Standing

The ideal position for your spine to be in is upright and standing, and so its pretty important to try to get this position just right, otherwise all of this extra effort to try to keep your spine upright and stable is all for very little. If you think about how much time you spend standing every day, from the moment you get out of bed in the morning to the moment you go to sleep at night, even with a desk base workspace we spend a lot of time up on our feet.

Now the thing is when it comes to what we wear, we all like something different, whether we like to be at the forefront of fashion, wear something supportive or whether we are more focused on budget, and every situation is very personal and is different for everyone. The ideal position is always to be barefoot, or as close to barefoot as possible. The idea that soft and spongy shoes give support to your foot is the end result of great marketing by sports companies making those shoes. There is, however, research out there to prove spongy and soft based trainers stop the foot moving and compensating efficiently, which increases the risk of injury, which bring us back to being barefoot. Now I think you might get a few funny looks if you decide to walk around the streets with nothing on your feet, not to mention the possibility of getting a bit cold up here on the north-east coast of England, so we want to get as close to the ideal foot position as possible without compromising whatever it is we set out to achieve, whether that be being at the height of fashion or being within a budget. A few of the things we look for in shoes are; a thin, flat flexible base that can bend, twist and move with your foot as you walk, no arch support as if the foot is being forced into one position, obviously it cant compensate properly, and finally a relatively wide fit that allows your feet to splay as you walk, improving your balance and grip. Here are a few that we recommend, and I know, unfortunately high heels aren’t on the list, but remember, if we can manage to keep your body upright and stable 99% of the time, the damage done by that one night out in heels will be far less than if we didn’t think about your shoes at all.

Vivo Barefoot (great general everyday shoes) – https://www.vivobarefoot.com/uk

Xero Shoes (a good everyday trainer) – https://xeroshoes.co.uk/

Caret Shoes (great formal dress shoes) – https://uk.carets.com/collections/main-store

Converse (the Allstar range is a great shoe) – https://www.converse.com/uk

Toms (good light summer shoes) – https://www.toms.co.uk/

Lee Cooper Workwear Safety Shoes – https://www.leecooperworkweardirect.co.uk/footwear/lcshoe054-sb-sra-shoe/