The Story My Left Shoe Tells Me

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I am going to tell you the story that the tongue of my left shoe tells me. The left leg of my leggings tell me stories too. In fact, they both were talking to me non-stop for months before I paid any attention. Perhaps they spoke up so often because I wasn’t listening. 

For years I have noticed that my leggings always ride up on my left leg. I’ll see it in the mirror or when my legs are extended in the air when I’m doing pilates. I fix it and move on without thinking about it all that much. As a fitness professional, I know that my left side is my weaker side, and that I tend to lean my hips off to the right when I’m standing. This shortens the left side of my body, causing my leggings to ride up. It is something that I try to correct when I think of it,  but it’s never a big deal.

How My Shoe Talks to Me

So what about my left shoe? In the past, I would get my shoes on, line up the tongue of the shoe and secure my laces nice and tight. After a few minutes of running, riding or even walking, the tongue of my left shoe would start to slide from center off to the left. I’d feel it rubbing on my foot or my shoe would feel looser so I’d stop and fix it. I would tighten my shoes again and proceed. This could happen three or four times in a spin class. Annoying.

Of course, the fitness lover in me tried to evaluate how I was riding, or my foot was striking as I ran. I noticed that I put more weight on the outside of my foot. I could control things with concentration, but as soon as I fatigued, my body would go back to the same movement pattern (and the annoying shoe-chatter). 

A few months ago, I suddenly realized that this THING that had been driving me crazy had stopped happening. My shoe had stopped talking to me. 

What My Left Shoe Was Saying

It is only now that I realized what my left shoe had been trying to tell me this whole time: I was weak. My fitness routine fell apart over the past few years; even more so last year, due to all kinds of personal stress, and my body wasn’t getting the attention it needed. And my shoe noticed! 

My slipped tongue in my left shoe was my body’s way of telling me that I was out of balance. My muscles weren’t capable of carrying me the way they used to. Looking back, I realize that the foot injury that I had last year was on the left side, and it happened when I was weaker than my norm. 

Getting weaker happened slowly over a couple of years. I knew it was happening, but didn’t realize how much until I started feeling stronger again. But my shoe knew. My leggings knew. My body knew! I just wasn’t listening to the stories it was telling me. 

The Change That Silenced My Shoe

So what changed to silence my shoe? I am back! I’m back to doing regular strength workouts, runs, pilates, HIIT classes, and spin classes. I am back to focusing on strength exercises that improve posture, as well as glute and hamstring strength. I am feeling strong again. 

If you think about it, is there something your body is trying to tell you? Do you feel pain, fatigue, twisted clothing, or shoes wearing unevenly? This could be an ongoing thing (like my shoe), or a new annoyance. Often, our bodies will give us hints before we are even aware that something is going on. 
If you have an ache, pain, or other sign that something is out of balance, working on your strength through Training or Pilates might be the answer. Let’s talk about what is bothering you, and make a plan to get your body back in balance.