor is 16; thus my caloric goal is 2310 calories per day. So why was my morning weigh-in five pounds heavier than my weight goal? Simple according to the app, I am consuming more than my allotted RDA. Solution, up the exercise regiment or cut back on the calories. I guess this is bad news for those late evening raids of the ice cream bucket.

MoneyWalker

Walking Socks, A Comparison

Journal Entry 1/24/10: Weight = 172.6 lbs; Coinage = $2.59, 64 pennies, 4 nickels, 10 dimes, 3 quarters

Journal Entry 1/25/10: Weight = 172.8 lbs; Coinage = $1.62, 22 pennies, 1 nickel, 2 dimes, 5 quarters; Glass bottles = 4; Ground score = 1 ( a commerative gold New Orleans Saints Fleur de Lis medal attached to a black ribbon—go Saints!!



Feature Entry: Walking Socks, a comparison

Should walkers worry about walking socks? Yes, blisters, foot wear and tear, dry feet, fungus prevention, and foot odor are problems that can be aggravated with bad socks, and largely prevented with good socks. Walking socks can be bought as “low cut,” “ankle length” or full tube.

The MoneyWalker takes pride in being frugal. When he became a serious walker he purchased professional quality walking shoes but went to the Sams Club for his low cut walking socks, six pairs for ten dollars. Believe it or not, they were comfortable. Their problem was durability. After a few walks, the big toe came popping out. Ms MoneyWalker, a more studied shopper, came to the rescue and bought him a pair of Wigwam F 1062 White dri-release Marathon Ankle Length socks. Made of 75% polyester, 15% cotton, and 10% stretch nylon. This composition provides excellent wicking and dryness. Price, about $9.00 a pair.

Beginning to understand the value of quality walking socks, he then purchased a pair of Experia by Thorlo. At $13.99 a pair, these are the Cadillac of walking/running socks. They are composed of 66% specially engineering polyester for moisture wicking. They have an anatomically engineered “aero-dynamic” fit and are sold, like shoes, with specific sizes. Mine are 10. 5 to 11.5. Toes and heels contain extra padding for additional protection from pounding.

So what is the verdict? After walking in all kinds of conditions, both wet and dry walking, I prefer the Wigwams. Both the Experias and the Wigwams provided excellent wicking, but the Wigwams won for comfort. Still, those Sams Club walkers at a buck six bits a pair--maybe a good pair of toe nail clippers…….

MoneyWalker