Breaking
FoodNerdy Recipes Management System
Tag

Shoes

Browsing
health

Walking Barefoot: Healthier Than Shoes? The Trend Brings These Benefits

Is running barefoot really healthier than wearing athletic shoes made specifically for running? And what are the advantages of walking barefoot anyway?

Walking barefoot is healthy – say experts

For example, “In Form” describes that walking barefoot would strengthen the foot muscles. The explanation: Since the human foot is designed in such a way that the entire body weight is cushioned with every step, more foot muscles are trained. In shoes, on the other hand, freedom of movement is significantly restricted, which means that fewer muscles can be stressed. Daniel Bürkner, master orthopedic shoemaker from Berlin and Vice President of the Central Association of Orthopedic Shoe Technology (ZVOS) sees it similarly. “The foot is trained and kept in its original form. Because humans are barefoot walkers,” he explains.

However, there is still insufficient scientific evidence for this. For example, a study by the American Orthopedic Society for Sports Medicine (AOSSM) in 2013 examined the differences between runners who did sport for eight weeks with shoes and eight weeks without them. However, the result was “not statistically significant”. This means: A clear advantage or disadvantage of walking barefoot could neither be confirmed nor disproved. Nevertheless, the scientists conclude, this does not mean that walking barefoot cannot bring health benefits. Rather, they assume that “it may take months or years to see changes.” Therefore, the short course of this study may not be sufficient.

A study by the scientist “Tony Lin-Wei Chena” and his team, consisting of experts from Hong Kong Polytechnic University and the “Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation” at Harvard Medical School and Harvard, gives a little more information about the actual effect University. They measured “intrinsic and extrinsic foot muscle volume using MRI scans” at the beginning and end of the six-month trial. It was tested on a total of 38 study participants. And the results are quite promising: In runners who had switched from their conventional shoes to either very light shoes or no shoes at all, the volume of the leg and foot muscles increased.

Train the sense of touch of the feet – and relieve the back at the same time

The expert Daniel Bürkner explains these advantages to Womens Health as follows: “If you walk with rigid soles under your feet, you put your foot flat with your heel, the muscles of the forefoot and midfoot are hardly challenged. When walking barefoot, on the other hand, the front one springs Part of the foot absorbs the impact, reducing stress on the joints from the toe, ankle, knee, hip and back.”

In addition, the sense of touch of the feet should be able to be trained when walking without shoes. That describes “In Shape”. “The sensory feedback when walking barefoot encourages the feet to land more carefully in order to reduce the impact forces,” explains Thomas Hahn’s editorial team. This changes the running style almost automatically. So, instead of just the heel, put the whole foot on the ground. Bürkner explains: “Ideally, with every step you consciously roll off your heel onto the ball of your foot. Similar to a marionette that is pulled up by its head with strings.”

Barefoot walking has other positive aspects to offer. This is how you can protect yourself from infections when walking barefoot. Among other things, foot or nail fungus diseases. They occur because there is almost no exchange of air in the warm, humid environment of sturdy shoes. If you walk barefoot more often, your feet can dry better. In addition, regular barefoot walking should improve blood circulation in the feet. This also counteracts a potential fungal disease.

Barefoot walkers injured less often? Study creates clarity

Barefoot walkers are also said to have a lower risk of injury. However, the studies have not been clear on this so far. The British journal of sports medicine has researched this alleged benefit. For a year they accompanied 201 athletes. 107 barefoot runners and 94 runners with shoes. Fewer diagnosed injuries to the musculoskeletal system of the runners were found in the barefoot group – however, the injury rates did not differ statistically significantly between the groups examined. The researchers found that the barefoot group ran fewer miles than the runners in shoes. They also suffered a higher number of sole injuries.

The researchers also found that there was a greater number of calf injuries but a lower number of knee and hip injuries in the barefoot group. There were also significantly fewer cases of plantar fasciitis (painful inflammation of the soles of the feet) among the barefoot runners than among the group with shoes.

The doctor Oliver Tobolski from Sporthomedic Cologne sees the benefits of walking barefoot as extremely profitable, but also warns against too much euphoria. Because practicing barefoot walking takes time. The foot muscles first have to get used to new forms of stress slowly. In addition, the foot muscles do not develop overnight. “Please start very gently, initially only short distances and only on soft, natural surfaces,” advises Tobolski to FitforFun.

This also applies to experienced runners. According to the expert, they have to be particularly careful because the actually positive effect could be reversed by the different running habit. According to Tobolski, runners who run more than three times a week should only run barefoot once. Ideally, you should regularly alternate between walking barefoot and wearing shoes. This is the best way to train the inner foot muscles.

Keep Reading
By
Lifestyle

Tips on Trying on Shoes & Buying Shoes

Tips for trying on shoes and buying shoes in the school shop. If you want to avoid getting annoyed about pinching shoes and annoying blisters on your feet after buying shoes in the future, you should do your shoe shopping in the late afternoon. At that point, our feet are usually longer and wider than in the morning.

Most women are familiar with this phenomenon: the newly purchased shoes fit like a glove when they were tried on in the store, but when they were first worn they suddenly pinched and unsightly and painful blisters formed. There was no sign of it in the shop, and the joy of the new shoes disappeared with the first pressure points on the feet.

1) buy shoes in the afternoon

Buying shoes made easy without frustration. Here’s a trick: If possible, buy your shoes in the late afternoon. With the daily stress, our feet are subjected to, the shape of our feet changes throughout the day. In the afternoon, the feet are usually wider and longer than after getting up. Sometimes the foot also swells later in the day and becomes thicker. If you take this into account and only test and buy your shoes in the afternoon next time, when your feet are longer and wider, you can be sure that in the future they will fit in the morning, at noon and in the evening, because this will avoid buying shoes that are too tight. In addition, note tips and home remedies for widening tight shoes.

2) Try on shoes and protect the forefoot

Buying shoes in the afternoon not only pleases the feet, which from now on reach their destination without blisters, but also the forefoot, which all too often is pressed into shoes that are too tight and cannot move freely. In the long run, this can mean a painful misalignment of the forefoot bones. The big toe (hallux) in particular can move into an unsightly ball position, which in turn can cause pain. You can read important tips for foot health despite deformations.

3) Trying on thick socks when trying on shoes

In addition, when buying shoes, the type of socks that will be worn in the future should be worn when trying them on. For example, if you test your new running shoes in tights, you will be annoyed later during training that the new sports shoes do not offer a firm grip and slip. If you test elegant women’s shoes with tennis socks, you will later be more likely to slip in tights.

4) Buy shoes with serenity

Take the time in the store to try on shoes and walk in them for a few minutes. Press, release, and choose a different size. Trust your instincts and don’t be afraid to put uncomfortable shoes back on the shelf.

Try buying in the afternoon so that you can do without painful blisters on your feet in the future and avoid tight shoes.

Keep Reading
By
Lifestyle

Tips and Suppliers for Buying Children’s Shoes

Buying children’s shoes can be a real challenge. How do you find the right shoe with sufficient quality? We have compiled the most important information about buying shoes for children and provide an overview of the best providers.

Consequences of wrong footwear

Buying the right children’s shoes is important. Because baby and children’s feet are very flexible. The joints, muscles, and bones of a child’s foot are also not yet solid. Consequently, shoes that are too small or narrow can cause permanent damage to the foot. Studies on children’s feet and children’s shoes have shown that over 60 percent of children between the ages of three and six wear shoes that are too small. And these can lead to curvatures and other consequential damage to the foot and joint area. According to this, foot deformities caused by the wrong shoes are not uncommon in childhood. But by making a conscientious choice when purchasing, you can definitely avoid these consequences.

In contrast to adults, who complain of pain in the front foot or toe area when wearing a shoe that is too small, children can hardly localize such unpleasant pain due to the soft and flexible nature of the child’s foot. If the children’s shoes are too small, the big toes of the child’s foot are no longer in a straight position, but inevitably bend to the side.

At what age does a child need their first shoe?

You should start thinking about buying children’s shoes at the latest when you make your first tentative attempts to walk around the age of ten months. The right footwear serves as protection against cold, dirt, moisture, and hard surfaces outdoors. However, your child does not need shoes in the apartment. In order to protect children’s feet from cold floors in winter, a child’s slipper is completely sufficient.

What should parents consider when buying the right children’s shoes?

Parents can do a lot wrong when buying children’s shoes. It is therefore worth taking the following things to heart and seeking support when choosing a suitable children’s shoe. Consequently, we have summarized the most important tips for children’s shoes:

  • Buy children’s shoes in the selected specialist shop.
  • Consult trained sales personnel.
  • Have your foot professionally measured.
  • For children’s shoes, look for a WMS seal (wide, medium, narrow).
  • Children’s shoes should provide stable support and be durable.
  • Quality children’s shoes are mainly made of natural leather.
  • Buy a spare pair to change into so the shoes can air out and dry.
  • Regularly buy new children’s shoes.
  • Check the size every three to four months as children’s feet grow quickly.

Use cardboard template for buying children’s shoes

Since many shoes do not match the specified size and actual inner length, you can make a cardboard template of the child’s foot. To do this, place your child on a piece of cardboard and outline the edge of the foot with a pen. Add about eleven to twelve millimeters measured from the longest toe. Then cut out the footprint. Then you can insert this useful template into the selected model and thus check the optimal fit. Also, note tips for healthy feet despite foot deformities and how to widen narrow shoes.

What characteristics should a good children’s shoe have?

A good children’s shoe has a flat, flexible, and elastic sole. Thus, the foot is not hindered when rolling. Shoes with a footbed are not suitable for children so as not to impede the natural development of the foot. In order to ensure a stable hold for the ankle, children’s shoes should be equipped with a raised heel cap. Because this protects against painful sprains and keeps the ankle in a natural, fixed position. In addition, the outer and inner materials should be supple and breathable so that the foot does not overheat even on warmer days. Tying shoelaces is still largely impossible for very young children who wear shoes. Therefore, Velcro fasteners offer a simple and quick way to put on and take off. Also, note how you can remove odor from smelly shoes.

Keep Reading
By
Lifestyle

Home Remedies, Instructions & Tips for Cleaning Shoes

Finally, clean, well-groomed, and durable shoes can be shined in simple steps explained here with a few Learn guide tips and home remedies.

Clean shoes are part of a well-groomed appearance and make a significant contribution to the first impression, for example at a job interview. Unfortunately, very few people know what to look out for when cleaning and caring for shoes.

Clean shoes properly

In this article, you will get tips and step-by-step instructions for beautiful shoes. First of all: the right shoe care set In order to properly clean and care for your shoes, you need the right products. Then you can not only clean the shoes but also widen your tight shoes if necessary.

1) Remove coarse dirt with the dirt brush

At least one dirt brush should not be missing in any shoe care set. If possible, the bristles should be made of pig bristles or cattle or ponytail hair. Agave fiber brushes are also popular. These are resilient, flexible leaf fibers from an agave species from South America.

2) Shoe polish for shine and care

For long-lasting, well-preserved shoes, the application of shoe polish is essential. Depending on personal preferences, you can use a colorless cream or one that matches the color of your shoe. If you don’t have any shoe polish to hand, baby wipes or greasy creams such as Nivea are just as good.

3) Brushes, sponges, or soft cloths to apply shoe polish

Depending on how many coloring shoes polishes you have, you need a separate application product for each shoe polish. This makes sense so that color irregularities cannot occur.

4) Shine brush or soft cloth to polish

For a nice shine after cleaning, we recommend using a horsehair shine brush for suede leather and a soft cloth for polishing smooth shoes.

Care and cleaning of leather shoes

Good leather shoes are usually not cheap. It is, therefore, all the more important to properly care for and clean them. A detailed YouTube video on this can be found below. In addition, the proper cleaning of patent leather should be observed.

Keep Reading
By
Lifestyle

Get Odor Out of Smelly Shoes

Home remedies to get rid of disgusting smells from smelly shoes. We have the best tips for you on how to easily get rid of the unpleasant smell in leather shoes, sneakers, and sports shoes!

Foot odor is individual, both the smell itself and its intensity. Some people sweat faster, others less quickly, some never wear shoes without socks and some prefer to wear them barefoot. However, everyone knows that at least one pair of sports shoes smells unpleasant at some point. We have collected the best tips on how to remove the smell from the smelly shoes and wear them with a good feeling again!

By the way, white shoes need special care when cleaning, which is why we have discussed them in a separate article. You will also find many more tips on the subject of shoes, for example how to widen shoes, which shoes fit best with hallux valgus, and how you can take care of your feet for the summer.

1) Wash sports shoes

Many sports shoes, slippers, and fabric shoes can simply be put in the washing machine. Then the shoes look like new afterward. Coarse dirt should be removed first, sometimes it is enough to knock out the shoes, otherwise, a brush or a damp cloth will help. You can then wash the pre-cleaned shoes on a delicate cycle (lower degree and spin speed). Then you should dry the shoes well, either in the sun or with the help of a newspaper (very absorbent!) that you stuff into the shoes. If the weather is not good outside, it is best to place them under a heater to dry.

2) Smelly shoes in the freezer

Another way to remove bad odors is to cool down the affected shoes, either in constant sub-zero temperatures outside on the terrace or balcony or in the freezer. Simply put the shoes in a plastic bag and put them in the freezer. After a few hours, the bacteria will be killed and the musty smell will disappear.

3) Cat litter against sweaty shoes

Athletes think a lot of this home remedy for sweaty feet and unpleasant odors in sport’s shoes: cat litter sucks the moisture out of the shoes and binds unpleasant odors. The cat litter beads can be conveniently poured out again after allowing them to act for a long time. You can also put cat litter in old nylon tights. Then place the filled nylon stocking in the welding shoes overnight.

4) Baking soda for smelly shoes

You can also use baking soda to deodorize smelly shoes. Baking soda binds and dries the stinking moisture in the shoes. For this method, simply sprinkle baking soda into the shoes and leave for hours (overnight). The household remedy baking powder dries out the damp inner sole and binds unpleasant shoe odors. After hours of knocking out your shoes.

5) Let shoes dry

Shoes should always be dried if they have been worn for a long time. This works well in the fresh air or in the sun, for example. Because the moisture in the shoes in particular can promote the formation of odors. The bacteria can also multiply much better in a moist environment. This is particularly relevant in winter and during the wet season. Then it is best to dry the shoes on the heater after wearing them.

6) Avoid smelly shoes in the future

To avoid smelly shoes in the first place, we have also collected the most important tips for you on how to avoid odors forming in your favorite shoes:

  • Change socks daily and preferably wear cotton socks.
  • Wash your feet regularly.
  • Take your feet out of your shoes from time to time and let them air out vigorously.
  • Always let shoes dry after wearing them.
  • Use foot deodorant if your feet sweat a lot. (Available in drugstores.)
  • Use leather soles in shoes.
Keep Reading
By
Lifestyle

Clean and Care for White Shoes

Cleaning your white shoes properly and gently is quite difficult at first glance. People often hesitate when buying white leather shoes with the ulterior motive that they will get dirty. The following tips and home remedies are suitable for regular care, but also for short-term cleaning before a meeting or an event.

Home remedies that work wonders

These home remedies are great for getting rid of smudges and streaks on white shoes. Several applications improve the result. At best, prepare yourself with a pad. Before this thorough cleaning, you can also wipe your white shoes with a damp cloth if necessary to remove the coarse dirt.

  • Nail polish remover: A little nail polish remover on a cloth is enough to clean the white shoes.
  • Baking soda and dish soap: Dissolve in a cup of water and then apply with a cloth.

For long-term care

For long-term care of your white shoes, we recommend shoe polish. You can also use this after cleaning the white shoes to make the shoes shine even more. We recommend the following premium shoe polish for this. Simply apply evenly and leave on for a few minutes. You can repeat this process as needed. After cleaning, you can still treat strong odors from your shoes.

If the cleaning is not enough or the shoes have been worn very often, you can simply buy new shoes. In addition to your local shops, you can also find cheap shoes in second-hand shops or in online shops such as schuhe.de.

Keep Reading
By
Lifestyle

Tight Shoes Widen with 6 Simple Home Remedies

Useful home remedies and tricks for widening tight shoes. Surely you know the problem, you buy new shoes and after wearing them for the first time, various pressure points and blisters appear on your feet. Then you should use the following tips to stretch your footwear.

Simple home remedies and tricks for widening shoes

When you have bought new shoes, you are usually very happy. Then you want to put them on and perform them right away. But often one has to realize that after a short time pain arises due to pressure points. Shoes that are too tight can cause blisters on your feet. As a result, you don’t want to wear them anymore. However, there are some clever tricks to widen the shoes and thus ensure a comfortable fit.

1) Use spirits and alcohol to stretch

Once you have located the spot(s) where it pinches, you can rub alcohol (or high-proof alcohol or hot water) into the boot. Then wear the footwear directly for a longer period of time (several hours). It may feel a little tight at first, but this pressure will subside after a short while. Because the alcohol in combination with exercise will expand the material of your shoes. As a result, you will no longer notice any pressure, so the new footwear can be worn without any problems. Also, note tips for getting rid of smelly shoes.

2) Vinegar on hard leather shoes

You can also do something about older models that pinch in certain places. If leather shoes have become hard over time and are therefore painful in certain areas, another home remedy can help: using vinegar. It is also rubbed inside the leather shoes and causes the pressure to ease. For this, you have to put them on and move. In addition, note how you can freshen up old leather so that your leather shoes last a long time.

3) Shoes expand with heat

Another very effective method against shoes that are too tight in heat. Accordingly, take a hot spoon and hold it from the inside to the respective oppressive areas. Alternatively, a warm shoe tree is also suitable for this purpose. You can also try stretching your footwear with a hairdryer. For this, you put on thick socks and slip into the sneakers. Then heat them up with the hairdryer and try to widen the shoes by stretching and moving your feet. Also, read how to gently clean white shoes.

4) Push the seams of leather shoes outwards

If you have leather shoes that are painful on the outside seams, you can push them outwards very gently. In order for the shoes to expand, repeat the process several times until they are comfortable to wear. Also, note the proper care of patent leather shoes.

5) Potatoes and newspaper to stretch shoes

Potatoes are also suitable as a home remedy for use on tight leather shoes. To do this, you have to cut open a potato and place the open side against the leather. So that it doesn’t slip, you can simply put some newspaper inside to fix it. Then leave the potato and paper there overnight. In this way, the footwear is supplied with moisture and it expands. A nice side effect is that the shoes become soft due to the starch in the potato.

6) gel pads in leatherette shoes

If you have faux leather shoes, it’s not that easy to widen those shoes because faux leather doesn’t really yield. Nevertheless, you can do something with these models to prevent any pressure. Accordingly, put a gel cushion in the imitation leather shoe so that the material gives way when you wear it and you no longer feel any pressure. You can avoid blisters on your feet in the future.

Avoid tight and tight shoes

As you can see, there are numerous simple tips on how to widen tight shoes or provide relief in other ways. So you can continue to wear your favorite shoes and don’t have to buy new ones. If the tips listed above don’t help, you should visit a cobbler to help you mend the shoes. However, it is even better when trying on and buying shoes to decide on slightly larger models.

Keep Reading
By