You stand for a living??
I stand for a living. I have for 20 years. I often have a curious client asking me how I do it and if my body hurts at the end of the day. Well…… When I went to hair school I remember my clinic instructor, who was grey headed and in her 60s, telling us to invest in good shoes and to take care of our feet. My inner rebel yelled, ‘yeah sure, I’m 19 and could never age like you’. Now, I am the one in her late 30s telling all the young pups to get good shoes. I fought it for years. I wore heels to work. I wore flip flops to work (even worse for me) and never spent more than 25 dollars on a pair of shoes. I had a closet full of super cute, but terrible for my feet shoes. I had green ones, blue ones, gold ones, polka dot ones. You name it, I had them. When my husband and I started seeing each other, his baby brothers (who are more than a decade younger than us) would refer to my shoes as ‘sharp shoes’ because they were so extremely pointed. When I say I was not kind to my feet, I am not exaggerating.
Fast forward a decade or so and the low back pain, hip pain started in. I am blessed with a Doctor of Physical Therapy for a sister, and she helped me to realize that much of my problem likely stemmed from my feet. You see, I pronate my feet, which is to say that when standing flat footed my ankles tip in over my arch. This is bad news bears since it puts my knees and hips out of alignment, and throws my whole dang body off. I’m telling you, friends, shoes are sooooo important, and so are foot massages.
I finally decided to invest in more orthopedic shoes. These shoes would have a built up arch and would keep my ankle from turning in. The trouble was, most looked like something that was in my great grandmothers closet as a child. So ugly. Undeterred, I started searching for shoes that support but were still looked fashionable. I started with a brand called Vionic. I wore those for a year or so and it made such a difference that if I wore something else for more than a few hours, my body would ache as though I had been to the gym. I hadn’t been at the gym if that fact hasn’t been abundantly clear in our earlier get-to-know-you sessions. I then discovered Dansko shoes. You know those you-know- they-must-be-comfy clogs you see nurses wearing at work? Dansko makes those. Trouble is, I can’t wear clogs to work. I don’t want to, I am a weirdo that walks out of backless shoes, and unlike nurses, I can’t just wear a pair of trainers to work and maintain a professional look. So I started searching and I was more than thrilled to find that Dansko makes plenty of non clog and more normal looking shoes. They have firm, molded footbeds and literally are everything for my feet. I wear these to work often, and have these, and these. Sara C. has these and I think they’re just the cutest. These are on my list for whenever there is a sale. They’re all super comfy and kind to my feet. Another brand I have discovered recently is Bionica. I have a pair of wedges I found on closeout and they feel like I am wearing a sneaker all day. A few other wonderful brands to investigate: Clarks, Rockport, Merrell,or these Merrells, Oofos (Sara C turned me onto those), and Asics (makes a great sneaker), and Spenco. I even have a pair of famous sandal dupes from Walmart with surprisingly supreme support. I am sure there are plenty more great brands out there, if there is a supportive shoe you love, drop the name in the comments.
What do I look for, Renata?
First, look for a shoe you love. If it doesn’t catch your eye, just move on. Don’t try to convince yourself you love it if you don’t. Leather construction is a plus. It will conform to your foot and feel like a custom shoe. I find that I do better when the heel of the shoe is set slightly higher than the ball of the foot, and can go up to even a mid sized wedge. Having your heel slightly higher will help you not to be able to turn your ankle and foot in easily. Next, pick the shoe up and look down it from the heel. Is it built up on the arch side? it will look noticeably higher than the other side. If so, it will help you too if you have pronating feet like mine. Lastly, be willing to spend a bit on your shoes, a well made shoe will cost a bit but it will last you longer than one that isn’t. I typically find mine on sale on Amazon, and have been known to save ones I like everything about except the price in my cart and wait to be notified when they go on sale. They’re all on my amazon wish list so I get them as gifts every now and then.
Once you are trying your new supportive shoe, be aware that it may feel odd or even uncomfortable at first. You’ve been holding your foot in an unnatural position and your body has gotten used to it. Give it a few days to a week and you will never go back.
Good luck and happy (supportive) shoe hunting!
