I read an interesting story today on the Huffington Post regarding flip flops and how they’re bad for your feet:
How Your Flip Flops Are Killing Your Feet
I’ve never liked flip flops. They’re unwieldy, the thongy bit always hurt that space between my big toe and the next toe, and my feet always hurt after wearing them for any length of time.
Since I started running around 10 years ago, I noticed that I would gravitate towards comfortable, foot-friendly shoes and rarely wore heels or other shoes that hurt my feet. The last time I wore high heels (around 5 years ago) I developed a Morton’s Neruoma in my right foot, “ring” toe area. The treatment was 1) steroid shots directly into the neuroma and 2) no running.
Now those of you out there who are runners: that’s the worst thing to tell a runner is “you can’t run.” But when it feels like you’re stepping onto a knife blade every time you take a step, it makes it easier!
From that point forward, I’ve only worn comfortable shoes that provided adequate foot support.
Case in point: when I was in Montreal for WordCamp, there was a day where I walked all over the city and put on nearly 10 miles of walking that day (see the above image!). The shoes I wore were the Keen Emerald City Sandals. My feet didn’t bother me whatsoever.
My main point is that taking care of your body is important, whether it be wearing sunscreen, eating enough veggies, or wearing comfortable shoes so you don’t ruin your feet. When you’re 80, you’ll be glad you did.