New Shoes Make Your Feet Want to Run Away and Hide?
Have you ever wondered if shoe manufacturers have ever looked at feet? If they have, then why in the world would they design shoes that are shaped the exact opposite of our feet? Seriously, look at your foot. The heel is narrow and the span across your toes is wider! No wonder our feet scream in protest when we cram them into shoes that are narrow across the toes. What can you do, besides limp or go barefoot?
Buy the Best you Can Afford
We all know that cheaper prices mean cheaper materials. When we buy shoes off of the discount rack, the material will be of a lesser quality, so it will have less give and flexibility to it. A better quality leather shoe will stretch and mold itself to the shape of your foot, instead of squishing your toes into an uncomfortable too tight space.
You can warm the leather with a blow dryer to help stretch the shoes to fit a little more comfortable. Put on a pair of thick socks, shove your feet into the tight shoes (ouch, I know!) and then warm the shoes up. Leave them on until they cool. Remove the socks and see if that is better!
Change Your Style
Again, look at your feet! They are broader across the toes, yet we insist on shoving our feet into shoes that come to a drastic point in the front. No wonder our feet scream out in protest. You can relieve that numb, cramped toe feeling by changing to a style that allows more toe room. A rounded or square-toed shoe can be just as stylish and more comfortable.
If you have problems with blisters on the heels, an easy solution is to choose shoes that you can wear ankle socks with. If that’s not possible, then choose a shoe that has a buckle or a tie across the instep to hold the shoes in place better. Blisters are usually caused by the back of the shoe moving up and down as you walk.
Change Your Habits
Summer time is for bare feet, sandals and flip-flops! That also means our feet go several months without any tight, close fitting shoes too. As soon as cold weather arrives, we start cramming them back into shoes. That’s not to say, you should avoid flip-flops or bare feet, but you should make an attempt to wear regular shoes too, so that your feet don’t get used to a lot of freedom.
If you buy new shoes for a special occasion, such as a wedding, buy them early and break them in a little at a time. Start by wearing them around the house for a few minutes and take them off when they start really bothering you. Next, wear them out while driving and walking, but remember to take an older, more comfortable pair with you.
Look at it this way, if you are wearing them to a wedding, and they get to hurting too bad, just kick them off at the reception and dance barefoot. I bet the bride has bare feet under that wedding dress too!
