Footwear and Fitness
I’m getting older and, because of that, I’ve been thinking a lot about the lifestyle choices that impact my fitness. There is plenty of research out there to correlate fitness with not just longevity, but also quality of life. For many people with a background that involves physical labor or competition it’s also a question of the “mileage” as much as simply age. This isn’t to convince anyone that fitness matters to you personally across all aspects of your life — hopefully you already appreciate that. No, this is an examination of footwear; the sandals, shoes, flip-flops, pumps, sneakers, and more that shod our feet just about any time we leave our domicile… and sometimes within.
What prompted this was a discussion I had with a family member recently. I have high arches and they asked if I used any form of arch support in my shoes. I do not, but they thought that I needed to. That’s the prompt: why do we need arch supports in our shoes at all? The very idea that a human, part of a species that has existed far longer than fancy insoles and orthotic shoes, cannot function properly without protheses for our feet is a little ridiculous on its face. What is the job of an insole, an arch support, a midsole designed by NASA, that our own carefully honed physiology is not capable of performing? More broadly, what is the role of footwear in our lives?
Plenty of people compromise their health and wellness for fashion, personal identity, and social acceptance. There are times when just about anyone will choose style over substance when it comes to footwear. Those choices have a place in all our lives. This is about choosing functional footwear that supports our overall health and wellness. We need to confront our typical use of footwear (North America / Europe) as a prosthetic that inhibits our body’s ability to functional normally. If we cannot walk, run, bike, hike, row, lift, or just enjoy our lives without specially designed (and often expensive) footwear, what are we doing about that big “red flag” that something has gone seriously awry? Our feet are the foundation of our body in all things — if they’re not healthy, we’re not likely to be healthy.
To that end, I have some suggestions based on things that have made significant, and often immediate, improvements to my own quality of life.
- Consider footwear that’s actually shaped like a foot. Your foot’s ability to splay naturally is important. If you need to wear (or are socially compelled) shoes or boots that don’t allow this, make a concerted effort to get some barefoot time in (or time in naturally shaped footwear).
- Consider footwear that’s low or zero drop. My ability to naturally transfer load/weight across my foot with shoes that have little or no drop (Altra, Xero, Birkenstock, NOBULL to name a few) makes a HUGE difference to me in terms of heel, joint, and back pain/comfort, especially if I spend a lot of time on my feet.
- Where possible, avoid shoes that interfere with your body’s ability to feel the ground and connect with it. Excessively padded shoes marketed to runners are the main culprit here. The problem with these shoes is that they short circuit your ability to feel what is happening under your feet and adjust for it. If you’re a runner, excessive cushion enables a punishing stride that leaves you injury prone. If you’re cross training or lifting weights, it means less power and strength as the cushy sole of your shoe robs you of balance and stability.
If you have spent much of your life cramming your feet into narrow, pointed shoes and boots with high heels and lots of padding, any of the above can be quite a departure from what we’re used to. Be deliberate in your transition from typical, crippling, modern-day footwear to using your feet as designed. Years to decades of deconditioning and weakening your feet can leave you susceptible to stress fractures. If you do nothing else, at least be honest about your priorities and the implications of your footwear choices on your health and wellness. You might be OK with having your podiatrist on speed dial next to your physical therapist. I’m hopeful that better choices can leave those positions free for the people you care about.