Everyone knows that if something has hype, I'm right there to believe it. Now, a whole new category just to fuel my search of The Hype and act as an enabler for me to buy and test hyped items!
The Hype: Insolia insoles, invented by a doctor from New Hampshire (Dr. Howard Dananberg) and perfected with the help of two MIT alums, "fundamentally change the inside of high heel shoes, shifting weight off the ball of the foot back to the heel. It actually feels like you are wearing much lower heels which is a true comfort factor for many women. This weight shift improves body alignment and balance, dramatically reducing leg and lower back fatigue while reducing pressure on the ball of the foot."
I saw a news piece about the inserts while on the treadmill at the gym and, basically, Insolia(s) make a heel feel about half its height. The website recommends using the inserts in shoes at least 1.5" high, which is already more heel than I usually dare to wear.
Since Mom-orelli bought me a beautiful pair of brown boots last year for Christmas that feel as though someone is taking a hammer to my 3" elevated heels after ten minutes of wear, I ordered Insolia inserts. They come in packs of three pairs/$18. I positioned them in the "heeled boots of death" immediately after their arrival.
The website and booklet accompanyng the insoles stress the importance of proper positioning (the insert cupping the heel) and they are definitely correct; you can tell when these things are not stuck in place. I got the right one in comfortably immediately, but had to re-position the left insole a few more times before the boots felt ok for walking.
Even with The Hype, since these boots have nearly crippled me several times before, I doubted that Insolia could really work. Eight hours later, I'm a believer! Not only could I walk all day, I even went and did some shopping at lunch because my feet were so non-inflamed (unlike past experiences with said boots.) The only thing I noticed was that my calves felt a bit fatigued in a workout way at the end of the day, and I'm attributing this sensation to the shifting of my feet's weight back onto the heels.
HYPED: Insolia
BELIVE IT? Definitely!
www.insola
Good to know as I have shoe/foot issues like yours. Thanks!
Posted by: a classic girl | Wednesday, 25 October 2006 at 12:45 PM
hmm... i may have to give them another chance. I tried them twice but each time ended up ripping them out midday. i'm thinking they may be good for shoes you wear with socks (such as boots) but not things such as strappy open-toe shoes.
i have had good luck with the "strappy strips" and 'haute heelz" though from www.footpetals.com (sold at Stuart Weitzman + Jasmine Sola).
who am i to really judge though when sometimes I get foot cramps from not wearing any heel? I'm kinda a freak like that...
Posted by: dairy queen | Wednesday, 25 October 2006 at 08:03 AM