I've noticed quite a few questions on what types of shoes, if any, to wear when working out on the wii fit. I did some research and this is what I found:

Most people lace up their tennis shoes to work out. But whether you need them really depends on how you are exercising.

When you

I don't think there is enough research on barefoot running to decide one way or the other. And as for callouses, I like having soft feet and am not ready to give that up. I may consider losing the shoes for other exercises though since teaching the same old muscles new tricks would be good for the body I think.

This is something I've definitely wondered about. I go barefoot for most things, although I've found I have a tendency to pull something in the arch of my foot when I do the cycling, so I'm trying to get used to shoes for that. I've had to make a rule in the house that we either go completely barefoot or wear shoes, but no socks. Socked feet are slippery and were causing my nieces to fall off the board.

Thanks for the discussion on this. I've been wearing plush socks w/ nubby treads on the bottom (gifts from my kids, probably from Bath & Body Works). The socks work well though I'm contemplating getting yoga shoes so I can slip in some arch supports. Has anyone tried running in place using a mini-trampoline?

I always wear lightweight trainers my friend has had three weeks off work due to repetitive strain in her ankles and knees from training in bare feet mainly through the running activities. I also found it better to jog on a yoga mat instead of hard floor it does offer some cushioning and is less straining on the joints

I always wear trainers running shoes. I found that training for to long on the cycling and running gave me Achilles tendinitis. As soon as I went to trainers I could train for longer with no discomfort.

I'm also coming off a foot injury sustained while doing a 20 minute free run in bare feet. I had done the same run 1 week prior with no problem, but last week, I could hardly walk that evening. I pulled something in the arch of my foot. I laid off running the remainder of last week, and am now doing the aerobic parts of my wii fit routine in shoes. I am running short distances without pain this week.

I thought you are not supposed to wear shoes while using the balance board?

when you do the running you are not using the balance board so it is advisable to wear shoes

galaxysue wrote:
when you do the running you are not using the balance board so it is advisable to wear shoes

I think it is a personal preferance to wear shoes or not. As the article points out, there is much less heel-strike when running without shoes, so "advisable" is probably what feels right.

I sustained a foot injury about 15 years ago, which still causes me problems when working out in shoes. I finally dropped the shoes 10 years ago and have had no problems. Of course due to the injury, I have not done a lot of aerobic exercise, but some. I have never had a problem with jogging in place without shoes.

From the physiology of it, I can't understand why it would make a difference. Shock absorption? I find that a bit silly. If you land on the ball of your foot in the thickest shoe in the world, you're still applying all your weight to one certain area of your body.

Just my 2 cents....