Friday, September 25, 2015

HARVARD: 8Tips for Buying Shoes that are Good to Your Feet

This is much better advice than they give about how an economy should operate.

From Harvard Medical School:


When you're ready to replace some of that uncomfortable footwear, these tips can help:
  1. Wait until the afternoon to shop for shoes — your feet naturally expand with use during the day and may swell in hot weather.
  2. Wear the same type of socks that you intend to wear with the shoes.
  3. Have the salesperson measure both of your feet — and get measured every time you buy new shoes. If one foot is larger or wider than the other, buy a size that fits the larger foot.
  4. Stand in the shoes. Make sure you have at least a quarter- to a half-inch of space between your longest toe and the end of the shoe.
  5. Walk around in the shoes to determine how they feel. Is there enough room at the balls of the feet? Do the heels fit snugly, or do they pinch or slip off? Don't rationalize that the shoes just need to be "broken in" or that they'll stretch with time. Find shoes that fit from the start.
  6. Trust your own comfort level rather than a shoe's size or description. Sizes vary from one manufacturer to another. And no matter how comfortable an advertisement claims those shoes are, you're the real judge.
  7. Feel the inside of the shoes to see if they have any tags, seams, or other material that might irritate your feet or cause blisters.
  8. Turn the shoes over and examine the soles. Are they sturdy enough to provide protection from sharp objects? Do they provide any cushioning? Also, take the sole test as you walk around the shoe store: do the soles cushion against impact? Try to walk on hard surfaces as well as carpet to see how the shoes feel.
-RW

5 comments:

  1. Vibram Five Fingers are the best shoes I've ever worn yet they provide no cushion against impact. Being able to feel the ground with your feet makes you adjust your stride to lessen impact. Even more so when you run.

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    1. I'm wearing a pair of Five Fingers right now. At work. And they're great. I think Nassim Taleb would agree.

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  2. For those with one foot larger/wider than the other, Nordstrom will let you buy a pair of shoes in two different sizes. In the women's dept anyway. Not sure about the men's shoe dept policy.

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  3. How did we ever get by buying shoes before the Ivy League wasted who knows how much time, energy, money ...

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    Replies
    1. I have no idea. God help us, what will we do without this brilliant advice.

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