Shoe shopping can sometimes be quite confusing. I used to always look for the latest styles, but I soon came to realise that comfort is often more importance than fashion. There's very little point in choosing footwear that looks great if you simply can't wear it because it's so uncomfortable.
Although there are a number of steps that you can take to ease that sense of pain that you get when buying new shoes, the best approach is certainly to look for shoes that you know will be comfortable. Some people ask me whether this means that I always have to opt for products that won't be very fashionable.
This certainly doesn't have to be the case, particularly since a number of designers are looking to produce shoes that are both fashionable and good for your feet. So wearing comfortable shoes doesn't mean that you have to walk around in your slippers every day of the week!
So how can you choose shoes that are going to be good to your feet? I'll share my own approach with you, as I think that it may well prove to be useful.
I usually start by taking a trip to a local high street shoe shop. You may not find this necessary if you're already aware of different brands of shoes that work well for your feet. The great thing about visiting a local
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There are some negatives with using such shops though. The most obvious one is that they are unlikely to be able to compete with online retailers when it comes to price. With this in mind, you may want to try shoes in a physical shop but then make your purchases online.
I like to use a few price comparison websites to identify the very best deals. Once you've bought your shoes and they arrive
basketball high heels, you may want to spend a few hours each day wearing them indoors. Don't wear them out of the house until you're entirely happy with them. This will give you the best chance to get used to them.
Some shoes may seem comfortable at first but you may find that you're not happy wearing them after a period of time. If this is the case
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I find that my method has been really useful in helping me to select more comfortable shoes. I hope that it works well for you too!
FACTOR 2: CUSHIONING A training shoe (as opposed to a racing shoe) should feel like it provides sufficient 'shock absorption' (a.k.a. cushioning) to protect your joints and muscles from the constant pounding they will endure during the next few months of run training. Different manufacturers use different cushioning systems but usually there will be an 'EVA' foam mid-sole, supplemented by one or more of air, gel or soft neoprene-like rubber. There have been no unbiased scientific studies to show that one cushioning system is better than another so the key is to try them all and then decide which feels the most natural and comfortable.Much of the 'feel' of a running shoe will come from the cushioning and this is therefore a very personal choice that only you can make.
FACTOR 3: SUPPORT The question of support in running shoes polarises the opinions and advice of running shoe manufacturers and bio-mechanists worldwide.
What is support?In very simple terms, the word 'support' in relation to running shoes, refers to the structural assistance provided by a shoe, to help an athlete's foot strike the ground and push off through the toes with minimal lateral movement - rolling or collapsing of the ankle and the arch of the foot.
Support comes in many forms but, typically, there will be a more dense section of foam (referred to as a 'medial post') under the arch of the foot to provide resistance and reduce lateral movement. There are numerous supplemental methods of support and it is important to enquire and find out what these are while trying on different shoes.