New Walking Shoes For the Win!

I tend to be a frugal person, both out of necessity and habit.  I'm not a brand name snob, nor do I get caught up in current fashion rage.  I also don't necessarily keep up with current trends in anything, I'm pretty plain and boring, actually.

For my birthday, my best friend said she wanted to buy me a new pair of walking shoes, to help in my weight loss journey.  So, I made the two hour trek to her house, and she took me to a running shoe store there.  The store uses the Aetrex Technology to scan your feet, which shows you how your feet fall as you're walking, noting pressure points, arch status and gait.

They the salesperson matched me up to several types of shoes and we worked on finding what I liked and what felt good. The salesperson was so very nice and helpful.  She listened to my input, and didn't try to force me into a shoe I didn't like or feel comfortable in.  I ended up going with a Hoka - Clifton 8 shoe.  Now, the Hoka shoes are a bit "BOLD" in color and design, I had to work on that, honestly.  I'm more of your "basic gray" kind of gal.   However, when I put the shoes on and walked around the store I was like "Oh.my.word!"   Such a big difference in how my feet, calves and knees felt.   Well worth the price tag!!

On a side note, Hoka also makes sandals and I'm on the hunt for a pair for the summer.  I know I can order them online, but I saw that a local running store in our town carries the Hoka brand, so I thought I'd "shop local". My teen daughter and I walked in, and the sales girl disapprovingly looked me up and down several times. I asked about the sandals and she pointed to the wall where they were on display and walked away.  

I instantly knew, that because of my weight, this 20-something had already made up her mind about me, and wasn't planning on being of any help.  What she didn't know is that at her age, I was a gym rat: lean, strong and confident, and yet respectful of others.  She also didn't know that I ran, and completed the London Marathon in 1999, where I injured my knee early on, and gritted my teeth and pushed on to finish...permanently damaging my knee.  She didn't know that this body has carried and lost babies, carried and birthed babies. She didn't know that I've carried the weight of the world on these shoulders through things that likely would have crushed her.  She didn't know that she wouldn't always look like she does now.

She also didn't know that my teen daughter noticed how she treated me, and that she apologized to me for the sales girl's rudeness.  We left, without so much as a "have a nice day" from the sales girl.  Afterwards, my daughter and I had a good conversation about how to treat people, and how to show respect...and where not to spend hard earned money.