A Brief Primer on Shoes

These past few weeks I’ve been writing about the importance of the foot’s ability to be strong, mobile, and able to access and use all of its muscles, joints, and nerves. Specific foot exercises are key to bringing back or maintaining this capacity. 

And so is noticing where and how most feet spend their days.
In shoes. 
And how shoes affect how our feet are able to move and respond to the environment - both positively and negatively.

I’m not trying to be all black-and-white/shoes-are-the-enemy though. Shoes are very useful! They protect our feet and bodies in the environments we move through while also providing a canvas to express our personality and identity (and status). What I'm offering here is an invitation to consider how your shoes may or may not be serving your best interests.

Because we know that images = thousand words, take a look at what feet generally look like when they have or haven’t been squeezed-up all their lives. Fascinating!

I’m just going to leave you with these images as a way in to start considering your feet and footwear. Not to gross you out, or shame you, or make you feel like you need to chuck out all of your shoes and start frolicking barefoot through the world. Please don’t. Bodies need to transition. So do minds and habits. 

Here’ s what I’d like you to do. Simply notice: Notice what the shoes you typically wear look like. 

• How wide is the toe box? Wide enough for all your toes to spread out and lay comfortably on the ground?

• Do they have any kind of positive heel? (A positive heel isn’t what we think of as a “high heel,” it’s just a heel that’s even just a bit higher than flat on the ground.)

• How flexible are the soles? Can they move and bend with the motions of your feet?

• Do they have backs, even a strap that connects your heel to the shoe? (Opposite of flip-flop or clog)

And then, the next time you’re wearing shoes, take a moment to notice how your feet feel in them.

• Scan your feet. Where can they wiggle? Where do they feel squeezed? Where do they feel comfortable, tingly, sore?

Honestly, just notice. If you get curious about changes you could make, that’s great, I’ve got ideas and guidance. If you’re curious but nowhere near any kind of change, also great. Curiosity is why you and I both are here.