After an injury in 2018, I learned the hard way that supporting my feet was important to my entire body’s health and well being. I went from being able to wear any shoes I wanted to needing to only wear supportive shoes with prescription insoles in the matter of months. It was hard to give up my fun ballet flats and a few pairs of heels, but it was essential.
The first step was knowing it had to happen and accepting that change in my lifestyle. That part took several months, but I am grateful I have the privilege of having access to a wide variety of shoes and experts to help me find the right ones for my feet.
I visited a Fleet Feet at Carrboro, NC in the States where they scanned by feet to see the structure and needs. I already had a shoe brand, Hoka, in mind from my physical therapist and support group, so the team at Fleet Feet then helped me narrow down which Hoka style would benefit my unique feet. I’m GenX so I hesitate to say ‘unique’ when referring to anything about myself, but my feet are definitely one of a kind. The result was two styles of Hoka and I have worn them almost daily since 2019.
The shoes that fit me in my youth and even before I had kids or during my pregnancies are not the shoes I wear now. Knowing to look for the right shoes for the current me was a huge step in the right direction and a help for me finding me feet and my comfort again.
This Thursday, I’ll share a guest post from Christophe Champs, PODO Clinic and Workshop on why shoe size is important because I know how genuinely shocked I was to go from a 9 Narrow in my college years to a 9.5 Wide now.
