Yes, it’s National Flip Flop Day

…again

There’s a National Day for everything, and flip flops are no different. The third Friday of June is National Flip Flop Day! Hurray?

I really hate flip flops, and if you’ve been reading around here long enough, you know why. They make you walk silly, and I’m nothing if not vain. Seriously. They sound funny, too. Slap, slap, slap. Or worse, shuffle, shuffle, shuffle.

Vanity is one thing, but what about health? Fitness? Hammer toes? Plantar fasciitis? Knee pain? These things go hand in hand with flip flops.

I can almost see you rolling your eyes out there. “I’m doing fine,” you say. “Everyone wears them,” you say.

Maybe, but maybe you’ll only feel fine until the pain starts.

Think about carpal tunnel syndrome (felt fine until it didn’t).

Think about low back pain from years of sitting.

“Hmm, didn’t my back feel fine last year?”

 

What do the experts say?

My friend Katy Bowman, of the Nutritious Movement™ Center, says:

The only negative to the bikini of footwear is the fact that it doesn’t stay on your foot without some major muscle clenching and bony alteration. Research on gait patterns and poorly attached shoes demonstrates increased risk for hammer toes, plantar fasciitis and knee pain. 

I say keep your favorite flops around for water and beach activities and invest in the newer Roman-style sandals that offer the same open-air feel but with better binding.

Thanks, Katy!

Dr. Kelly Starrett, PhD says…

I know where you live it’s ‘Hot’. I know you like to look ‘cute’.  But you are destroying your feet mechanics and setting up serious problem for your heel cords and calf.  Best defense, no be there.  You know I’m right.  Take the flip-flop/slipper challenge.  See if you can walk/run in your flips without clinching your big toe.

Thanks, Kelly!

 

I know, it’s hot out

I don’t want to wear shoes, either.

So I don’t, at least when I can help it.

But if you have to, take my advice and go stylish and healthy, and wear a shoe that’s as open, but fully strapped around back. It will stay on without forcing you to grip your toes.

 

There are those who will continue, of course…

 

Believe what you want, but hammer toes don’t lie.