Diabetics are spoken to often about foot care. See all those folks without their feet (and higher)? Lots of them are diabetics.

One of the things that happens to diabetics is their circulation is affected; in addition, for the most part, they have more sugar in their blood than non-diabetics. Circulation tends to get worse in extremities–read that “feet”. So diabetics have problems like numbness in their feet–sometimes getting cuts and other injuries and not feeling them. Infections love the higher blood sugar in diabetic blood, so they tend to fester, and since the circulation isn’t all that hot (a factor yet again), these infections don’t heal all that well. Put this all together, and at least in some cases, it adds up to gangrene, and subsequent amputations.

Those are great reasons for lots and lots of aerobic exercise if you’re diabetic, particularly using your legs and feet. Cycling and running are two examples of that. Still, there are reasons to be concerned about your feet even if they are in decent shape–like mine–when you’re exercising.

For instance, running, particularly distances in excess of a few miles, commonly results in “black toenail”, or a situation where there’s damage in the toenail beds or a blister under the toenail itself. This can get infected and can be painful, and seems to result in the eventual loss of the toenail (yes, they will fall off, or more likely be cut off by you, eventually).

Choosing shoes for your athletic endeavors carefully is one of the best things you can do. I know, for instance, my feet are wide, and I also know that feet tend to swell throughout the day, so I go shopping for them late in the day. For my running shoes, I also alter my lacing pattern for wider feet. I’m far from an expert on this subject, however, so I defer, at least for running, to the bit on shoes in The Non-Runner’s Marathon Trainer. My cycling shoes use Velcro closures, but I buy a size about a half size large and put shoe inserts into them.

If your feet have already had problems related to diabetes, I’d suggest talking to your health care provider about what kind of shoes are best for you.