Gardeners are on their feet – a lot!
Is it a cliché that women love shoes? Expensive shoes? Lots of them?
But what happens when we go to the garden? We give our feet the Cinderella treatment.
I don’t mean the fairy tale ending, prince charming sweeping treatment.
I’m talking about the relegation-of-the-lowliest chores kind of treatment.
Our feet become second-class citizens in the garden. They’re reduced to wearing the hand-me-downs, the cast-offs, and the has-beens.
My collection of shoes for the garden tells a sad story of shoes that were once great and are living a second life as the gardening shoes. Muddied, torn, and broken down, their useful lives are stretched beyond measure.
After a full day of gardening, I’ve usually walked from 15-20,000 steps. My back is sore, and my feet are beyond aching. I pile my cast-off, worn-out “gardening shoes” onto the stack by the back door and wonder why my feet and back ache so badly.
Why do I do this? I think nothing of spending money on a pair of shoes for a special occasion, or on a sassy sandal for the summer season, but for some reason, my gardening shoes, the ones that need to offer me top-of-the-line comfort and support for my joints, are the ones I don’t spend money on!
It’s time to reverse that. No more spending hours a day on my feet in the garden without the proper footwear!
Money spent on shoes that add another layer of protection for your joints is money well spent.
Have you ever looked at your feet? Each foot and ankle complex has twenty-six delicate-looking bones and thirty-three joints. Joined together by tendons and ligaments and encased in muscles, your feet and ankles must bear the weight of your entire body.
In the words of the Beatles – you’re gonna carry that weight a long time. Let’s give our feet some assistance with this task.
When you’re gardening with arthritis, it’s vital that you remain sure-footed while you’re out hauling, bending, and watering. But we also want our feet to be cool all summer long. Sandals are typically cute, but flimsy and don’t give us security and protection.
You need a sandal in the garden that’s waterproof, has traction, and evenly distributes your weight across your foot. Your sandal should provide ankle and foot support, and comfort for all-day wear.
I’ve finally found a garden sandal that delivers all the above.
Kuru Footwear. You’ve heard me talk about them before because I got their amazing Chicane model shoes for my travel to England and Scotland this spring. I didn’t want to miss any adventure because of arthritis pain in my feet, knees, and back and Chicane came through for me. I was able to keep up with all the walking, hiking, and sightseeing.
Are these sandals expensive? Yes. Are they worth it? Every penny.
And do you know what? I wouldn’t be out gardening all day long in those Coach shoes I bought and wore on one occasion!
From now on, I’m investing in my feet.
I’m giving them some love to show them I honor and respect all they do day in and out to keep me upright and gardening pain-free!
Gardeners know it takes building a good foundation to reap the rewards of a great garden harvest. This gardening season, invest in your feet to create a solid foundation of health for your body.
Gardening with arthritis is not easy. Giving your body the right tools it needs to make gardening easier is the smart thing to do.
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