Apparently “I’m on my period” is no longer a valid excuse for skipping the gym. Any woman who has ever had the pleasure of dealing with the bloating, cramping and mood swings associated with a certain monthly visit knows that the last thing you want to do on your period is lace up a pair of sneakers and break a sweat. It’s the one time we actually have an excuse to put on pajamas, curl up in front of the TV, eat junk and skip the gym – and now Asics is trying to take it all away from us.
So it’s not like the sneakers are going to magically make your cramps go away, but they will supposedly adjust to the random annoying changes your body goes through for those few days. According to research, changes in estrogen levels during the menstrual cycle causes changes in foot flexibility and arch height. For $140 a pair, the Asics GEL-KAYANO 16 contains special layers of cushioning that expand and contract with a woman’s hormones. Asics consultant and podiatrist, Simon Bartold commented:
“For many years, female athletes have been left a little in the cold, because footwear was basically designed and engineered for men…We have been focussing on the effect of oestrogen, the primary female sex hormone, on tissue compliance or stretchability… The results of this research were quite profound and enable us to understand how the major soft tissues, tendons, ligaments and muscle adapt under the effect of oestrogen over a 28-day cycle.”
While I’m sure all of the research has some valid scientific basis, I can’t help but think that this is just a shoe company’s attempt at capitalizing on an untapped market. Are these shoes really going to be life changing? Probably not. And I, for one, am not willing to drop $140 to find out. I’m just fine with my regular old running shoes that work perfectly well the other three weeks a month.
