~ And why you too should ~
Given my very basic shoe behaviour, I was more than a bit sceptical when I was approached by award-winning inventor Ameera Groeneveldt. She came to me bearing information about her patented, personalized insoles. The website describes them as “Soul Fitz Active shoe insoles, the solutions to the Caribbean feet problem”. They help with ventilation (no more stinky feet) and minimise feet pain from standing long hours. They’re great for athletes. They come in a variety of sizes and are available for women, men and children. Simply check the size chart in order to know what size you should buy. Soul Fitz Active shoe insoles are also great if you are a security guard, construction worker, nurse or do any type of job where you mostly stand.
If you know me, which I’m sure you don’t, you should know I don’t hold much stock in what I wear on my feet. It’s not as if I’m callous and wear my shoes until they die, but I do have a standard set of shoes I wear for specific events. My shoe of choice would be a low-top Converse, since they can go from casual to dressy under pants or a skirt; which helps me to transition through my day without my heels cutting into my feet. When I’m not at work, I have a collection of flip-flops and sliders to let my toes aerate.
I’m not part of any of the abovementioned professions, but I do have a job that requires me to stand for long periods of time. As much as I love my easy-going-shoe-lifestyle, I have found that after spending more than four hours on my feet can border on excruciating. So, I went ahead and tried the insoles and here’s what I found:
First impressions
I was sceptical to try them on, because I would have to cut the insole to match my foot size. I am not at all coordinated, which made me hesitant to destroy it. The issue was fixed by cutting an outline that was too large, then carefully trimming it down until I was sure it would contour to my feet properly. There was also the question of whether it would fit into my shoes correctly or if it would have to be altered – thankfully, everything went smoothly.
Wearing them
With the insoles, I stood a bit taller, meaning the lifts gave me more arch support and helped me reach that extra inch I wasn’t able to when wearing regular, flat insoles. I found that my feet sweated less and my shoes didn’t have to sit outside to air out, even on really hot days. My inner arches were where I felt the difference the most. I didn’t have the weird ripping feeling I usually felt when I wore my shoes for too long and my back felt less tension at the end of the day.
Final analysis
It’s worth the investment. The insoles can be used in any sneaker, closed-toe shoe or crocs, so you don’t have to limit yourself to one pair of shoes per set of insoles. The gel texture is a welcome change from the regular hard foam insoles with the added value of a tiny height increase. They’re also made by a local company and designed specifically for Caribbean temperatures.
There are other products available within the Align Body Solutions line of merchandise, but don’t take my word for it, I recommend you try them out yourself.
Visit www.alignbodysolutions.com for more information.
