I talk a lot with folks about shoes.
A lot.
Sometimes they start the conversation because they struggle with finding shoes that work for them.
Other times I bring it up because perhaps what they tend to favor is not serving them, and making some different choices is going to help their situation.
Regardless, shoes really are a big deal, and can have a really big impact on your comfort, mobility, performance or even recovery.
After all, unless you are in your bare feet your shoes are the direct connection (or barrier) between us and the ground when we are upright. No different than a pair of work gloves, they are either going to help you, or hinder you.
Unfortunately, there are a lot of different paradigms out there as to what we “should” or “should not” do when it comes to shoes, and whether it is fashion or a sense of what is “natural” there can be some strong ideology rooted at the core of them.
There are a lot of different messages out there, and it would be understandable if you are finding it hard to decide what to look for in a shoe.
Well, if you have read this far I can only assume you are willing to look beyond those other messages and wonder what my thoughts and advice might be.
Well, at this point the best I have to offer anyone that asks about shoes is the following…
They should be very comfortable, and you should feel both steadier and more connected to the ground when wearing them.
This means they are helpful shoes; you are going to easily partner with them, and they are going to make your life easier to engage with.
What you are probably sensing is that what makes a good shoe is both individual and activity specific.
So yes, no different than finding the diet that works uniquely for your body chemistry you will need to take the reins in shopping for the shoe that works best for you.
The problem with that is shoes are a commodity, and since it is so linked with status by so many, we find shoes evolving and changing each year.
Even if you do find something that works well for you, and meets the above common-sense criteria, there is little guarantee that next year’s model is going to be available or even anything like it was before.
Come the new year you may be back to ground zero.
If this speaks to you then I want to help. It is actually very simple shopping for a shoe that will work for you, not against you.
If you are interested, just shoot me an email back and I will send you a PDF that walk you through a simple step by step process of inspecting a shoe in a 10-15 seconds before you even bother trying it on.
If you want to dig a bit deeper into the topic, then click on the link below. It will bring you to a video where I walk through not only these parameters for a helpful shoe, but also show examples of these parameters and even dive into the whole “barefoot is best” conversation.
Regardless, I hope you are comfortable, able and well!