I just opened my shop on friday!!! Was there for 12 hours, about 5 hours yesterday for pickups and last minute things. Not to mention all the time last week trying to get all the last minutes done for final inspection and such. My feet are KILLING me today as well as my lower back. I wore tennis shoes. I've done cakes at home for about 2 1/2 years so I guess I didn't realize how much I would actually be on my feet once I got into the shop. What do you guys wear on your feet to save them and your back??? I obviously need to make that investment! LOL!
I had to reluctantly start wearing Crocs for the support that I needed. They really do help
Clarks. I love my Clark shoes, they have great support yet their so light on your feet. I was wearing the shoes I got from culinary school, but they weigh a ton and seem to add to dragging me down. You can order Clark shoes on line if you don't have an outlet near you and the prices are really reasonable.
I used to wear crocs but then started having trouble with my knees and back. Spent lots of time at the chiropracter.
He suggested I get custom inserts for my tennis shoes and boy did that make a huge difference!! No more pain!
I also recommend cross training tennis shoes because I make a lot of side to side movements in the bakery and the sides of those are built better and done wear out as fast as walking shoes.
Danskos or Sanitas. Many, many chefs were them. I also wear chef socks except in the hot summer, because they are, well, hot.
Do you have any anti-fatiggue mats on the floor where you do the bulk of your standiing? You can get ones with holes for your sink area and solid for your other high traffic areas. Good shoes plus mats will really help. Thy're about 1" thick, spongy and washable.
No I don't have mats although I was entertaining the thought of them. Leah, what are and where do you get chef socks?? Are they kind of like support hose?
I second Leahs, Danskos. I'm a neonatologist, and for all the time you spend on your feet in the intensive care unit, that's what most of the doctors and nurses all wear.
New Balance, they are great! For myself I have sensitive feet and need a high arch for support. My mother's foot doctor even recommended them to her. That is all I wear now for working, or jogging.
I have Croc look-a-likes. They are very comfortable and offer alot of support when standing for hours.
I've worn Crocs for several years...and LOVE them!! I've bought almost every chef shoe known to civilized mankind, and they all work. But, I find that the shoes themselves are heavy. Crocs weigh 3 oz. per shoe, but offer amazing support. No more aching feet or back. No more tired legs...even after 14 hour days. Caution: you CANNOT wear one pair forever (lol). They do wear out. When you start feeling your feet; it's time for a new pair. I buy 2-3 new pairs a year...and rotate wearing them. LOVE them!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I have been going back and forth to the ortho[edist for the last month, getting cortozone shots between my toes and in the bottom of my foot. My feet ache so bad, that it keeps me from resting at night. Since I have started the first thing he recommended was Dansko shoes, with a stapled heel. Nothing that is going to bend or be flexible. I started out wearing the shoes about 4 hours a day, and worked up to wearing them 8 hours. Even at home, I do no go bare foot, I always wear something whether it be a flip flop, or the Dansko's. I bought the Danskos for $45 the best money, other than the cortozone shots, that I have spent.
Good luck with your shop, and your feet.
i don't have a shop but do find my back hurting when I do cakes at home, unless I wear my Crocs or my Fit-flops in Summer. So comfy and so light. Although in other jobs I've had where I've been on my feet on hard floors all day/night I've found either Homy-peds (don't know if they're just Australian but they are very supportive almost-orthopedic shoes you buy from a chemist) or Doc Martens have been very comfy. But Docs are heavy.
Good luck finding your happy feet
Emma
I have three pairs of danskos and I never wear the same pair two days in a row ( it keeps them from getting smelly) Two days a week, I wear my MBT walkers to keep my hamstrings from getting short/tight.
I wear what my mother refers to as 'hideous' brown Crocs.
And I don't give a rats booty what people think! They are easy, comfy and it's MY aching back and feet that I'm worried about - not theirs. They're so comfy, I'm wearing 'em right now (and I'm not even working!!)
Oh well, a fashion plate I am not.........
You really do need the anit-fatigue mats. They are amazing. Also, New Balance-the higher the number on the shoe the better the support construcition. Also, calcium and chewable vitamin C daily. The vitamin C breaks down the calcium so you body can absorb it. HTH
I also recommend floor mats. Instead of the expensive ones sold in restaurant supply stores, I got the ones from Home Depot that look like giant jigsaw puzzle pieces that you might us in a game room. Mine are black. Eight pieces for $25 and I only use two at a time.
A note about Danskos. years ago they were made by Sanita, but branded "Dansko." A couple of years ago Dansko moved production to China. Now the sizes don't run quite as true to size and the fit can be a little off. So now I buy the original - Sanita. Same styles, and the great support you're looking for. Once you know what size you are, hang out on Ebay.
Chef socks are, I think, the same as military boot socks. Extra padded on the bottom and knee high on me but probably calf-high on a man. There is some lycra in them and they do offer support. They're heavy and sometimes I wear them in the summer, sometimes not. They do help.
I wear what my mother refers to as 'hideous' brown Crocs.
And I don't give a rats booty what people think! They are easy, comfy and it's MY aching back and feet that I'm worried about - not theirs. They're so comfy, I'm wearing 'em right now (and I'm not even working!!)
Oh well, a fashion plate I am not.........
I know what you mean!! I told my husband that I wished they came in black patent leather for formal occasions
I don't own a shop but i do have really bad feet. Several years ago i developed a heal spur in my left foot. I had cortisone shot to the heal, shock therapy to it as well..this finally worked.
I absolutely recommend never going barefoot. Flip flops are horrible for the feet. Like someone recommended, get orthotic supports made for you. You'll be amazed how much better your feet will feel. If you don't like wearing runners, i've put my inserts in my crocs and it works good. Crocs alone are not good support at all. JMHO. Yes they are light but there is no arch support. For runners i buy under armor shoes. You can remove the insoles and insert your orthotics. Sandles.. I only wear birkenstocks.
I wear the birkenstocks inside and out and they are great.
If your feet are really sore i also recommend stretching your legs feet daily, and applying ice to the feet too.
HTH
Danskos are great! I wear mine most days on my regular job and I wore them for the frist time yesterday bartending at a catering event. For catering jobs I usually wear a pair of crocs and bring another pair of shoes - tennies or crocs or something else. It's amazing what a difference it makes changing shoes part way through the day/night when you're on your feet.
alrighty! last suggestion if you already haven't bought anything!
I'm an athletic coach & I bake on the side.. If you want a decent shoe that are washable ( because obviously we get into those frenzies!) go with asics!
asics gel kayno (sp?)
or
the nimbus
those are the two pairs i have & i wear them on my 6 hour coachin bball practices straight into the kitchen on my 6 hour baking sessions lol.
not too bad in price & last forever. :]
goodluck & CONGRATS on the opening
Thanks for all the replies! I guess I'm off to research the different kinds you've all recommended. I knew I'd get some good input! I'll let ya'll know how it goes!
I wear my Keenss and they are really comfortable! I have Fibromyalgia so good shoes are really important. And I can NOT work without a floor mat! Ten minutes and I'm hurting!
The style of Keens I have probably aren't the best because they are hiking sandals and aren't full coverage, but the toe is closed and quite sturdy, and with socks my boss is ok with me wearing them. They've got lots of other styles that would be better... a couple "professional" styles I think.
i don't have a shop but do find my back hurting when I do cakes at home, unless I wear my Crocs or my Fit-flops in Summer. So comfy and so light. Although in other jobs I've had where I've been on my feet on hard floors all day/night I've found either Homy-peds (don't know if they're just Australian but they are very supportive almost-orthopedic shoes you buy from a chemist) or Doc Martens have been very comfy. But Docs are heavy.
Good luck finding your happy feet
Emma
Oooh, I just got a pair of FitFlops last month, after drooling over them since LAST summer. They are awesome! I don't really notice any 'toning' in my legs like they say they are supposed to do, but I do notice that I don't have the aching legs after a long day of caking like I used to.
i was wearing crocs...started having terrible knee pain.
last year for my birthday my son bought me a chair with wheels....i took one of my stainless steel tables and sawed 10 inches off the legs...now i sit to decorate about half the time....i used to stand the entire day...anyhoo....if you could make yourself get used to sitting to do some stuff it makes a huge difference!
i limped for a couple years... now after sitting and decorating....my kness don't hurt at all anymore...i know it sounds simple, but it's really made a big difference.
I used to work as a pharmacy technician at a hospital, and was running (literally sometimes) all around the hospital delivering medications. My feet would kill me when I got home along with my back and knees. I got a pair of Z-coils (sp) and they were wonderful. They look really weird, it is pretty much just a big spring on the back, but awesome. They are expensive . HTH.
Dansko professionals... they are all I will ever wear!
Same here. After three days of working on a cake(wearing crocs) I took a nap and woke up and couldn't walk my left heal was killing me. The next morining the right foot joined the party. Went to a podiatrist (plantar fasciatis(sp)) and he told me crocs were the worst shoes to wear because they didn't offer any support, which is true because you could see how they form with your feet over time. I suffered for a few weeks before I found the Danskos. They are the best shoes ever.
So I've been looking around online a little bit and have found the dansko/sanita brand and a couple of stores near me that carry them. They're pretty expensive huh? But definitely worth the money? I'm a little afraid of what the price may be...couldn't find any info online.
I thought original style Crocs were ugly, but those Danskos/Sanita shoes take the biscuit! Even if they are the most comfy shoes in the world, I wouldn't be able to wear them. I bake from home and live in a top floor apartment. It's considered very bad form here to piss off your neighbours by making noise on the floors (their ceiling) - I'm sure they would love me clomping around in those all day! I either go barefoot, wear cute ballet-style slippers or my favourite pair of Crocs (Olivia style - actually attractive!), which I can walk in without making any noise at all!
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