Never under-estimate the value and importance of proper aerobic shoes. There is so much talk about doing the exercises correctly, planning your routine and regime correctly, setting your expectations correctly, hydrating appropriately, and all kinds of other workout tips, but people don't frequently concentrate on or even consider good gym shoes. Of course if you are taking an aerobics class, then the shoes may not matter since you will perform most of your aerobics exercise on a padded mat where the wearing of shoes is discouraged or even disallowed. But for many other aerobics exercises (except for swimming and maybe a few others), the appropriate and proper aerobic shoes are a must-have so that you can protect your feet as you workout.

The exact type of aerobic shoes you need will depend on what you are doing for your workout. If for example you are a serious runner, you need to focus on running shoes. Running shoes are typically lighter than other types, and they focus the shoe padding on the areas of the runner's foot where it will be needed most. But these types of shoes are not good, for example, for playing tennis since they provide very little lateral ankle support, which is required for a good tennis game. These two types of shoes are basically the same thing, a modern version of the classic gym shoe, but with padding focused on where it is needed most, and a low top to allow some flexibility and movement at the wearer's ankles.

Now for other types of sports such as basketball, a high-top aerobic shoe would be the preference so that you will have adequate support to protect your ankle. In this sport, you are constantly jumping high, spurting off to run in different directions, and doing other things that could potentially wreak havoc on your ankle. They protect you from injuries much better than any other kind of aerobic shoe, and you will note that almost all professional basketball players wear them. But they are not good for the different types of movement you have in other sports like tennis, so you will rarely see a tennis player wearing them. Then again, for a cross country runner, you need yet a different kind of aerobic shoe, which will be kind of like a cross between a tennis shoe and light hiking boots, with a light build and lots of traction on the bottom.

The bottom line is to make sure that in order to protect your feet while you are getting fit and trim, be sure to use the right kind of aerobic shoe so that you don't do damage to your feet while you are strengthening other parts of your body.