Happy Feet

Two Important New Posts on Socks at FixingYourFeet.com/blog

The Foot Guy — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 16:39:30 -0700

I just posted two new important articles about socks on my blog site at FixingYourFeet.com. Since I no longer use this site for my newsletter, you have to go to FixingYourFeet.com/blog to read the article. If you are getting this email/blog post, you are still subscribed through TypePad through Feedblitz. Make sure you are subscribed at my new site in order to receive new updates as I post them. There is a subscription box in the upper right corner. This whole site will disappear in early November since everything is on my new site.

Come see me there. John Vonhof http://www.FixingYourFeet.com and http://www.FixingYourFeet.com/blog

Healthy Feet Running 100's

The Foot Guy — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 17:06:12 -0700

I just posted a new blog piece about having healthy feet while running 100 mile races. Since I no longer use this site for my newsletter, you have to go to http://www.fixingyourfeet.com/blog to read the article. If you are getting this email/blog post, you are still subscribed through TypePad. Make sure you are subscribed at my new site in order to receive new updates as I post them. There is a subscription box in the upper right corner. This whole site will disappear in early November since everything is on my new site. Everything here has been transfered over to http://www.fixingyourfeet.com/blog. Come see me there. John Vonhof http://www.FixingYourFeet.com and http://www.FixingYourFeet.com/blog

New Posts at FixingYourFeet.com/blog

The Foot Guy — Sun, 12 Apr 2009 21:14:28 -0700

I have been posting new article every five or six days at FixingYourFeet.com/blog. This new blog has replaced my old Happy Feet blog my FixingYourFeet Ezine. There is a FeedBurner subscription box in the upper right side of the page. I encourage you to click on the links below and subscribe to this new page.

Click here to go to my FixingYourFeet.com/blog

Recent posts include Debunking Common Foot Myths, Help for Chronic Heel Pain, Stretch EZ Perfect for Many Foot Problems, Bad Feet in Namibia, Clean Feet with Wysi Wipes, and more.

Subscribe to the New Fixing Your Feet Blog

The Foot Guy — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 07:38:28 -0800

This is a reminder that I am NO LONGER posting to this Happy Feet blog. It has been moved to my FixingYourFeet.com website where there is a subscription box in the upper right side of the page. I encourage you to click on the above and subscribe to this new Fixing Your Feet Blog page. The combining of my weekly Happy Feet blog and the monthly Fixing Your Feet Ezine will result in one webpage to get great information.

Click here to go to my FixingYourFeet.com website

Click here to go to my FixingYourFeet.com/blog

Nexcare 3M Duct Tape Bandages and Blog Update

The Foot Guy — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 09:40:34 -0800

Many athletes have used Duct tape on their feet. Newer and better tapes have become my favorite, but I know many still patch their feet with or pretape with Duct tape. Now 3M has come out with a Nexcare 3M Duct Tape Bandages made of real duct tape with a medical grade adhesive. The heavy duty durability of duct tape is a plus. These are a bit longer length for large fingers (or toes). The bandages are latex free, sized at 1 in. x 3.60 in. – 20 to a pack. Retail price is $4.99.

I could see these as a temporary patch over a hot spot or blister. My only concern, common to all Band-aids, is that the area of the gauze is the weak point with such a small bit of tape on the outside edges. I will get a box and try them. In the meantime, I see these as a good choice to put in a baggie to carry in a fanny pack on the trail, or pin one or two your bib number in a race – just in case you need a quick blister patch.

Blog Update

Some of you may have noticed that I have been making the same post on my Happy Feet Blog and my Fixing Your Feet Ezine hosted at TypePad – and on my new FixingYour Feet Blog at my FixingYourFeet.com website. I am trying to move away from the two TypePad hosted sites into one. There have been some problems uploading everyone’s emails. Please bear with me and I will keep you posted on the process.

Ever Been to a Cobbler?

The Foot Guy — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 17:04:48 -0800

In the faced of recession, the tiny shoe-repair industry, which has been shrinking for decades is making a comeback. As incomes shrink, and jobs are lost, people are choosing to repair their shoes rather then spend hard earned – or non-existent money on new ones. These shoe repair experts are called cobblers – a term many younger people today have likely never heard. Have you ever been in a cobbler, a shoe repair shop?

Nationwide, cobblers and their suppliers report markedly higher revenues than a year ago, as newly frugal Americans opt to repair their shoes rather than replace them. According to a New Your Times article, there are just 7,000 shoe-repair shops left in the U.S., down from more than 120,000 during the Great Depression, according to the Shoe Service Institute of America, a trade group. Mr. McFarland, a third-generation cobbler in Lakeland, Florida, is riding a shoe-repair boom. Since mid-November, he has been juggling roughly 275 repair jobs a week -- about 50% more than usual. "I'm so busy right now it's unbelievable," he says. At the Chagrin Shoe Leather & Luggage Repair in Woodmere, Ohio, sales have increased about 25% from a year ago. Ron Johnson says his Tampa Florida cobbler shop has seen sales increase nearly 50% since June.

Cobblers hope the recession will prompt first-timers and infrequent customers to become regulars, so that the profession will stay alive. Many people today, especially those under 40, don’t know about cobblers.

Some shoes today cannot be have their soles replaced because of their midsole construction. However a shoe repair shop might be able to replace the outersole. They can sew up torn uppers and stretch shoes that are too tight.

So, maybe if you have never been in a shoe repair shop, now might be a good time to find one.

Walking Shoes That Work

The Foot Guy — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 10:15:37 -0800

If you are a walker, meaning a race walker or someone who walks for fun and health, you have probably tried a lot of shoes. Some are comfortable and some are not. Some seem to roll through the foot strike in a fluid and smooth motion, while others are jerkier in motion – the foot just doesn’t seem to move heel to toe in a fluid motion.

When I was doing 24-hour track runs, I learned that walking puts more friction on the forefoot than does running. I have seen this play out in many multiday events when athletes spend more time walking and blisters develop on the ball of the foot and on the toes.

An article by Wendy Bumgardner at Examiner.com, Reshod Shoes for Faster Walking, caught my eye. She is a walker and write about Reshod Walking Shoes, an Oregon company that resoles shoes for walkers. She had a pair of her shoes resoled and wrote: “I had a pair of my favorite walking shoes, the New Balance 825, turned into Reshod Walking Shoes. I was very pleased that the rocker sole was as lightweight and thin as the original sole. The shoes still had the great fit I need to combat bunion pain. But I could tell the difference as soon as I started walking. The rocker sole action forced me to stop being a lazy, flat-footed walker and use the muscles of my calves, thighs and buttocks to walk. Proper walking form will lead to faster speed and better body mechanics for walking.”

Wendy added, “Rocker soles have many advantages for walkers. A common walking mistake is to wear stiff shoes and be unable to roll through a step from heel to toe. Flexible athletic shoes solve that problem, but they do so by flexing in the forefoot, which can put pressure on the bunion area and cause pain.”

At Reshod Walking Shoes, each midsole is hand cobbled to the length and width of the shoe. After removing the old midsole, the new midsole is attached and a new outsole is added. They spend 4-5 hours on each pair.

To quote their website, “The new sole assists walkers in forward motion by creating a fulcrum and a dynamic midsole technology lever (“teeter totter effect”), which changes the angle at pushoff and allows the walker to use the entire surface area of the foot with each step, creating a more powerful stride. The firm, low heel creates a stable foot plant, while the gradient forward foams cushion underfoot while transitioning the walker forward. And because the midsole pivots the foot, there is less friction, which keeps feet cooler and reduces blisters.”

You may ask, “Is this just for racewalkers?” Carmen Jackinsky, the owner and patent hold of the soles, says, “This is a shoe for anyone who wants to walk fast. Pick your style of walking and enjoy!” Check out the video on the Reshod website. It explains the thought behind the shoes.

Small Irritants Under Your Feet

The Foot Guy — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 18:57:11 -0800

Last week we were in Palm Desert and spent a day as spectators at the PGA Bob Hope Golf Classic. How does this relate to foot care? Read on.

Between one of the holes was a patch of sand where we had to walk to get to another green. As we walked across the sand, I must have picked up a few grains of sand. I didn’t notice it at first. We stood around, watching several rounds of golfers come through. Occasionally we moved back and forth between the 16^th green to the tee box on the 17^th hole – maybe 50 yards.

Then I noticed this irritant in my right shoe. It was a small sharp pain under my heel. Not a big thing, but an irritant nonetheless. I ignored it but it made its presence know every time I walked. Finally I removed the shoe and found one small grain of sand. One grain!

Time after time, we find junk in our shoes and too often we ignore it. Over time, this junk, sand, dirt, a small stone, leaf, or piece of a branch, can cause trouble – for which you’ll pay. A hot spot, a blister, a tear in the sock, or a tear in the insole covering. Or, even worse, we alter our gait – and one thing leads to another – and our knee, hip, or back starts to hurt.

Maybe this seems like a no-brainer, but I have seen athletes suffer because of ignoring this advice. If you feel something in your shoe – stop and remove it. Your feet will be happier.

Important Changes in Blog - Please read

The Foot Guy — Sun, 18 Jan 2009 16:00:45 -0800

An important change to this Happy Feet blog will take place in the next week. For 3 1/2 years, I have managed this weekly Happy Feet blog AND the monthly, much longer, Fixing Your Feet Ezine. This has been difficult because of the amount of time required.

I recently released a totally redesigned Fixing Your Feet website. With the site came the ability to incorporate a blog into the website. I am combining this Happy Feet blog and the Fixing Your Feet Ezine into one blog, the NEW Fixing Your Feet Blog. All the content from both have been brought into the new web page, archived by month - 3 1/2 years of searchable foot care content! All Fixing Your Feet content will be in one place.

The new Fixing Your Feet Blog will combine the best of the former weekly blog and monthly ezine. There will be short tips and techniques, new products and product reviews, photos, interviews, editorials - the same great content you are used to receiving.

Your email address will be imported into the new blog and you should not see any change in service. I will do my best to remove any duplicate email addresses. To make this transition easier, here are three tips:

1. Add feedblitz@mail.feedblitz.com to your address book or email white list.

2. Only unsubscribe using the links we provide in each email.

3. Look for the message from FeedBlitz advising you the change has happened.

I look forward to serving you with great new content on the new Fixing Your Feet Blog.

John Vonhof

Safe Feet Equals Safe Body

The Foot Guy — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 21:50:05 -0800

Winter is here and with it comes cold, rain, mud, hail, sleet, snow, mud, slush, and ice – all of which can contribute to unsafe walking and running conditions.

Select the right footwear for whatever your activity will be. That may seem simple, but it is easy to forget our footwear choices. Whether you are outside for work, pleasure, or sport, make sure you are attentive to the conditions of where you walk or run. One slip can ruin an otherwise good day. None of us wants a sprained ankle, twisted knee, or even worse, a fall resulting in a broken bone, hip, back, or head injury. Falls are more common in the winter because of weather conditions and the shorter hours of daylight.

Wear sensible shoes. Wear shoes or boots with good tread. Many times shoes made for everyday wear become slippery in wet conditions.

Take care to choose footwear that keeps your feet dry and warm. Good socks are also part of the bigger picture.

Take care of your feet with good choices of “winter-ready” footwear to keep your feet and your body safe this winter.