Flip these 'sandals' back to the beach

Tag : Women's Sandals

Evelinda: People think warm weather gives them the excuse to wear flip-flopseverywhere - shopping, graduation ceremonies, even to the theater.What's with these humble rubber beach sandals? Why are they sopopular? And are they good for your feet?
Judie: Historians believe flip-flops are the oldest form of footwear,dating back to 4,000 B.C. Egyptian pharaohs are shown wearingflip-flop-style sandals on tomb murals and have been discoveredburied in temples with their golden flip-flops.
Evelinda: Growing up in Venezuela, I wore chancletas (flip-flops) because it was all we could afford. We couldn't waitto give them up. So in 2005, when some members of the NorthwesternUniversity women's lacrosse team wore flip-flops to the White Houseto meet President Bush, I was astounded at their poor taste.
Judie: No doubt these students wanted to have comfy tootsies while theywaited to meet the prez. But research has shown the comfort offlip-flops is deceiving. In a recent New York Times article, researchers at Alabama's Auburn University studying thebiomechanics of flip- flops concluded that they can lead to sorefeet, ankles and legs and lower back pain. The authors of the studyconcluded that flip-flops are fine, but not for all-day wear.
Evelinda: The American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons has seen anincrease in ankle problems, especially among 15- to 25-year-oldswho love their flip-flops.
Evelinda: You'll never hear about this from flip-flop designers likeHavaianas. Their embellished ones go for more than $100. The rubberis of higher caliber than, say, the kind you can buy at Rite-Aid,but folks, rubber is rubber.
Judie: We test-drove the newest flip-flop, called a Shape-Up shoe ($39 atshapeupshoes.com). It's a flip-flop on steroids. To wear, you mustbalance on the raised platform near the front of the sole of thesandal while attempting to stride normally. If they are worn for atleast 30 minutes a day, Shape Up Shoes claims they'll improveposture, increase circulation, build lean muscle, burn calories anddecrease lower back pain.
Evelinda: I wore them and developed horrible back pain. Judie twisted herankle badly several times. The moral of our column: Unless you owna pair dipped in gold, limit your flip-flop wear and don yournicer, supportive sandals more often.
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