To keep your feet happy, it’s important to pick out the right shoes. While people often select footwear according to what outfit they intend to wear, it’s just as important to consider function, fit and comfort.
How to Hone in on Fit
Harvard Health Publications advises shoe shoppers to make an outline of their foot on a piece of paper. When you find a shoe that you like, set it over the tracing.
This will save you some time because if the shoe is shorter or narrower than the tracing of your foot, you shouldn’t even try it on.
The publication also suggests trying shoes on later in the afternoon or evening. Feet naturally expand throughout the day. In addition, when you’re trying on shoes, be sure to wear the kind of socks that you’ll be wearing with them after you bring them home.
Consider patronizing a shoe store that staffs people to help you with your footwear purchase. Let them measure both of your feet for size accuracy. It’s also a good idea to have your feet measured every time that you purchase a pair of shoes. As you age, your feet change.
Often, they become wider and longer. One foot could even grow larger than the other one. If this happens, purchase shoes that fit the foot that’s larger.
Buy According to Activity
If you read WikiHow’s shoe buying tips, you’ll learn that it’s important to pinpoint the activity that you’ll be participating in before buying a pair of shoes.
For instance, your feet may never forgive you if you wear flip-flops to a theme park. Likewise, they may hold a grudge if you decide to don cowboy boots during a hike.
Cold Weather
For cold weather activities that take place in the great outdoors, purchase shoes that are water repellent with good traction. Make sure that they’re large enough to accommodate a pair of thick socks to keep your feet warm.
Hiking
If you need hiking shoes, purchase low cut boots that feature plenty of upper foot and ankle support. Like your winter shoes, make sure that your hiking boots have good traction along with arch support.
Dress Shoes
When it comes to dress shoes, style is likely to win out over comfort, but before purchasing a pair, consider how much walking or standing you’ll be required to do while wearing them. If you will be on your feet a lot, then take comfort into consideration. For men’s dress shoes, choose brown or black ones.
These two colors are best for most evening and business events. Women will need to choose dress shoes that match or complement the color of their outfits.
How to Choose Athletic Footwear
It takes a little more work to choose the right athletic footwear. If you select the wrong pair, then you could wind up on the sidelines with shin splints or tender ankles.
WebMD says that you should leave multitasking to other areas of your life because shoes are not designed for more than one type of activity. For instance, walking shoes are stiffer than running shoes.
Footwear manufacturers make running shoes with greater flexibility because your feet need more cushion to handle the impact. If you engage in both forms of exercise, purchase different shoes for each one.
If you need help finding a good pair of athletic shoes, gymventures.com has a great list of the best athletic shoes for men and for women. And if you’re into crossfit, they also have a crossfit shoe guide you can check out.
Know Your Feet
Know your foot peculiarities. Are your feet a little wider than the norm? If they are, then you’ll want to buy shoes from manufacturers that offer their product in a wide size.
The same is true if your feet lean toward petite. Today, most major footwear brands have shoes for every type of foot.
Comfort Before All Else
The New York Times reports that those who run for the purpose of exercise often wear the wrong shoes. They also select shoes for the wrong reasons.
If you’re a runner, then you’ve probably heard that you should be choosing footwear based on how much your foot pronates. This is the degree at which your foot rolls inward when you land on it.
Risk of Injury
Coaches, orthopedic specialists and experienced runners have long believed that if the foot over- or under-pronates, then the risk of injury is higher. According to these experts, either condition can be controlled with specific footwear.
Recent research shows that this may not be accurate. A new study confirms that comfort may be more important. When the study’s participants selected a shoe insert based on comfort and ran in them for four months, they suffered fewer injuries than the test group who used a standard shoe.
This makes sense because your body is a good judge of what feels comfortable to it and what it needs to perform at its peak. Never overlook comfort when you’re on the hunt for the right shoes.
The Takeaway
When your feet are in the right shoes, you’re unlikely to notice them, and that’s just what good shoes should do. Put more effort into your shoe shopping when you’re buying footwear for specific activities like hiking, outdoor use and athletic performances. Find happiness by picking the right shoes for you.
