It never fails to amaze me how every pair of shoes I own manage to hurt my feet, each leaving their own unique wound by the end of the day.
Yet, it turns out that bad footwear choices and shoddy shoemaking may not be entirely to blame.
Research shows that changes in estrogen levels change the height and flexibility of your foot’s arch (ya know, because hormones don’t already do enough weird stuff to our bodies each month). When a woman’s estrogen is high and she’s super fertile, her arch drops. Then, when a woman is on the rag and her estrogen level is low, her arch is raised.
With this research in mind, the athletic apparel company, Asics created the Gel-Kayano 16–a line of trainers designed and engineered specifically for ladies.
Not only are they shaped differently than men’s running shoes and offer a softer cushion under the ball of the foot, but they also have three layers of cushioning below the arch (foam, an air-filled gap, then a plastic block). When the woman’s arch is low, the foam is compressed into the gap and vice versa.
But are these miracle sneaks really worth $140?
Probably not.
Hell, for $140 a pair they better be lined with clouds and come with a little man inside who massages my feet all day.
Ahhhh…
[Image: Zappos.com]
