My Hobbit Feet don’t meet the ideal requirements for healthy feet

I’ve always hated my feet.  One of my relatives (who only got away with it because his are similar) once described them as Hobbit Feet and that’s how I always think of them….short, sturdy, broad, with stubby toes (even a bit hairy if left unchecked).

My flirtation with stilettos was painful and brief.  I’m very grateful that during my 20s, when such things seem to really matter, chunky wedged shoes were predominantly in fashion and at other times I was a backpacker with just a couple of pairs of shoes whose sole purpose was to cover my feet and keep the cold out.

Those feet have carried me many wonderful places, but it seems they are getting a bit worn out.  Years ago I went to a podiatrist who told me I should be wearing orthotics.  I did….most of the time….and even got used to not being about to buy the pretty shoes that were on special, instead having to purchase shoes suitable for orthotics.  I love going barefoot, summer and winter, inside and outside whenever possible, so shoes have never been a big priority for me. Therefore the annual trip to the expensive shoe shops for people with difficult feet was a chore that I performed with little joy.  However I sort of forgot that you are supposed to get the orthotics checked once a year.  That just didn’t happen and the same old pairs of orthotics got transfered from one pair of shoes to another, depending on the season.

I guess my feet decided it was time to complain, and complain they did….painfully!

I need healthy feet to get fit

I wanted to start doing some regular long walks for exercise so went back to see the podiatrist and….Surprise! Surprise!….found I needed new orthotics.   Being relatively obedient I went along with the decision and spent a small fortune on what must surely have been gold-plated inlays for my shoes.

It didn’t take too many days before I realized that my leg muscles were seizing up, becoming incredibly painful and necessitating a few visits to the physiotherapist.  It seems that my legs rather liked the old regime of well-worn orthotics when out and bare feet at home.  They reacted very severely, to the point that I could barely walk.  So much for the daily walks and healthy feet that I’d been seeking!

Wearing in my healthy feet

So now I’m “wearing in” the newly adapted orthotics…30 minutes, 45 minutes, 60 minutes, 75 minutes a day….Gosh in a week I’ll be able to wear my shoes for 2 whole hours.  That’s something to look forward to.

If I wasn’t convinced that I need them, and if they hadn’t cost me a truckload of money, I’d have put the darn orthotics in the nearest garbage bin by now.

When I see gorgeous young women in their stilettos there is a part of me that is quite jealous, and another part that wants to go and tell them to look after their healthy feet because they have to last you a long time.