Flip flops for walking (heart, overweight, exercise, lower back)
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
They totally make sense on the beach - who wants to wear any kind of shoes that get sand in them? I don't wear flip flops for serious walking - errands, etc. I rarely wear them for work because most are just too casual, even with jeans.
I prefer shoes that can "elevate" my appearance - and not by wearing heels - but usually mules/loafers with 1/2" heels or less. No need to wear heels and pointy shoes to look nice for work and no need to wear flip flops as though they are the only way to be comfortable and healthy. There are many good options for women.
Flip flops are pretty casual. Some are nice looking like the Fit Flop brand, but still sandals none the less. Its hard to find comfortable shoes that are stylish. I am always on the lookout. I have a job that requires me to look nice, yet I have to walk a lot. The hardest months are spring and fall where sandals and boots are not a good choice.
At least to me, flip flops are for a quick jaunt outside to take out the trash, public showers, and for going down to the basement to do laundry. I never, ever drive or ride a bicycle when wearing them either (too easy for them to slip off when pressing the clutch, gas, or brake pedals for the former; I've seen nasty accidents when someone else was doing the latter when wearing them--oy.) My mother had worked in a shoe store when she was in college, so we generally wore good quality shoes and sandals in the summertime--not flip flops. Those were reserved for the beach so that we didn't burn our feet on the hot sand.
Danskos have been my work footwear for nearly two decades. Given that I typically work ten to twelve hours a day,generally only breaking to heed nature's call, and (knock on wood) have had neither foot nor back nor knee problems, I'd say that I'm doing well. No fallen arches, bunions, corns--just the usual callouses from being on my feet both barefoot and in shoes.
I've gone barefoot when at home since childhood, too. All of my family does the same, so I wonder: is our good foot health due to good genetics (we all have the similarly long-toed, high arched feet) or to good foot care habits?
OP, I walk A LOT and I always have. As a kid, I walked everywhere, played sports, etc. I was always on my feet. And I still walk a lot---some days I go for long walks just to go for long walks! (I'm talking 5+ hours of straight walking.) Therefore, I would say I am someone who has "strong feet" based on what you believe.
I cannot do this in flip flops or flat shoes. If I wear flat shoes (like ballet style), I will not only get swelling in my feet and ankles but my joints will be KILLING me. Same applies for flip flops.
My friend did not believe that someone would be so sensitive to walking in flip flops, so I sent her a picture of my feet after walking around in flip flops all day (Old Navy flip flops no less, which I don't find to be that great) and the swelling---BLECH. My feet looked terrible.
I pretty much wear sneakers every day and that's all my feet can handle. I do believe that people are different and what works for me might not work for you and vice versa. My friend wears ballet flats all of the time and if I walk around in them for a little while, I will pay for that in joint pain.
Despite that I would never exercise in them. Stroll? Sure. But exercise? Heck no. I could never get my heart rate up wearing such flimsy support.
You've posted before that you think modern shoes, beds and chairs cause arthritis, but that's pretty far out there as far as theories go.
I do have a pair of flipflops that cost quite a bit, and they are super comfortable, still wouldn't exercise in them.
We do have a local phenomenon called "luau feet" here. It's caused by people who only where flipflops and it makes there feet spread out and become super wide. Causes problems when they DO need a pair of normal shoes.
People have all kinds of foot problems here from wearing flipflops all the time.
__________________ ____________________________________________
My posts as a Mod will always be in red.
Be sure to review Terms of Service: TOS
And check this out: FAQ
Moderator: Relationships Forum / Hawaii Forum / Dogs / Pets / Current Events
A few years ago, I got a pair of stylish Bob Marley sandals/flip-flops. Not only were they harder to use for walking than real shoes, but my feet bulged over the sides and after two weeks, I developed a dozen, deep, lateral splits clear through my sole callouses, all around my feet. It took a week of pain and hobbling, before they healed enough to do any good walking and I couldn't run at all. That was a lesson well learned. I got a pair of heavier sandals, that had straps around the back and top and rims at the sides. But they gave me achilles pain. Such ended my experiment in such footwear.
They're Birkenstocks and they're not cheap but they have some arch support and they're made in Germany, not in China or some other country with slave labor and a dodgy track record on quality control and the environment.
FWIW, I'm 65 and walk barefoot or in sandals any time I can, including when I'm home. My arches are very well-defined so I don't think I hurt my feet by not wearing shoes with arch supports.
Those look as though they would be comfortable- I've never been able to get my feet comfy with the thongs between the toes, though. But that's just me.
I've also found some Crocs sandals to be extremely comfortable, and I wear those a lot, especially around the house and outings. Don't think I'd wear them for any long distance walking, though, and the soles do get slippery walking on wet surfaces once the tread has worn out- takes me about 3 yrs of regular wear to do that, though.
I love this thread. I love flip flops and sandals. I love going barefoot. I hate shoes in general.
I just bought a pair of Fit Flops based on comments in this thread, thank you, excited to try them out.
I used to live in Rainbow sandals and added a couple of pairs of less expensive flip flops with memory foam.
18 months ago I bought a pair of Earth Runners and I love them. I wear them to work, walking, church, shopping, everywhere except when hiking in the mountains, then I'll wear my hiking boots. I'm always barefoot at home.
So you're likely a proponent of the "negative heel" for when you absolutely must wear shoes - you know, for church and weddings, and such. The theory was that in primitive societies where people don't wear shoes the heel sinks deeper into the ground than the rest of the foot causing a "negative heel" height. This was big in the '70s. They still sell their shoes, but most aren't a negative heel - seems like a ripoff for them to even sell:
There were two conceptual problems with the negative heel from the start.
The first is that they developed the negative heel concept from studing footprints in sand or soft earth, seeing that the heel depression was lower than the depression caused by the ball of the foot.
But their reasoning was faulty. The reason the heel depression is lower in soft earth or sand is because of the great impact when the heel of a heel-to-toe walker strikes the earth.
Second, they didn't realize that people before the advent of hard paved roads did not commonly walk heel-to-toe, but placed the ball of the foot down first, then the heel.
Heel-to-toe walking developed coincidentally with extra material on the heels to deal with hard-paved roads.
I like Oofas. They are a recovery sandal. They have a mule and a flip flop. I have both. They do get slick when wet though.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
