Four Reasons Why You Need A Good Pair Of Shoes
Something occurred to me the other day as I browsed the clearance bin for new shoes. While I may not spend a lot on my shoes, I feel like I am constantly buying new ones because of the wear and tear of a busy life. When I really think about it, I am spending the same amount on multiple pairs of low end shoes that I could be investing in one or two high quality pairs.
This spring, Mark’s has graciously offered to allow me to test out what real footwear feels like as part of their #ForAllWalks campaign. To kick things off I have created a list of “Four Reasons Why You Need A Good Pair Of Shoes” and here it is!
4. Protection From Toy Pain
Every parent in the world understands toy pain. It’s the incredible pain that shoots up your leg and straight to your brain after stepping on one of your children’s toys. This is most commonly associated with LEGO but as I have recently discovered, Beyblades are just as painful to step on if you are not wearing the appropriate footwear. To defend against the psychological long term damaged often caused by toy pain, may I recommend the Merrell Chameleon Prime Stretch Shoes. These shoes are designed for life out in the wild, which let’s face it, is exactly what parenting is.
3. Your Are Not A Child Anymore And Old Bones Need Support
I’m not going to lie, this realization is a painful one to deal with. Gone are the days where I could quickly grab a pair of sandals from the dollar store and be on my way. After about one hour in those things today, I would need to lie down with my legs iced for the rest of the day. Since I have been wandering around in the Merrell Kahuna III Sandals that Mark’s sent me, I haven’t felt an ounce of pain! Well, not counting the bruises on my shins from my son’s hockey stick… The point is, as we get older and at all ages, really, we need to outfit our feet with footwear that provides proper support.
2. Running From Wasps
I am a man. I am also a man who does not like wasps and my house always seems to be infested with them. Do you know how hard it is to outrun a wasp? Now picture trying to outrun a wasp while wearing cheap shoes and you’ll see my point. Better yet, with the Merrell hiking shoes I mentioned earlier I might not even need to run. I could simply take off the shoe and swing it as if it were Thor’s hammer and the wasps would be running from me!
1. Versatility of Dad Life
I saved the most important reason for last. Being a parent is a lot of work and we have to wear may different hats, or shoes as it were. Up until recently I owned only two pairs of shoes, one for work and one for everything else. I’ve since realized that a cheap skate shoe provides little to no support when hiking in the woods, hanging out on the beach and many other scenarios we are faced as parents. Shoes might seem like something that you can flake on but once your feet get a taste of a good quality shoe, they will never let you forget it.
I have a challenge for you. Think about how often we use our feet and then look at your shoe collection and decide whether you are taking care of one of your most valuable resources. If you decide that you could use a tune up, head on over to the Mark’s website and check out what they have to offer. If you’re really feeling ambitious, you should snap a photo of your Mark’s kicks and share it on Mark’s Facebook, Twitter or Instagram page with the #ForAllWalks tag.
Disclosure: I was compensated for my participation in this program, however my bones are indeed feeling old and I am afraid of wasps. Stop giggling.
In my last job I would typically work 14 hour shifts on my feet, 60-80 hour weeks on cement. About 6 months in I bought a pair of Merrell shoes. I wore them as work shoes for another 1 1/2 and I still have them. The inside heel – which usually wears out on me leaving that plastic piece exposed – still looks like new. Not only that my knees never hurt in those shoes – ever. The only thing I would recommend is to remove the laces before washing. When they are new you can tie them once in the morning and forget about them, but after a few washes they won’t stay tied.
Seriously, they are worth what ever you pay for them because they last that long.
Great list! Love Merrell’s.