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For those who work as a nurse, worker in the restaurant, or retail sales, they all have some foot problem in common. The reason for these common is that they all need to walk and use their feet a lot in a working day. There are nurses who work for a shift of 12 hours per day and have experienced feet and ankles hurt seriously.

Because of the natural environment of the work, their life is on the feet. Moreover, the floor in which they step in is also kind of slippery. A good care of nursing foot is seriously necessary with a great amount of walking, standing, and running every day.

Without a proper care of your feet, a nurse might suffer from hurt, pain, and other problems as well. Therefore, it can also mean the end of their career if a nurse has a foot problem. It is very common that a nurse has nagging pain. Apart from the neck, or back problem, it is actually the feet which cause painful feeling.

Standing Problem

In fact, standing is considered worse than moving and waking. When you stand, the whole weight of your body stresses and structures on your feet. Therefore, a lot of stresses are being put under your heel. For that reason, blood circulation is affected and you might suffer from pain.

On the other hand, continuous pressure also leads to inflamed veins, joints degeneration as well as foot misalignment. Nurses who have to stand for a long time combining with moving a lot have a risk for foot problem called plantar fasciitis.

Plantar Fasciitis

This is the problem that many nurses have in common due to their working environment. The symptom of plantar fasciitis can be recognizable easily. The pain usually starts from the heel and moves up to the bottom of the foot.

The problem at the early time only causes aching feeling and difficulty in walking around. Plantar fasciitis is more likely to happen to people who have a low arch, flat feet and overweight. For a longer time, untreated plantar fasciitis can cause a rupture of the ligament.

Solution For Nursing’s Aching Feet

It is not that difficult to heal the aching feet of nurses. It is claimed by many nurses that they usually suffer from serious pain. Thus, they all want to do something to get rid of the hurting feeling. The first thing that you should think about is your shoes.

A good pair of nursing shoes is super necessary for those who have to stand, move a lot in a day. They are suggested to find the best footwear for nurses so that they all feel comfortable. A good pair of shoes also give enough supports for the feet to work all day long.

For the working environment itself, the floor is kind of slippery that nurses need special shoes to avoid being slipped or fell on the floor. If a nurse already faces plantar fasciitis, he or she need proper supports from the arches to reduce the shock. Read more: Best Shoes for Plantar Fasciitis

Arch supports are needed for those who have a flat and low arch. However, those who have high arch need soft and cushioned shoes rather than supports. The key point is that you have to figure out your arch type. You can read some articles about arch types yourself or ask a podiatrist to help you.

It is very important to find a pair of shoes that meets your demand and expectation. Good walking shoes are also good nursing shoes in most of the cases. Nurses do not really need a pair of running or crossing shoes. Moreover, you can also insert a custom orthotics to support your feet more.

Besides from a good pair of shoes, you should also think about socks. One of its important function is to help you reduce the risk of having a blister. Since the socks will separate your feet skin from the shoes. The lack of fat pads on your feet can cause heel hurt.

However, a cushioned pair of socks can help ease the pain and act the function of the losing fat pads. You are recommended to change your socks every shift. You should have spare socks available to change when needed for hygiene reasons. Hence, you can prevent your feet from being smelling or infected by fungus and bacteria.

Moreover, you should develop the habit of exercising your feet. You can stretch your feet sometimes when walking to help strengthen the muscles. Do not let your feet feel too tired from standing all the time. A small exercise of stretching can help ease the pain.

At home, you can try massage and soak to relax your feet. You can roll your feet with a tennis ball or a wooden roller. To release the painful feeling, you can soak your feet in warm water for 10 or 15 minutes. You can also add some salt to help the process of blood circulation.

Besides, you are recommended to use Epsom salts. It will help wash away fluids, lactic acid, swelling, and pain. Your muscle and joints are also strengthened when you have your feet relax. Therefore, you can keep good hygiene on your feet and release the painful feeling.

Last but not least, you should avoid walking on barefoot as much as possible. Walking on barefoot means no protection and supports for your feet. You might also be injured or infected from things from the ground.

The last thing is to have pedicure regularly. A pedicure is not only for women, it is for everyone. You can have it at home by yourself or go to the salon. Then you will have your nails being cared. In addition, you might have a small massage and soaking in the salon.

Trimming and cutting your nail regularly can prevent ingrown toenails which can lead to infections and pain. Longer toenail can also make it difficult for walking. Thus, cleaning your nail can avoid foot odor as well as nail diseases.

Two weeks ago, I bought the Nike Pegasus 30 when I went to Fleet Feet to speak to the American Liver Foundation’s marathon program. As I told myself several times that day, I definitely wasn’t going to buy anything at the Chicago running gear store, a.k.a. Mecca.

I got to Fleet Feet a little early and started chatting with one of the employees, Tim. I told Tim how I pretty much killed my body in the Chicago Marathon but I BQ’d….so it was worth it. What shoe did I wear? Vibrams and nothing but for almost two years. I’m loyal to the brand. I also mentioned that I was getting frustrated because since the marathon, I couldn’t even run 2 miles without feeling a LOT of discomfort in my knee. Yay ITBS! But seriously, shouldn’t the recovery phase be over by now?! It had been a little more than a month since the marathon…

The only thing I ever wanted to do these days was run. And my sanity is intrinsically linked to running. So I was quickly heading for the red. Tim, I’m in trouble.

Tim mentioned trying a best cushioned running shoes. Eck. Not a good answer.
To be honest, I had been thinking about trying a cushioned shoe for a week or two before going to Fleet Feet. Running was painful…as was going down stairs or getting up after sitting for twenty minutes on the train. Although, the knee pain became much less noticeable in the latter two cases. Running was still iffy.

I was getting frustrated as I needed to get back into training ASAP. I had a marathon in January that I couldn’t back out of. Well, I guess I could but knowing me, I definitely wouldn’t. I didn’t want to break down and buy from a company other than Vibram. But I needed to start training again, Vibrams weren’t doing the trick, and I was getting desperate. I had to finish the conversation with Tim so I could do what I initially set out to do on coming to Fleet Feet and introduce the marathon program. Tim gave me a lot to think about.

After presenting the program, lo and behold, Tim was still available by the shoe rack and my colleagues happened to stop in the same vicinity to say hello to someone else. So, I broke down and tried a cushioned shoe. Tim had me try the Nike Pegasus and two other pairs of non-Vibram running shoes. I got on the treadmill to test out the Pegasus and…
Since purchasing the Nike Air Zoom Pegasus, I’ve run four times. My longest run was this past Saturday – 4.72 miles. The run was easy but a little longer than I meant to go. My GPS cut out and rather than run less than my goal of 4 miles, I decided to just tack on a little distance. Not the smartest move but not the most unfortunate either.

I started feeling a little pressure on my shins towards the end of the run. You know where this is going, don’t you? Terrible shin splints were basically the reason I switched to Vibrams in the first place and now they’re back? Bullsh*t. I never actually felt anything more than pressure on my shins but that is one slippery slope that I don’t care to test.

I mentioned the run to my trainer who said that the shoe weight is probably a reason behind the different feeling. I’m not used to running in anything that weighs more than 4.8 oz and the Pegasus are about 9 oz. BIG CHANGE! Oh well, any change does take some adjustment. Plus, I did run a tad more than I should have.

On the 4th, I went on a 5-mile run on my favorite trail in the woods along the Des Plaines River. I haven’t been on it in months mostly due to the weather here in Cook County. 2013 has been such a rainy year thus far and the Des Plaines river has been higher than normal almost consistently for the past few months. The trail that I run on curls along the river and is normally only 6″ higher than the river at its highest point when it’s not rainy. Obviously, the trail is very easily flooded after just one rain storm….much less a few storms in a few days sporadically for a few months.

Before going on my run, I decided that I needed to run for fun just to remember what it felt like. I didn’t want to think about training, the marathon, my time or my pace. I just wanted to have fun and run the trails again like I used to. I haven’t gone running purely for fun (i.e. without thinking about training/if I’m on target) in I don’t even know how long.

The trail I ran yesterday, I’ve run hundreds of times in the past 13 years and I know it like the back of my hand. Although, running the trail yesterday after such a long hiatus was almost like running it for the very first time. It was new and exciting and I was really happy to jump the same logs and take the same turns that I was so familiar with.

Because we’ve gotten a lot of rain recently, the river just recently receded….and only a bit. The trail was de-flooded but it was still extremely muddy. Non-the-less, I decided to run it anyway. For the first two miles, I was pretty much just skidding and sliding. Those two miles took me a bit longer than they normally would have taken me to run…it was about as easy and graceful as trying run on ice while staying vertical.

Needless to say, I was gloriously muddy by the end of my run.

By the beginning of the third mile, I finally got to higher ground where the trail was dry. I ran back and forth on the short stretch of higher ground before heading out onto the road to run the last mile back to my car.

I realized that my mentality is completely different when I’m running the trails versus when I’m running on the road. Running on the trail, I was really in my present, much more so than I usually am when running. I paid more attention and drank in the beauty of my surroundings. I also noticed that my mind was more relaxed. I just let my mind wander and enjoyed every second of it. Running the trails is really meditative for me.

In past posts, I’ve discussed what I normally think about when I run….specifically, what I think about when I’mrunning on the roads. I normally think about my goal of qualifying for the Boston Marathon and what I could be doing to better my training. Am I going fast enough? Am I getting enough mileage in? Am I allowing myself to recover enough after each run? Am I fueling properly?

It’s just as important to keep your goals in the forefront of your mind as it is to step back every so often and look at things in perspective. It’s so easy to get wrapped up in the overarching goal, that you could miss noticing a smaller detail that’s just as important.

Most people toss their running shoes in the trash after they ‘retire’ them. If you’re like me, you won’t toss old running shoes in the trash right away. But you’ll keep your retired running shoes awhile longer and wear them as house slippers until they become too ratty to do anything with except throw them in the trash.

The tossed out running shoes eventually wind up in some over-full landfill where they will stay for 90-100 years before they biodegrade (Kindrunner: Life Cycle of a Running Shoe).

Instead of tossing your next pair of shoes in the trash so they can just add to the waste in the landfill, why not reduce your carbon footprint and repurpose your old running shoes? After you’ve run all the miles you can get out of your running shoes, repurpose them and send your running shoes to Kindrunner. Kindrunner and it’s partners, Soles4Souls and the MORE Foundation Group, will than donate your shoes to those in need.

I am a Kindrunner Ambassador. As a Kindrunner Ambassador, I have the opportunity to promote Kindrunner and their fantastic cause in bringing new life to old running shoes. In short, Kindrunner is a service where you send in your ‘retired shoes’ to be repurposed for a good cause. In return, you get $10 in Kindness Cash Rewards that you can use towards future purchases of new shoes and/or new running gear.

Some perks of shopping with Kindrunner:

Kindness Cash Rewards

I know I already mentioned the Kindness Cash Rewards a little bit. But as it is such a great deal, it deserves a second mention. For every pair of running shoes you purchase, Kindrunner will accept a pair of reasonably worn old shoes and issue you a credit equal to $10. The credit can be used towards future Kindrunner purchases. I must admit, I already have a wish list of things I want to get from Kindrunner with the credit I don’t yet have…but soon will!

Free 3 Way Shipping

I am all about free shipping, this is definitely my favorite perk of Kindrunner! Kindrunner offers free shipping when you order products, when you return products, AND when you send in your shoes to be repurposed. You can’t beat Kindrunner’s Free 3 Way Shipping policy!

Business integrity

I really try to do all my shopping at places that have integrity. Sometimes it’s tough in this world of ours. Apart from the mission of a company, I like to see that the values of the employees of ‘X corporation’ are similar to my own and that they enjoy what they do. At Kindrunner, the staff are all passionate, dedicated runners and have all worked in the industry for a number of years. And of course, they are working for an environmentally and socially aware company! If I ever had the chance to sit down for coffee with the Kindrunner employees, I’m sure we’d have a pretty awesome conversation!

Gait Analysis

I have always touted, on various running forums, how important it is to get your gait analyzed and to find the right shoe for you. Shoes are as personal as sports bras. What’s hot and trendy in running shoes at any given time may or may not be the right shoe for you. Wearing an ill-fitting shoe while running can make the experience horrendous. On the flip side, wearing the right shoe can make you feel as though you could run forever. Kindrunner’s in-depth gait analysis process for their customers is unlike anything that other online retailers do. Kindrunner strives to offer the same fit and expertise of a running store but within the comfort of your own home! You’ll never again have to worry about wearing mismatched socks to a shoe store (or is that just me?).

Expert Product Reviews

Every single product that Kindrunner carries comes with it’s own professional review. No more weighing the pros and cons or second guessing your purchase after you’ve already made it (well, I guess can always send it back if I don’t like it….). Kindrunner wants to send you the product that you want and also wants you to be happy with your purchase. The expert reviews are fantastic – especially as I’m usually so indecisive because all the online shopping is usually by pictures only. So the expert running shoes reviews are perfect for me!

Easy 365 returns

You are able to return your purchase within 365 days of purchase if the product is reasonably unworn, in the state you received the product, and in the original packaging. Kindrunner doesn’t make you jump through hoops to return/exchange a product!

Last year I travelled around Europe and while in Amsterdam, I went to a torture museum. I noticed the exhibit was missing a treadmill.
I love running, not only because it’s my ‘me’ time and time to relax, but it’s when I get to explore the city and the trails. When I go running, I transition to ’kid mode’: I anxiously frolic down the path and am always super excited to turn the next corner to discover what lies ahead.

I am not a big fan of treadmills. Running in place inside a sweaty gym surrounded by walkers and other sweaty, hairy runners is my idea of a modern torture scenario (in my mind we are all hairy, especially when running on the treadmill). The treadmill reminds me too much of hamster wheels. I imagine the Big Guy looking down on us as we run at the gym and he bursts out laughing at the thin line between man and hamster.

Besides I always figured that if you can run, why not run outside and enjoy nature (yes, even in bad weather)!? Skip, hop, jump in puddles and relish in the smells of dew and dirt. Rain or shine, it’s always good being outside.

I know that I say treadmills are a form of torture, but I only say this with about 50{2a558f6d254f84df4a553e433ff09cfd4aaaee3a13accab5bef54370ed86496a} sarcasm. I actually have not run on the treadmill for mainly two reasons: 1) I LOVE running outside, and 2) I don’t have the attention span to run in place for miles and miles.
In February, I went running on the treadmill for the first time in over a decade. I don’t know if this will make complete sense to anybody other than myself but I consciously decided to begin running on the treadmill to be better than the machine. I pride myself on working really hard to get in shape and have a toned body. I love going to the gym and being able to use any machine (after all, not all gym goers can do this) – that is, every machine except the treadmill. At some point in the last ten years, my aversion to the treadmill became irrational and a chill would go down my spine if I was too near them.

So, I decided to suck it up and finally conquer the treadmill. If I can run 15+ miles consistently and wonder where the time went because running that distance is so much fun, I could certainly tough it out for a couple of miles on the treadmill.

That first four mile run on the treadmill was anything but fun. I have seemingly limitless energy and am also very easily distracted/bored. I am at my best when I do repeats of lifting weights or stretching at the gym as I’m always concentrating on how many reps I’ve done and/or how many sets I have to go. That first run on the treadmill made me feel like I needed some sort of tranquilizer because I was so fidgety. It was more mentally exhausting trying to keep myself motivated than anything else.

Ever since that first run, I have made peace with the treadmill. Although I do still get extremely bored and antsy on the treadmill….I have been known to drop my iPhone on more than one occasion while running at the gym because I try to find the perfect song mid-run as there’s nothing else to do! The treadmill then whips my phone a couple of feet behind me…luckily I have an extremely durable case.

My solution to my treadmill antsiness: do a hard tempo run – really get my sweat on. Doing hard tempo runs on the treadmill takes some of my attention away from the fact that I have to motivate myself to even be on the treadmill in the first place. I become more concerned with if I’m running hard enough, how much time I have left to go, and staggering my gulps of water so I have enough to get through that last mile.

I have actually reached the point of enjoying my tempo runs on the treadmills. I enjoy being able to make sure I’m running as hard as I need to and do so consistently without too much effort. The automatic pace setting on the treadmill gives me one less thing to worry about.

If sweat drips into my eyeballs when running on the treadmill, I’m having a pretty good time!

There is a Facebook group that I belong to called Favorite Run. It is an open forum for runners, mostly new runners, to ask whatever questions they have about running and get answers from the running community. About a month or so ago, a woman posted an article on the forum and asked if the article was legitimate or not. The article is Why Women Should Not Run.

I bring this up now because I actually just read the article for the first time last night. When I initially saw the woman’s post, I simply dismissed the article based on the title without ever reading the article and responded to the woman that she should do the same.

My good friend, Lanfair, recently came across the same article and asked for my opinion of it. I read the article last night and this is my response.

DH Kiefer is the author of Why Women Should Not Run. Kiefer’s argument to why women should not run centers on one facet of the gym community: women who run on the treadmill at one pace for miles, day after day, and never reach their goal of losing weight. He uses this group of female runners to explain why women (all of us) should not run, be it Susie Q who’s trying to lose some weight or Shalane Flanagan, arguably America’s best female élite distance runner in modern times.

The three below reasons are at the heart of Kiefer’s argument for women wasting their time by running:

1. They’re [Women are] often intensely recruited for fund-raisers like Team-In-Training, lured by the promises of slim, trim bodies and good health resulting from the months of cardio training leading to marathons—in addition to doing something for charity.

My response: The best way to recruit anybody, regardless of the cause, is to show people their potential, i.e. what the program in question could help you to become. For female runners, the potential would look like Shalane Flanagan. Shalane Flanagan is at the top of her game: a strong and dedicated runner who is healthy in body and diet. Her physique, thin and strong (the ‘ideal’), is the result of all her hard work and dedication to the sport of running.

Team-in-Training offers to help people complete a race while at the same time supporting a good cause, in this case the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. They will coach you through the specific program you choose to help you meet your goal, give you exercise routines, guides, and welcome you into their supportive running community. Team-in-Training essentially offers you a program to reach your goal and become healthy, which also means being a healthy weight.

Here is where the thorn in my side comes in with Kiefer’s argument. Kiefer does not acknowledge that exercise in general takes hard work and dedication, much less exercising to lose weight. He also fails to say that any workout – aerobic (cardio) or anaerobic (strength training), requires variety in training to pay off. For example, long distance runs are great for endurance but not necessarily for melting the fat off. If you want to lose the pounds, add speed and hill workouts to your regular routine for the ideal effect. He attacks groups like Team-in-Training because they don’t offer a guaranteed solution, i.e. you WILL look perfect and ideal after going through their program. Nor can they.

Working out, whether it be doing cardio or lifting weights or going to yoga classes, is tough. If it were easy, everyone would do it. Foundations like Team-in-Training give you an excellent, personal, in-depth service to help you on the way to becoming a healthier ‘skinnier’ you. They are not the end all, be all nor should they be. Anything worth anything in this world takes work. Life has no quick fixes. If someone is trying to sell you a quick fix, it’s most likely a scam.

2. Some physique coaches prescribe 20-plus hours per week of pre-contest cardio for women, which essentially amounts to a part-time job.

My response: Yes, some physique coaches do prescribe strenuous workouts that take up a lot of time…BUT not all. People who prescribe 20+ hours per week workouts are either catering to A) élite athletes or B) people in training to become élite athletes or to go to the Olympics or some other highly competitive event.

The majority of people don’t fit into categories A or B. Most trainers work at gyms and cater to all of us ‘average Joes.’ Trainers are like us (really they are, they just choose to earn money by helping others work out). They are people who know just as well as the rest of us that jobs and careers take a lot of time out of the week. Good trainers will help you figure out how to get your exercise in in-between your demanding schedule.

Yes, exercising takes time and effort too but you only need 30 minutes a day to maintainyour weight (this is also assuming you have a healthy diet). As long as you have a healthy diet and you have a regular and diverse exercise regiment that really pumps up your heart rate, you will see results. If you need help/advice, there are plenty of us ready to give it.

3. Steady-state activities like this devastate the female metabolism. This happens with men, too, but in different ways.

My response: I agree with this statement but not as Keifer chose to word it. He makes a blanket statement about both men and women but picks on only one group to make his point seem valid. He makes this statement without giving any further explanation on this particular statement. Kiefer just skips over to his next point of his article (which has nothing to do with the statement in question) and just leaves the reader hanging with the thought that there’s something wrong with women’s metabolism, i.e. body.

I agree with Kiefer that metabolism in men and women are different but not drastically. Men tend to have more muscle mass than women so some activities come easier to them. To be honest, I am not a doctor nor scientist nor do I have the knowledge to elaborate further.

What really irks me about the above statement, is that it is tantamount to me telling you that both men and women have problems in the workforce but women really are the main problem. That’s it – I’m not going to give you further elaboration on why women are the main problem for the workforce.

You’re going to have to take my word on it.

Yes, steady-state activity (i.e. running 7 miles at a 9.5 minute pace each mile) will not help you lose weight. It might at first depending on your lifestyle, but eventually if you only run long distances and don’t add variety to your training, you’ll find yourself in a funk.

Running or doing any other activity to meet a goal or to lose weight takes hard work and dedication. It takes time, effort, and sweat. There are no quick fixes or short cuts in life.

DH Kiefer’s article really got under my skin. As both a female and runner, I am mad. This article is as degrading as someone trying to tell me to get my ass back in the home because I don’t belong in the workforce. This article takes my knowledge for granted, Kiefer thinks he can use technical language and speak above me to sell me into submission. The problem with this article is that DH Kiefer feeds on women’s shortcomings for a desired effect. He is a scam artist.

I love running so much so that I started a blog about running simply because I can’t stop talking about it. I love it for its positive effects on my life. My life is better because of running. Now, I have competitively run for 6 of my 13 years running and my dad is a very knowledgable triathlete, so I could smell Kiefer’s scam a mile away.

I can’t stand the thought that Kiefer actually sold his idea to other women that they are not running right and therefore, they should not even try. Maybe people are not running as efficiently as they could be but it’s not for lack of effort, we just need to spread wisdom and knowledge of how to best run to meet your goal.

I urge you to start a debate about this article and my response. But have a healthy debate and spread accurate knowledge – that is, knowledge that’s factual and gives the whole picture, not just a slice of it as Kiefer has chosen to do. If I wrote something you don’t agree with or that you feel you could better elaborate on, I’d like to hear it.