More power to the senior citizens and baby boomers among us who still get out and run or jog, either through the neighborhood or at the local fitness center. Still, even those among us who are not marathon men or marathon women can benefit from wearing athletic footwear, specifically running shoes.

All of us need to take care of our feet, whether we sign up for a 10-kilometer run, or we walk 100 yards from the parking lot into the shopping mall. Athletic footwear and running shoes have many orthopedic qualities that not only promote comfort, but foot health in general.

Podiatrists say they recommend athletic footwear and running shoes to the age 50-plus crowd, but sometimes we resist, specifically those among us who no longer go out running or no longer take part in competitive sports. The problem is that we would be embarrassed to be seen in what we consider to be younger people's fashions. We don't pierce our noses with rings, and our pants don't sag down to the bottoms of our behinds. Thus, why would we be seen in footwear endorsed by the latest 20-something big-time sports star?

At the same time, we don't want to wear orthopedic shoes either, because too often orthopedic shoes look like "old people's shoes." And so, we don't want to wear "old people's shoes" but we don't want to wear "young people's shoes," either. We're overruling a whole lot of different types of footwear. What's a podiatrist to do?

Some manufacturers strive to compromise by selling us walking shoes rather than running shoes. If we do our research, we indeed can find high-quality and high-fitness walking shoes. But we must keep watch, because sometimes a walking shoe won't compare to a running shoe in terms of support and cushioning. If we can overcome our modesty and try a pair of running shoes or athletic footwear, we may discover that our feet feel a whole lot better at the end of the day, even if we didn't do any sort of special exercise.

SOURCES:
http://www.seniorjournal.com/NEWS/Eldercare/4-09-02Sneakers.htm
http://icaa.cc/footcare/agingfoot.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Athletic_shoe

Whether you are a collector of athletic shoes, an athlete or simply wear them as a part of casual gear, it is important to ensure athletic shoes are worn to get the proper support and comfort one looks for and expects in a good athletic shoe. Keep feet comfortable by updating athletic shoes. This is more important for individuals who participate in athletic sports such as walking, running and other high impact aerobic activities in order to avoid injury and achieve maximum performance.

Foot comfort is one of the most important things in the world. For certain, if you can't walk well in athletic shoes or if they are ill fitting, it is going to take the swagger out of your step. Look at the bottom of the athletic shoes and the overall condition. There are a variety of athletic shoes available at great prices that allow the process of updating athletic shoes affordably.

Consider comfort first and fashion second, however, with today's brands one does not have to compromise either. Several of the top brands such as Asics, New Balance, Adidas and Nike all offer high performance shoes at great prices, particularly if you know how to show and look for the best when updating athletic shoes.

Again, select your athletic shoes based on how they will be used. If having fly gear is first and foremost, there are many choices. A great choice of athletic shoes for women that is stylish and very well made is the Nike Shox Turbo SI SL, which is available in white with white or white with black. Key features include cushioning columns, synthetic leather, mesh upper and midsole cushioning. This is an all purpose athletic shoe and is an ideal choice for one updating athletic shoes. The retail price for the Nike Shox Turbo SI SL is $119.99.

This is one of many excellent choices that are ideal for adding to one's wardrobe when updating athletic shoes. Irrespective of the brand and style, always check to see if athletic shoes are worn out to avoid discomfort.

The history of shoes would not be complete without talking about Nike shoes. This shoe manufacturer has changed the way we not only view athletic shoes but also how we view athletes. Nike's sponsorship of athletes created many of the sports heroes of the 1980s and 1990s, and Nike continues to bring new athletes into the limelight. The history of this company is truly a rags to riches tale.

Nike's Modest Beginnings
Nike originally was called Blue Ribbon Sports, or BRS. This small business sold Onitsuka Tiger shoes (a Japanese brand) out of the back of the company founders Philip Knight and Bill Boweman's car at local track meets. After a half decade of selling from their car, the founding fathers of BRS opened their first retail outlet in 1966 in Santa Monica, California. By 1971 the company dropped the Onitsuka Tiger line and launched their own shoe line with the official Nike symbol, the Swoosh. The Swoosh first appears on "Nike," which was a soccer cleat.

Nike - The Goddess of Victory
In 1978 BRS was officially renamed Nike, Inc. The name "Nike," which had christened their first original shoe design, and now was the banner head of their company, was derived from the Greek goddess of victory. A fitting name for this sports shoe line that would eventually capture over 50 percent of the U.S. athletic shoe market.

Victory was a theme that Nike lived by over the next four decades. To market their products they sponsored top athletes in a variety of sports. These athletes not only wore Nike products, but they also were the spokespeople for the Nike brand. Nike sponsorships brought many winning athletes into the spotlight and created athletic superheroes that kids, teens and adults around the globe idolized.

Nike Products
Nike is responsible for some of the most popular athletic footwear and equipment on the market. Their brands include Nike Golf, Nike+, Nike Skateboarding, Nike Pro, Air Jordan and Team Starter. They also own the subsidiaries of Cole Haan, Umbro, Hurly International and Converse. With such a huge presence in the athletic shoe world, if you have bought a pair of athletic shoes in the last thirty years, chances are you bought a Nike brand.

Learn how running shoes evolved throughout the 19th and 20th centuries.

Having a shoe designed specifically for running seems like a no brainer, however, running shoes really didn't get their start until the end of the 19th century. They then slowly evolved over the 20th century, leading to the huge explosion of running shoe technology and design options that are currently available. It is hard to believe that if running shoes had not been developed, we would be running in the flat soled tennis shoes.

The Birth of the Running Shoe

Running footwear had been almost non-existent prior to the late 19th century. In fact, many people ran in whatever footwear they had, including boots and sandals. However, in the 1890s the shoe manufacturer JW Foster and Sons, which eventually became the shoe company Reebok, developed the first official modern running shoe. This shoe had a tennis shoe outer with a lacing system and metal spikes attached to the sole of the shoe. The spikes were designed to give the runner traction and to help improve their overall running speed.

The Running Shoe Evolves in the 20th Century

By the early part of the 20th century, vulcanization revolutionized shoe manufacturing. Vulcanization was simply the process of melting rubber and fabric together. This molten mixture was then molded to create a sole for shoes that had a tread design. This design revolution made shoes lightweight, quiet, and flexible. It also provided the wearer with traction. Keds was the first American company to mass distribute the new "sneakers" starting in 1917.

In 1925 a German inventor named Adi Dassler, who founded Adidas, evolved the spiked running shoe design further by creating a series of running shoes. Each shoe design had a special hand forged set of running spikes and each design was made especially for a certain running distance. This was the first time designs were focused on whether the runner was a sprinter or a long-distance runner.

During the 1970s running shoes were designed based not only on the type of running the person did, but the running style the runner had. The three running styles that shoes were designed for included neutral runners, supernation runners and pronation runners. The final advancement that running shoes received during the 1970s was the use of ethylene vinyl acetate, also referred to as EVA. This material added an air cushion to the design of a running shoe providing runners with extra cushion and shock absorption when they ran.

Explore how your running shoes are constructed

Running shoes - the foundation or damnation of a running career. There are hundreds of different running shoes on the market and each one offers a unique design and targets a specific type of runner. Properly designed running shoes will respond to your foot shape, pronation tendencies and running technique in a manner that keeps your feet stable and your joints protected from excessive jarring. Improperly designed running shoes will do little for you, and in some cases could actually cause you to develop a running injury. Before you buy your next pair of running shoes learn how they are constructed and what the latest shoe technology can offer you.

Your Gait Cycle

The way you run, or the way you progress through your gait cycle, impacts what type of running shoe will work best for you. It is difficult to judge your gait cycle style without a third party watching you or without the use of a video device. What you will want to look for is how your arch shape and pronation style affects your body position when you run. For example, a "normal" gait cycle will include landing on your heel, rotating forward toward your toes, slightly pronating and then pushing off.

Pronation is basically just the angling of your heel bone inward. A little pronation is expected. However, overpronating (rotating the heels excessively so the knees point inward), or supinating (rotating the heels excessively so the knees point outward) are not "normal" body mechanics and they can lead to injuries.

Shoe Construction

Almost every shoe is made up of an upper and a sole. The sole is the foundation of the shoe. The sole has two main functions, to provide a protective barrier between your foot and the pavement and to provide your feet with a little bit of cushion. Each sole has about three layers. The outersole is made up of a rubber like material that is hard and has a tread. The midsole is the key to your shoe's design, and it is where shoe design technology comes into play. The midsole's design is going to determine what the shoe is good for. For example, it can be designed to provide maximum cushion, it can be designed to correct pronation problems or it can be designed to handle the extra support needs of larger runners.

The second part of a running shoe's construction is its upper. While a visually important element of your shoe, its design is less important than the sole's design. However, it will provide your feet with some support and stability.

A third part of a running shoe is the sockliner. High end sockliners are particularly useful for runners. They provide an extra layer of cushion and can even help to support high arches. Another great feature of sockliners is that they are removable. This allows you to wash them occasionally and keep your shoes from stinking or growing legs of their own.

Shoe Technology

If you have overpronation problems, then there are three shoe construction technologies that you will want to look into. The first is the crumple zone. This helps your overpronation by separating the midsoles from the lateral heel. A medial post, which is an extra dense and stiff foam block that is position on the medial side of your foot, is another construction advancement that can help you if you overpronate while running. This helps to stabilize your foot and keeps it from rocking to the medial side. The final technology that you can look for in a shoe design is a midfoot shank. This is a semi-rigid shank that is located in the middle of your shoe. Again, it is designed to stop your foot from rotating while you walk or run.