Good Shoes Make Happy Feet!

Women and shoes. Shoes and women. The two belong together like peanut butter and jelly. Women's fascination with shoes is a deep rooted love that men are incapable of fully understanding. Playing dress up and clunking around ungracefully in mommy's heels, little girls learn to love the
clicking of high heel shoes on a hardwood floor. The familiar click-click quickly becomes associated with fashion and beauty in a girl's mind.

Despite repeated warnings of negative effects on the feet, women of the world continue to wear high heels. The right shoes complete a gorgeous outfit. Heels add height to a woman's stature, while making the muscles of the calves look leaner and more defined. Most of all, women wear high heels because the shoes make us feel sexy and empowered at the same time.



Feet are an amazing part of our anatomy; they get us through every day of our lives. What people don't understand is the amount of stress we put on our feet. Think about it, our feet support our entire body, they are affected by every step we take and if they're not
taken care of we can feel it by the end of day. Thankfully, shoes were invented and have a vast amount of help when it comes to taking care of our feet.

A good pair of shoes usually last about 6 months. Countless people buy shoes thinking they'll hold up for years, but after six months the shoes begin breaking down and the once supportive parts of the shoes don't do what they were made for. It's also a good idea to buy two pairs of shoes, that way you can switch between them and get the complete wear out of each pair.

So you need new shoes, well the first thing to do it narrow down what kind of shoe you're looking for. We'll stick with athletic shoes in this article since they usually give the best support and are used in day-to-day life. There's walking shoes, running shoes and even cross training shoes. Just off the top of my head, four brands of shoes stick out when thinking about those categories: Asics, New Balance and Nike are quite popular and have some of the best feedback from customers. Another good brand is Ryka, their shoes are made specifically for women, a good thing to know since male and female feet tend to differ.

We'll start with the basics - you want to find a pair of shoes and try them on, but what about your size? Well, a lot of people think if they are a size 10, they'll always be a size 10, but that's not correct. Shoes fit differently and feet change all the time. It's a great idea to have someone measure your foot with a Brannock Device. This handy device can measure your arch length, width of your foot and of course, the length of your foot. A good thing to take note of is the fact that the Brannock Device is an American foot measuring system and a lot of shoes are foreign made. A brand to be aware of is Nike because most of their shoes tend to fit a half size smaller. For example, if you wear a size 10, I would recommend trying on a size 10 1/2.

You'll want some room in your shoe. The most common form of giving the allotted amount of room in your shoe is to hold your thumb sidewise from your big toe. If the Brannock Device is showing your foot length is a size nine, have the person measuring your foot place their thumb sidewise
from your big toe. The combination of your foot and a thumbs width should give you the proper size.

Let's say you have your shoe size and width and a pair of shoes you like, now you want to try them on. I've found that sitting down with your foot firmly planted on the ground works best. Feet flatten out when you put your weight on them so you want to tie your shoe after your foot has flattened out in your shoe. Once you get your shoe tied to your liking, stand up and test them out.

Some of the things I keep in mind are how the shoe supports your heels since your heels absorb a lot of the shock from walking. I also keep in mind the way it supports my arch. Arch lengths and heights are different, but you want them supported because if they aren't supported properly, they can end up falling as you age. If you're flat-footed, you don't want a shoe with high arch supports because it can become bothersome to your foot.

Most everyone's feet either roll inwards or outwards. If your feet roll inwards it's called pronation and if they go outwards it's under-pronation or supination. Some people don't have to worry too much about this, but if you've had problems with your body aching after being on your feet, you may want to look into getting a shoe that helps straighten your walk. For example, New Balance has shoes with roll bars in their heels and these can help keep your stride normal. There are also many kinds of orthopedic insoles that help keep your walking straight, including Spenco's Total Support for him and her.

These are just a few pointers to keep in mind when shopping for shoes. The most important thing is that your shoes make your feet feel good. Keep in mind that most shoes do have to be broken in first, so give them a few days to see how they make your feet feel. Remember, good shoes make happy feet!