**REVIEW** ProFoot Original Miracle Insole

This is the short version of this review for Profoot Original Miracle Insole:

Pros: 

• Very lightweight & thin. Won't cramp your toes or alter the fit of the shoe as much.
• Good for heavier-weight people (I can testify to that!)
• Affordable. Around $10 when I got them on Amazon. Might be cheaper at Walmart.
• Work to make the hardest-soled shoes comfortable & great for combat-style or workboots.
• Size variety (with trimming) are for U.S. women's size 6-10 & men's 8-13. (If men need smaller, just get the women's version.)

Cons:

• None that I know of after a week but I don't know how long they last.

Now, my long-winded rant and the review!

I needed new winter boots. I bought new winter boots. The boots are cute. They are exactly the right color and style I was looking for. And they were very affordable. These are the boots.

Everything about these boots is all that I love in a boot. Except for the insole.

The minute I tried these on, I knew I had a problem. The insoles made it feel as if I was walking barefoot on concrete. 

Like with apparel or footwear that I get from Amazon, I chose the Try Before You Buy option. I'm really awful at shopping for clothes and shoes online. Nothing ever fits the way I expect. The sellers' ideas of sizing vary so much. I've sent back more clothing than I have ever owned. I think out of the past 3 years, I've only kept two items. These boots were NOT going to be the third.

But I really really liked the boots and I could actually afford them. I decided to see if I could make this work out for me so I went hunting for a good insole option.

In the past, I've usually gone with Dr. Scholl's or one of the other brands of insoles that I could easily find. This time, I wanted to be sure to get the best without going broke. Finally, I found these:

The insoles cost around $10 and I was mad at those boots because I was out more money. Then when I took the insoles out of the package, I was even madder. They look so thin. And they have a cheap and papery feel to them. I just knew I was now going to be returning both the boots and these insoles. 

Still, I figured, it wouldn't hurt to try them out. I decided that between the built-in insoles and these, maybe, just maybe, I would be able to wear the boots without being in pain. So I gave it a try. I didn't have to do any trimming because I'd gotten the boots in the size 9 (women's U.S.) that Amazon suggested. I normally wear an 8.5 but, like I said, you can never really tell how things will really fit.

Anyway. I took a walk around the living room. Then I took a long walk down the hallway outside my door. Both those surfaces are carpeted though because I wanted to be able to return the boots if I needed to. But I wanted to see how they would feel on hard surfaces so I went down one of our halls that has hardwood flooring (it was freshly mopped and pretty clean). The verdict:

Let me tell you something! These insoles are a-ma-zing.

My boots now felt like they should have in the first place. I have a pair of more expensive and better-made boots (that I save for better occasions) and these cheap, man-made boots now felt just as good.

The thinness of the insoles that I'd been so worried about is actually a bonus. Most insoles that have worked for me in the past take up too much room in the footwear. These just cushion the foot without cramping the toes. It probably helps that I got these in a 9 but they had already fit with my winter socks (and I got these for winter so I don't ruin my better boots). 

The big test of these insoles - now that I'd decided to keep the boots - was when my SIL and I went grocery shopping and ran some other errands. We did some lightly iced-over concert parking lots, we did wet concrete, and we did those hard floors in Walmart and a couple of other grocery stores. The comfort level was great. 

So, there you go. If you need some good insoles, I can suggest these. 

As for the boots, I don't think that I would buy more from this brand unless I was totally in love with the look. For one thing, when you pull these up in the Amazon search, they show the vegan materials as "leather". That's a blatant and bald-faced lie. Vegan materials are not leather and should be described accurately as being man-made. On the other hand, you probably can know that boots in a certain price range are not authentic leather. But it's a matter of product honesty. Also, if all their boots are as uncomfortable as these were, I can't trust their "Memory Foam Insoles" claim any more than I can trust their claims of the shoe being "leather". But this pair is super cute.

Pro-tip: If you find boots online that are out of your price range, do an image search and try to find those boots on Poshmark or Mercari, or eBay. I found the leather pair that I originally wanted on both Poshmark and eBay - just not in the size I needed or the color that I wanted. 

Peace

--Free

**REVIEW** Under Armour Shoes

As I have said over and over again, I have bad feet. My problem is that, when I gained all that prednisone weight, my feet went flat. Flat feet + poor balance = calluses. Calluses on the soles of the feet and toes make for very uncomfortable walking.

Because my balance has not improved (and my feet are still flat), getting rid of the calluses is only ever a temporary solution. I have tried every kind of insole that I could find anywhere. Some work better than others, but none really alleviated the pain. I have bought (and received gifts of) shoes that were supposed to be ultra comfortable. Nothing ever worked well enough (or long enough) to help.

When I was getting ready to leave Alaska, one of my "play" nephews wanted to give me an early birthday gift. He ordered shoes and had them delivered to my destination. Let me tell you what... I love these shoes so much that I have since ordered an additional 2 pairs. I am going to throw out/give away every other shoe I own. These are the shoes that I have been using all this first week in my new location:

They are actually a much darker pink & look better than the photo

That's the Women's Charged Bandit 2 Cross-Country Running Shoe by Under Armour.

For the first time in probably 4 years, I have been able to walk comfortably and for long periods without worrying about my feet. And this first week here has been the perfect test. I've been walking a minimum of 5 miles a day - before noon. In 6 days' time, I have been apartment hunting (and just finished the looong process of applying for the one I want), changed over most of my medical arrangements, and opened a local bank account.

My feet have not felt this good since I first got sick. I might not be able to do anything about my general fatigue, brain fog, or other general medical symptoms, but I can now be happy about my feet.

These shoes are so amazing. Just to look at them, you wouldn't think they were any different from most other good brands of shoes. The one thing that tipped me off that they might be something special is this part around the back:

That little rubberized piece of bracing gives great support, but it mostly just looks great. I figure that adding that touch meant the manufacturer cares about details.

The inside of the shoe doesn't look all that special but, boy... when I put it on and took that first step, I thought I might be dreaming. Still, I wasn't convinced. I put on both shoes and went for a walk around the courtyard of my brother's apartment. Now I was convinced.

I don't just like (or even love) these shoes, I need them. The apartment that I am applying to live in is in such a prime location downtown that most of my shopping and other business needs are within a few blocks. The bank that I joined is right across the street; the Woolworth-type mercantile store is a block and a half up the street one way while the library is the same distance in the opposite direction, and part of the lake/park area is about four blocks straight ahead. Oh, and there is even a small neighborhood discount grocery store nearby. Perfect, right? Since I don't have a vehicle yet and don't plan on getting one anytime soon, I want to take advantage of my surroundings.That means walking most places. The walking will also please my doctors.

I've been wanting to get more exercise and walking is the easiest (and cheapest) way. In Anchorage, this was not something that I liked to do - too much anxiety, traffic, crime, and stray animals. Here in my new town, the pace is slower. That apartment building is my dream location because it makes me feel like I can fully enjoy my surroundings.

These shoes... Man. I am so happy with them. I even splurged a little and ordered a second pair of the sneakers and a pair of the slip-ons for getting around the inside of the building.

(Can you tell how excited I am to be here in this place?)

So, yes, I am going to be telling every single person I know about this brand. If you have been trying to use insoles and other temporary measures to get relief, you must try Under Armour. I don't think I want to ever own another brand and I will forever be thankful to Randy for such a lovely gift.

Peace
--Free

If the Shoe Fits, Get It!

I mentioned in the last post that I had a shoe story coming. Yep.

For a gift a couple weeks ago I got some of the cutest  boots ever. Just too cute. See?

Bad pic. The boots are not gold, but dark tan.

Problem is, the heels are about 4 1/2 inches high and I felt like I was drunk and on stilts. I could walk in them but only if I kept shooting my arms out for balance and wasn't required to move in anything like a straight line. On the plus side, my sister had the best laugh she's had since our recent family tragedy. She laughed so hard I thought she was going to vomit. I admit I was a little comical, but didn't think I was all that funny.

Those gorgeous boots went back to Burlington. Since I felt bad having to return a gift, I decided to do an exchange. I mean, it is winter now and I do need boots, right? This way, I was spending no money of my own. Thing is, I can no longer get away with wearing just any kind of footwear. Back in the day, I could cram my feet into any kind of shoe or boot and strut my butt off. I hit 45 and my feet got all snobby about what's comfortable. Then, at 50, Sarc hit me and my whole body got an attitude. Until a few months ago, I got nervous if the soles on my tennis shoes were too thick. Currently, I need something made well and most likely not of man-made materials.  I can finally do heels again - if they aren't outrageous.

Just like the man I want: warm, cute, safe.

I have no idea why classic looks don't stay in fashion for the average consumer. So many of the shoes and boots I saw at the stores around my town looked like they belonged in specialty catalogs for someone dancing off a pole or just trying to spice up their sex life - or maybe just for folks with really awful tastes. And with no fear of heights. This is Anchorage. In Alaska.  We have a lot of ice and snow for most of the year. I'm not really out to impress anyone but myself. I saw too many styles that made no sense at this point in my life.

Cute, cute, cute. But insane!

"You better work, girl."

Where's the rest of it???

"Then I'm going to tie you up..."

I look at some of those shoes and wish I'd lived a little faster when I was younger! Hah.

Guess what? Most shoes, cheap, mid- or high-priced, are made of materials labeled as "man-made," plastic/pvc or "faux-" something. I went through both Burlington stores before I found 3 pairs of boots that qualified as leather, well-made, and (in my book) cute. I even had to put back a super-sweet pair of designer-named boots because I saw that, despite the steep price, the man-made label kicked them off my list. Damn.

I ended up with... Vera Wang, baby. On sale for less than the shoes I got as a gift. Score. And, seriously, it matters not too much to me that the boots are by V.W.; I just love that they are leather, cute and comfy. Triple score. The label does indicate good quality. I like that. The ones I got are called "Emmanuel" and very similar to these, except the top buckle is higher up on mine. Sturdy, cute and very durable.

No matter who's on the label, these are Alaska-worthy.

Anyway, since I came out a little ahead of the game (and I had a little PFD left from bills), I went ahead and gifted myself with this pair of Fergie boots. I'm now officially a fan of the footwear line. So damn cute that when I'm strutting around in them, I forget I still have over 20 pounds to lose! Except for one thing, I actually like them better than the V.W.s

"Giddy-up" +J.D. Hughes & Marla would be proud!

Freaking cute!

Of course, that's not the end of this story. (This is me we're talking about.) Girl met boots and they fell in love, but didn't exactly live happily ever after.

My Fergies and I needed a little post-purchase adjustment period. Literally. I fell instantly in love with these boots, but the store only had one pair left. In size 7 1/2. I used to fit that size. Back before my freaking "growth spurt." I'm not sure if I am a full size 8 or not, but I had to shoe-horn the hell out of the Fergies until I could walk without pimping, crimping and making all kinds of crazy faces. It's all good now.

By the way, just in case you didn't know, there are ways to get a tight pair of (leather) shoes/boots to fit better:

• With a couple pairs of socks on each foot, cram into the footwear and run warm dryer over the tight area while wriggling your foot around. (I could barely get my bare foot in my boots, so I crammed in some old towels instead.)
• Stuff the footwear with damp towels or paper and let sit overnight. (I didn't want to use this method because I was afraid of my lighter-colored leather being affected. I suppose you can just work with dry materials and let sit for a couple days.)
• Use a shoe-horn to gradually stretch out the footwear. When you can wear the shoes or boots without being in too much pain, walk around the house in them until you break them in.

Such a pain in the butt, huh? I don't care. I kept the other couple pairs of shoes and boots I own and just pretty much tossed out my other old  dressier type footwear. I'm going to be wearing the soles off the few pairs of shoes and boots I still own. Quality is still preferable to quantity.

Peace

--Free