Buy Shoes that will be Comfortable and Support your Arches
Shopping for shoes during the late part of the afternoon or in the evening is the best way to learn to buy shoes that will be comfortable. However, if you buy shoes in the early part of the day, try them on and walk around your home in them for a while to make sure they feel okay on your feet before going out in them.
When you lay down in bed to sleep at night blood sort of “levels out” in your body. This is because you place your body in a horizontal position. For this reason, when you wake in the morning your feet are at their smallest and thinnest.
Shopping for shoes when your feet are at their smallest and thinnest can be risky because you may be planning to wear those shoes at night after your blood has returned to your feet. This blood return can make your shoes feel uncomfortable and tight.
Sitting, standing, walking, running—all those upright positions we normally place ourselves in during the day allow gravity to draw blood to the lower most parts of our bodies. The lower most portions of our bodies—of course—is our feet. When more blood is present in our feet, our feet are bigger and wider. Meaning—we may need to have shoes that are slightly bigger at night than we need in the daytime.
Although time of day you purchase shoes is important to buying shoes that are comfortable, there are other important considerations. Others include the shape of your feet, the style of the shoes you buy, and the materials the shoes are made from.
Trying to squeeze a wide foot into a thin shoe is never a good idea if you plan to actually wear your shoes. If your feet are wide—look for wide shoes. Manufactures often indicate shoes are wide by placing a “W” on the tag with the shoe size. This symbol may also be found on the inner or outer sole when shoe sizes are indicated in these places.
In contrast, if your feet are thin, stay away from wide shoes. Even though wide shoes may not feel tight on your feet, if your feet are swishing around in your shoes, you can get blisters and other types of scarring from the unnecessary movement.
Shoes made from leather are generally more comfortable than shoes made from tight unyielding plastic materials. This is because leather tends to “give” a lot more than other materials.
Inner soles are important because you need to consider the cushiness inside the shoes. You should also take in account how much arch support the soles allow. If you have feet that lean toward the flat foot end of the scale you will need more arch support in your shoes in order for the shoes to remain comfortable while you are wearing them.
Arch support and cushiness are also important in regard to the outer soles. When you walk, you need your shoes to support your feet as well as the way in which you walk. Outer soles should provide strength, durability, and flexibility as well as arch support.
After trying shoes on, walk around the store a bit to make sure you think they fit all right. When you go home, wear them around the house a bit as well. Wearing shoes around the house is good for breaking them in even when they do fit all right.
If you wear your shoes around your house and discover they feel too tight on any part of your foot—you should probably return them. You may need a slightly bigger size or you may need a completely different type of shoe.
Learning what to look for to buy shoes that will be comfortable may seem a little tricky at first. However, once you figure out what types of shoes are best for your feet, buying shoes that are comfortable can be a piece of cake!