At the beginning of the century, most of the roads in the US were nothing more than slightly improved wagon trails. Even most of the major "highways" were paved with cobblestone, and those were in the major cities. People obviously did a lot more walking back then and because of the roads were not paved smooth and flat, people's feet were easily able to adapt to different surfaces.
Our feet ability to walk on a variety of surfaces has greatly decreased over the years and one reason is the shoes we wear. Most shoes today are made out of materials that are restrictive and do not provide sufficient flexibility for our feet to move naturally. The problem with this is that it weakens the feet. Think about it, if you are wearing a pair of moccasins or flexible shoes, your feet are forced to adapt to the ground your walking in. On the other hand, if you're wearing a pair of sneakers, boots, or even oxfords, the materials do not allow your foot to feel the surface, let alone move with it.
Researchers are now telling people the importance of wearing comfortable, flexible shoes. In addition to strengthening your feet, lightweight shoes have other benefits like offering better weight distribution, which can help improve posture. For example, high heels are some of the worst shoes for your feet. One reason is the narrow toe box that squeezes your toes and over time can force them to become misshapen, and being propped up on heels puts your feet in a completely unnatural position. The proper kind of shoes should give your feet enough room to stand as if you were barefoot, which is one reason why sneakers are so popular. In fact, many sneaker companies are adding new, lightweight styles to their shoe lines because people want comfort, and once you start wearing lightweight shoes it's hard to go back to the "regular" kind.
Just as lightweight shoes can help to strengthen your feet, wearing comfortable shoes will help you to avoid future foot problems. Most babies come into the world with healthy feet, and yet, up to 75 percent of adults will suffer from foot problems at some point in their life. A big reason for this is shoe choice. When choosing a pair of comfortable shoes, you want to make sure their not tight in length or width, have enough arch support, and some cushioning if you stand or walk a lot. If you wear orthotics, always try them on with a new pair of shoes to make sure they fit properly.
A company named Hey Dude has a nice line of light, comfortable shoes and when you think about the beating our feet take day after day, walking us around and getting us where we have to go, the least we can do is put them in a nice pair of comfy shoes.
