Happy Feet

Shape Up with Shoes?

Most of us wear shoes to protect our feet, provide comfort, and help us in whatever activity we are doing. We walk and run - and in doing so, we exercise our bodies. Today I read about a new line of shoes, Shape Up Shoes, that are designed to exercise our feet, legs, and more as we walk – and importantly, as we stand. Okay, count me as doubtful. But let's be fair and look at some material from their website.

 

Walking on Shape Up Shoes:  Walk on the soft, flat platform under the front two-thirds of the shoe (focus on the flat part under the ball of your foot). Your heel will naturally come close to the floor, but do not put your weight into your heel. Stride normally into your next step.

 

When Standing:  Focus on the flat part of your Shape Up Shoes under the ball of your foot. Try not to put your weight in your toes or your heels. You want to keep your foot parallel to the ground just as if you were standing barefooted. It is ok however to rest on your heels for a good stretch or rock to your toes to engage your quads. 90% of the time you should concentrate on the true challenge, which is staying focused on the flat part of your Shape Up Shoes, under the ball of your foot, while keeping your toes pointing forward.

 

Here's How They Work:  When worn for at least 30 minutes a day, Shape Up Shoes are an effective fitness and weight-loss tool that allow you to tone and shape your body and shed unwanted pounds. Wearing the shoes while active encourages improved posture, a toned inner core and fantastically fit legs, abs and glutes.

The calorie-burning rate when wearing the sandal style is three times that of wearing ordinary shoes and two times that of wearing the boots and clogs. Staying balanced while wearing the shoes requires the use of muscles not used otherwise in the legs, abs and glutes. These muscles are thus strengthened and toned significantly. The motion when walking is similar to that of balancing on a board in combination with using a Stairmaster.

 

The deep vein pumping action that occurs with every step taken can significantly reduce the onset of varicose and spider veins. Wearing the shoes can also diminish existing cellulite and prevent it from developing, and help ease lower back pain due to spinal compression, swelling in the arms and legs, and the discomfort of plantar fasciitis.

 

Shape Up shoes are available in three styles: flip-flops ($39.99), clogs ($60.00) and boots ($80.00).

 

Testimonies are valuable. Their website has quite a few. A host of blogs and websites are talking about these shoes. Leslie Barrie and Sarah Carrillo, from SavvyMiss.com, wrote, “The real workout in these shoes comes from standing still because you are constantly balancing. After standing for a few minutes I looked like I’d had too many margaritas with all my swaying back and forth and my calf muscles were burning. Simple chores like doing the dishes and cleaning my room became actual work-outs much to my delight.”

 

Am I still doubtful? I think there is value in what the shoes do. The design of the shoes makes you exert energy when standing and stretches a whole bunch of muscles. I think they are worth trying. That said, I don’t see myself wearing them. I guess they are to “girlie” for my feet. If they interest you, give them a try and let me know. After all, our goal should be to keep our feet happy.

Pre-Summer Foot Care - Part 4 – Sandals and Flip-Flops

Summer officially starts soon. With it, if you haven’t already started, comes the wearing of sandals or flip-flops. There are also possible hazards for your feet. A bit of care can help your feet survive in spite of how we treat them.

Support – remember that generally speaking, sandals are better for your feet than flip-flops. They offer better support and protection around the foot, and a more stable base. If you look at most flip-flops, they  are very thin soled, often thinner on one side as the wearer walks on the side. The heel is often exposed to the sidewalk. There is nothing to really keep the foot in-line with the footbed of the flip-flop. At least with sandals a strap goes over the forefoot and another around the heel, keeping the foot on the footbed. Most flip-flops offer no arch support and no heel support. The foot is not secure and it can easily slip to one side leading to a fall or a turned ankle. Then, to top it off, the feet are usually dirty, often with calluses and cracked heels. Often it is not a pretty sight. I wear flip-flops around the house, but not in public.

Protection – Feet on flip-flops are exposed to anything and everything. You can easily stub toes, something may drop on your feet, they might scrap against curbs or rocks, and they are easily pierced by anything sharp. Sandals offer more protection over, around and under feet.

Function – Flip-flops are designed for casual wear, not for extended walking, exercise, golf, running – and especially not mowing your lawn. Sport sandals are a better choice.

Given a choice, I’d recommend sandals over flip-flops.

Need more convincing? A study on flip-flops was released last week at the annual meeting of the American College of Sports Medicine in Indianapolis. Researchers at Auburn University in Alabama recruited 39 college-age men and women, and measured how the participants walked on a special platform wearing thong flip-flops. Study author Justin Shroyer, a graduate student in Auburn's Department of Kinesiology, reported, "What we saw is that when people walk in flip-flops, they alter their gait, which may explain why we see some lower leg and foot problems in people who wear these shoes a lot."

If you choose to wear flip-flops, at least buy new ones every four months. When the thin footbed flattens out, it’s time to replace them.

After all, we want our feet to be happy.

Pre-Summer Foot Care - Part 3 – Athlete’s Foot

The facts are startling: 70% of people will be affected by athlete’s foot in their lifetime, 45% of people with athlete’s foot will suffer from it in episodes for more then 10 years, and seven out of 10 people with athlete’s foot are male.

Athlete’s foot, technically called tinea pedis, is a skin disease caused by a fungus. The hot weather and foot perspiration that athletes typically encounter can make athlete’s foot a common problem. The combination of a warm and humid environment in your footwear, excessive foot perspiration, and changes in the condition of the skin combine to create a setting for the fungi of athlete’s foot to begin growing. Athlete’s foot usually occurs between the toes or under the arch of the foot. Typical signs and symptoms of athlete’s foot include itching, dry and cracking skin, inflammation with a burning sensation, and pain. Blisters and swelling may develop if left untreated. When these blisters break, small, red areas of raw tissue are exposed. As the infection spreads, the burning and itching will increase.

Treatment includes keeping the feet clean and dry; frequent socks changes, antifungal medications, and foot powders. An antiperspirant may also help those with excessive foot moisture.

Check your local drugstore or pharmacy for a complete line of athlete’s foot antifungal ointments, creams, liquids, powders, and sprays. See your doctor if your feet do not respond to treatment with over-the-counter medications. If the fungus returns, alternate medications since it can sometimes build up a resistance to a particular fungicide.

Pre-Summer Foot Care - Part 2 – Toenails

Summer means sandals and flip flops, and going barefoot. All of those means your toes are in full display – which means your toenails should be well cared for. By that, I do not mean they have to be polished, but clean and trimmed.
     How hard can it be to trim your toenails? In all the years I have been patching feet, I have observed that untrimmed toenails are the number one cause of problems leading to toe blisters and black nails. Socks will catch on nails that are too long or that have rough edges. This puts pressure on the nail bed, leading to blisters under the toenails, at the tips of the toes, or painful toenails as they are pushed back into the cuticle. Nails that are too long are also prone to pressure from a toebox that is too short or too low. The toenails in this photo belong to an ultrarunner who successfully completed the Atacama Crossing, a seven-day foot race in Chile. Even at the end, here toe looked great.
     Toenails should be trimmed regularly, straight across the nail—never rounded at the corners. Leave an extra bit of nail on the outside corner of the big toe to avoid an ingrown toenail. After trimming toenails, use a nail file to smooth the top of the nail down toward the front of the toe and remove any rough edges. If you draw your finger from the skin in front of the toe up across the nail and can feel a rough edge, the nail can be filed smoother or trimmed a bit shorter. Remember though, the shorter you trim your nails, the greater the likelihood that you will experience an ingrown toenail. Conversely, nails that are too long can rub against the front of your shoes and catch on your socks, which can lead to a black toenail, wear holes in your socks, cut into other toes, and crack the nail when you run downhill. Shoes that are too tight in the forefoot or too short can cause the nail to press into the sides of the toe.
     Use a regular nail file or emery board from your drug store, you know, those cheap “use it a few times and toss it” file. Better yet, invest a few bucks in a nice metal file that will last a long time and serve you well. If you need clippers, there are regular large clippers and for thick nails, and nippers and scissors made exclusively for toenails. If your local drug store or pharmacy doesn’t have them, check out FootSmart.com for a great selection.
     A little bit of care in toenail trimming goes a long ways in preventing toe blisters and black toenails, which means they will look good in sandals, flip flops and barefoot.

Pre-Summer Foot Care - Part 1 Callus

Summer is right around the corner and with it comes more time spent outdoors. Activities like running, walking, hiking, adventure racing, backpacking or fastpacking – all stress our feet. Now is the time to start pre-summer foot care. We’ll talk about this in several parts. Part one will talk about calluses.

     Calluses are controversial. A callus is thickened skin caused by recurring pressure and friction—usually a sign of ill-fitting footwear. Many people feel calluses help protect their feet from blistering. They can – but they again, they might not. The problem is that when, not if, you blister underneath calluses - these deep blisters are almost impossible to drain and treat. The hard callus rubs against any pressure point in your shoe (side of the heel or forefoot, ball of the foot, bottom of the toes, etc.) and when the rubbing has continued long enough, and/or with enough pressure, the callus begins to move against the deep layers of skin – and you have a blister.

     My suggestion is to work at reducing your calluses with creams and file them as smooth as possible. Some small callus is okay, but I would keep them fairly soft and thin. The thicker and harder they are, and the longer it takes to reduce them.    

     Buy an inexpensive callus file at your local drug store, or a pumice stone, and file the callus after showering or bathing. You also should also purchase a callus cream to apply after using the file.

     A bit of foot care before summer will help your footwear fit better and your feet feel more comfortable.

Features to Avoid in Shoes? Excuse me…

I found the article in the Pedorthic Newswire Issue # 228 a few days ago. The title of the article was “The Proper Fit: What athletes need to know about shoes.” It first appeared in a newspaper’s website in Ontario Canada and was written by a certified pedorthists.

     The article started by telling the reader, “When selecting a running shoe, or any shoe for that matter, there are a few important features to look for.” It then went on to talk about a strong heel counter, a strong shank, the best time of the day to shop for shoes, wearing the same socks that you plan to walk or run in when trying on shoes, and measuring your foot every time you purchase new shoes. This is all great advice. I have talked about this stuff for years.

     It was the next paragraph that I did not agree with. It read, “Features to avoid: Airbags, liquid gel, "shocks," "rebound," "bounce," although aesthetically pleasing, are characteristics that should be avoided. These features can create greater instability with walking and running if any biomechanical abnormalities are present within the gait cycle. Also, if there is a breakdown of the airbag, liquid gel, "shock," "rebound," or "bounce," the shoe itself becomes unstable, which places the foot in an undesirable position, leading to pain and discomfort in the feet, legs and lower back.”

     Excuse me… I have owned many pairs of Nike Air running shoes with their little air bags. I love them. Several are many years old and still hold their shock absorbing value. Not to say one of the airbags could never blow or be punctured by a thorn, but I’ll take that chance. The same goes for the gel and other shock absorbing devices. If there were problems, I know the shoe companies would rework the shoes.

     Here is an image from a patent website for United States Patent 6562427. It shows a schematic for a shoe airbag. It’d give you the full description but it would probably bore you. Here is just a bit of the text from the abstract for 6562427:

     “An airbag for shoes has a plurality of elastically compressible cylindrical cushion members which are interconnected in a predetermined array by a connecting plate. The cushion members/connecting plate combination is encapsulated in a casing. The cushion members, connecting plate and casing are joined together to form an integral unit. The cushion members have a spiral groove formed in their outer surface which increases their compressibility during the initial phase of compression.”

     Shoes with these features are valuable to those who need them. I think most of us are smart enough to know if the shoe suddenly felt “funny” or bottomed out because of a system failure, we would stop wearing the shoes. I will continue to buy any shoe that fits well and works on my feet – regardless if they have any one of the aforementioned features. I hope you will too. After all, my main goal is to keep my feet happy.

Embarrassed by Your Feet?

The press release on foot care got my attention. It is timely because we are coming up on summer, when many people will switch to sandals and flipflops – exposing their feet. I have clipped a portion of the press release because it is important to read.

In the field of foot care, podiatrists and other experts are acutely aware that unattractive feet can cause significant emotional angst, driving those embarrassed about their feet to seek a solution. Dr. Nicolas Romansky, a Pennsylvania podiatrist, says that he commonly sees patients who hide their feet out of embarrassment. He says, "There's a psychological overlay to foot problems, especially with toenails."

     Dr. Romansky says the distress resulting from unattractive toenails can be so extreme, he's had married patients who refused to allow their spouse to see their feet for years, sleeping and even having sex with socks on in order to keep their feet hidden.

     Carol J. Buck, CEO of Xenna Corporation, a company that sells foot care products, hears about unattractive feet on a daily basis. Buck says, "Thousands of men and women avoid trips to the beach or pool because they're embarrassed by the appearance of toenails or rough, scaly heels."

     Though women have long been known as the primary consumers of sandals and open-toed footwear, men are catching up. A recent "Morning Mindbender" quiz question from radio WINCFM in Winchester, Virginia, underscores the point: "8 in 10 women will not get romantic with a man for this reason." Answer? "Ugly feet."

     More than ever, clear, healthy-looking toenails and soft, smooth feet are essential to feeling confident -- especially during warm weather.

     Xenna Corporation is the maker of NonyX Nail Gel containing a patented ingredient that softens and breaks down keratin debris, the cause of discoloration under toenails, and CalleX Ointment, which exfoliates and moisturizes thickened and dry, cracked skin on heels, soles and toes.

     There are many similar products on the shelves. The point is to chose one and use it. I have said on many occasions, you don’t have to suffer from blisters. Well, the same holds true here, you don’t have to suffer from embarrassment from scaly skin, cracked heels, and unsightly toenails.

How Old Are Your Shoes?

One of these days I need to get a new pair of shoes. How many times have you said that to yourself? I’d bet, quite often.
     If you are anything like me, you tend to wear shoes until they are totally worn. The laces are worn. The uppers are worn; maybe the seams are starting to come apart. The midsoles may be shot. The insoles are flatter then a piece of cardboard. Why do we do it?
     Sometimes it’s a matter of money. Sometimes it’s a matter of time, or other priorities, or simply, hey, there’re only shoes.
     So, since spring is here, take a look at your shoes. Are they still doing their job? Is it time to retire them to the garden? Shoes do not have an infinite life expectancy. We need to realize this sooner rather than later. Spring-cleaning time is here for your shoes. Let’s keep our feet happy.

What’s in Your Shoe?

The other day I had to walk to the BART (Bay Area Rapid transit) station to go a work seminar. It’s maybe 1/3 of a mile to the station, and then after the ride, about ½ mile to the building where the session was being held. Then after the session, the same distances back to my office.
     On the way to BART in the morning, I felt something in my shoe. Not something big, but something that let me know it was there. I ignored it on the way there and I ignored on the way back. You know how it is – it’s not that bad, just a small irritant and when we don’t feel it, we forget it.
     When I got back to my office, I finally stopped to shake out the offending “thing.” I found it was a very small piece of grit – no more than 1/16 of an inch in size! In fact, here’s a photo of the small piece of grit. Doesn’t it look imitating?
     It can be the same way whether running, hiking, adventure racing, or like me – just plain walking. When we feel something inside our shoe, we often put off getting rid of it. If in a race, it takes to long. If hiking, there’s nowhere to sit. If adventure racing, the whole team has to wait.
     What we need to remember is that these small irritants in our shoes can, over time, cause hot spots and blisters. They can also wear holes in socks. They can also cause us to change our gait, which can lead to physical problems up and down the body.
     So when you feel something in your shoe, take a moment and check it out. Your feet will thank you.

Rotten Shoes

I love to read about the yearly Rotten Sneakers Contest from Odor-Eaters. Although, honestly, I wonder why this seems to be limited to kids. Here is this year’s story from Odor-Eators.com.

Eight kids, ages seven to fifteen, from across the country, descended on the small town of Montpelier today wearing sneakers so decrepit and odorous, even the town dump wouldn't take them. Why? To participate in the annual National Odor-Eaters Rotten Sneaker Contest. Each has won a regional contest and, therefore, earned a place in the national finals. In the end, Fifteen-year old Benjamin Russell took home the grand prize with a pair of two year-old sneakers that nearly caused the judges to pass out. You can watch the video here.
     Celebrating its 33rd year, the National Odor-Eaters Rotten Sneaker Contest is the ultimate test of just how offensive sneakers can get when they're not taken care of properly. Sneakers are judged on the conditions of the sole, tongue, heel, toe, laces or velcro, eyelets/grommets, overall condition and most important ODOR, by a panel that includes NASA "Master Sniffer" George Aldrich, Chemical Specialist for NASA space missions, and Rachel Herz, Ph.D, author of The Scent of Desire, and is a professor at Brown University.
     This year, Ben Russell beat out seven other contestants, from - Flushing, MI, Tooele, UT, Newnan, GA, Livermore, CA, Branchville, NJ, Barre, VT, and Las Cruces, NM, to take home the grand prize of a $2,500.00.
     The Champion confessed that his sneakers got dirty and smelly because he plays very hard. He goes fishing, hunting and camping in his sneakers for the past two summers.
     Ben also received the Golden Sneaker Award trophy, plus an all expense paid trip to New York City to see the Broadway show The Lion King, and a supply of Odor-Eaters® products to kick out the odor from his sneakers. Although the maker of Odor-Eaters products sponsors the contest, it's clear that the contestants keep the product far from their willfully worn and torn warriors submitted for judging.
     Ben's sneakers will also be enshrined in the Odor-Eaters "Hall of Fumes" in Montpelier, VT.
     For more information about the Odor-Eaters Rotten Sneaker Contest or Odor-Eaters products, visit www.odor-eaters.com.