Day 27-But they make my butt stick out all cute-like!

I've always been a flat, wide-toed-shoe wearing gal. I actually do not have wide feet, but I enjoy a big toe box, or no toe box, for my tootsies to move around in. There was a brief period in my life when I had to wear heels for work, but it was short, thank the stars!

This was not the job:

But I bet she's not allowed to wear Birkenstocks while working. 

Anyway, I've worn comfy, neutral-heel shoes almost my entire life. I always liked to be comfortable, but I also always knew that heels weren't good for the human body. 

Which blows my mind why we think these are healthy:

Now hold on. Before you climb up a pole, scissor your legs, toss your hair and get mad at me, my Dansko-wearing friends, please listen: I have Dansko clogs. I wear them when I cannot get away with these:

These look like they have a heel, but actually don't once you thermo-mold them to your paws. It's cool.

Or these:

I try to get away with them as often as I can, but the culture we live in doesn't let me wear them with this:

Okay, those of you who know me know that I would totally never wear this, but you get my point. 


But here's the rub, and thanks to my fabulous teacher for putting it so well: Those clogs are not healthy. They are comfortable, but not healthy. 


Follow? 


Let me illustrate further: 

There's comfort here, but... eh? Not so healthy.

A clog is still a heel that is still pushing you out of alignment. I know not everybody's going to wear my freaky monkey-toe shoes and pad around in flip-flops in 40-degree weather. I know. 

What I want for you to think about is how much are you wearing those heels? 
Want to see what happens to your body when you wear them? 

Image: copyright Restorative Exercise, Inc.
Image sourced from Every Woman’s Guide to Foot Pain Relief

Look at the pelvis, lower back and ribs when she tries to correct for the heels. 


Frickin' ow!


Current events in foot hatred:

Ohhhh. Owwww......!!! STOP!!

I'd tell you you look hot, Baby, but you just look ridiculous...

I am currently enjoying reading "Every Woman's Guide to Foot Pain Relief" by Katy Bowman, as part of my Restorative Exercise schooling, and when I first picked it up I thought "Huh, she's preaching to the choir with me! I always wear comfy shoes!" 


Sometimes, I'm not as smart as I think. 


Actually most of the time. 


Could I teach you more about this, because it matters? The book is terrific. You would do well to check it out. I think every woman who feels like she should wear heels should read it. If you're a man who wears heels, no judgment here, Buddy, but you should know that you're throwing your alignment out of whack every single day. Go back to the car metaphor. What happens when your tires are out of alignment? They wear down funny, blow out and then the rest of the car compensates until it breaks down. 


Why are you any different?


I care about your well-being, and I want you to be a well being. 


Talk soon, Kitten, 
Dani

Day 8-Talking the Walk

Today’s walk was fairly short---I spent all morning at my Exercise Rehab office downtown, trying to wrangle some new scheduling software. It was productive, but I was chomping at the bit to get outside and get my daily walk in. It seems to be a unanticipated benefit of Walk the Year. I can’t wait to walk. Hmm…how ‘bout that?

Since my brain had already worked pretty hard this morning, no brilliant ideas for books or profundities snuck into my head while I strolled. So, I won’t be able to pass any of my Jack Handy-esque Deep Thoughts your way today, but I can teach you something about walking. As in, the actual mechanics of good walking. I think I’ll do this every once in awhile. It’s good for me to verbalize what I know and have learned, and it’s good for you to perhaps learn something concrete about this absolutely perfect form of exercise. 

As long as you’re not on a treadmill.

That’s what I said. Get off your treadmill.

I know, I know, it’s irresponsible of me to dissuade you from exercising, right? Well, what if I told you that the same motion on a treadmill as the one you do outside uses fewer muscles? Wait! Don’t we want more muscles to burn more calories and help keep us in better alignment?

We do.

The “tread” on a treadmill moves in a constant circular motion so that you don’t walk into a wall. Unfortunately, as the “ground” rolls away from you, you’re not using all your muscles to “push off” in a natural gait pattern. You are simply lifting your leg (and using too much of your hip in the process!) and letting it fall again. This strain on your hip flexors, not to mention the complete under-utilization of your butt muscles (which are already seriously under-used due to your desk time), results in other parts of your body OVER-COMPENSATING which leads to…ahem…pain. 

Show Them Roundies Some Love! Get Off Them and Move Better!

Next time you try going it on the treadmill, pay attention to what your body does, and how it feels during and after. Then compare those feelings after a walk around your neighborhood or through the forest. 

For reals. 

I hope you enjoyed using all your muscles on your walk today, 

Dani