When I was little my mom would lead me to the clearance section or to wherever the markdown shoes were, and I would pick out the best looking shoes that were my size. What brand they were did not matter to me, how the support was incorporated did not even cross my mind, and other important factors like that were never taken into consideration. I just wanted a pair of shoes that looked good and that my parents would pay for.

If you are looking into actually performing physical exercise on a pretty regular schedule, choosing a shoe based on color and price is a huge mistake. I learned that the hard way when my silver Nikes with the small pink check and black accents ended up being the source of my shin splints.

The first step in choosing a shoe is to understand your feet. It is important to know how your feet pronate, or how you roll from your heel to your toes through the foot strike. The best way to figure out how you walk is to check out the underside of a pair of used shoes.

If most of the shoe wear is:

• On the inside side, then you overpronate and probably need to choose Motion-Control Running Shoes
• On the outside side, then you underpronate and most likely need to choose Cushioned Running Shoes
• Uniform across the forefoot, then you are neutral and should choose Stability Running Shoes

The next step would be to figure out how your arches are. You could have a normal arch (choose Stability Running shoes), a low arch (choose Motion-Control shoes), or a high arch (choose cushioned shoes).

There are other things that you can take into consideration, such as the fact that overpronators should choose a straight shaped shoe while underpronators should choose a curved shaped shoe, but the number one thing you should do is go see a local specialty shoe store. Many stores even have you run on a treadmill to see the way that you run and almost every store will make the effort to take time out of their day to ensure that you purchase the right shoe. Sure, it may become a little pricey, but your feet and body will thank you in the long run.