Years ago, I was a career waiter. Working double shifts nearly everyday, I would have incredible foot pain constantly. I kept trying every brand of cushioned insole I could find, hoping I would find the *right* one. Never happened. As luck would have it, I wore a hole through one of my non-slip shoes. The only other pair of black shoes I hard was a leather-soled pair of Oxfords. After doing a double shift that day, for the first time in years, I finished the night without foot pain. I cried. I tried it again the next shift. No pain. For the remainder of my time in food service, I wore hard-soled shoes, and my foot pain never came back!

I went from wearing shoes rubbing to none - and two runs later I couldn’t walk. I had seriously damaged my Achilles tendon. Be careful to transition sloooooowly. I have wrecked my feet over the years since then… trying to fix them. Take your time. Don’t rush any of this…

So glad you talk about this topic. I taught foot safety at the utility company I worked for 30 years. People thought that was nuts shoes could hurt your feet. Meter Readers especially needed protective shoes but not stiff. I was shocked when I learned about the construction of shoes and the need to understand lacing, shoe type and toe box structure. It is not talked about enough.

I had no idea how bad certain shoes were for us. I literally thought people were born with bad feet, not that we created the situation because of the shoes we wear. Since I started practicing some of the exercises I can feel a difference in how I walk. Thank you for educating us!

I agree that at 58 years old I have a couple of shoes that I can depend support my activity.

I have a pair of barefoot shoes that i just switched to. I have done a lot of walking in them and had to run for a bus a few times. I noticed my inner thigh muscles getting tighter and a little bit of knee pain. any tips?

In Permaculture, the Problem is the Solution. That seems to apply here as well!