Walk Tall: Discover How Footwear Affects Posture

Have you ever looked at your posture in the mirror, and thought “Why do I slouch like that?”.

And, perhaps, you stand up straight, square your shoulders, and promise yourself to stick to this, but by lunchtime, you are back to square one!
Now of course, in some cases, this could be a medical issue, but on the other hand, what if it is actually your footwear that is preventing you from striding confidently everywhere you go?

In this blog, we break down the relationship between posture and footwear, and how your choice of footwear can either hinder or improve your posture.

Why Is Posture Important?

Now, before moving further, it is important to understand why good posture is important.

To put it simply, good posture means that the alignment of your spine is straight, and the force of gravity is distributed evenly throughout your body.

When our posture is suboptimal, this often means that certain muscles, joints, or ligaments in our body are being overstressed due to the force of gravity. For example, you may find that your neck aches when you have bad posture, or perhaps even your lower back. And over time, if your posture is not corrected, this stress worsens, leaving those affected areas to deteriorate.

Taking a step away from the medical side, posture is important because this can tell a lot about a person. For example, having good posture often makes one look confident and in control, which is exactly the type of energy you want to give off in certain environments.

The good thing about this is that in most cases, poor posture can be fixed!

1. The Link Between Posture and Footwear

Other than having the discipline to call ourselves out, and correct our bad posture internally, there are some external factors that may play a significant role.

The first one, is the footwear we choose to wear on a daily basis.

Our feet are remarkably designed. The intricate connections they have to the rest of our body are enough to make one realise that taking our foot health into consideration is not thought about enough!

Since our feet are the foundation of our body, providing us with balance and stability, when you add on unfavourable footwear, it throws everything off. It may affect your balance for instance, meaning that different parts of your body are working overtime to correct this issue. It may also cause instability when you walk, meaning that you are exerting more pressure on the balls of your feet or your heels. This, in turn, affects the alignment of your spine and ends up leading to bad posture.

2. How To Choose The Correct Footwear

When considering upgrading your footwear in order to improve your posture, you’ll want to consider what your daily activity consists of. Are you the tradesman, working on construction sites? Then you’ll want to opt for one of Cat Footwear’s work offerings. On the other hand, if you are a busy mom running errands, picking up the kids, and sneaking in a short trail run, then we would recommend one of Merrell’s trail runners. Or perhaps you are the corporate employee in need of a sophisticated look, in which case, you could never go wrong with a pair of G.H.BASS Weejuns.

Once you have determined what type of footwear will suit your lifestyle, then it’s time to take a deeper inspection. Ensure you are choosing the right size, and if you need assistance with that, then consult our previous blog where we break this down.

Next, you want to judge if the footwear you have chosen, provides you with strong arch support, ample cushioning, and ankle support. It is best to judge this by heading in-store to your nearest Cable & Co., trying on your selected footwear, and perhaps walking a couple of paces in the store to get a feel of whether or not you have chosen the correct fit.

Cable & Co. is proud to stock premium brands that do not comprise when it comes to quality. Using Merrell as an example, these footwear designs take a number of things into consideration. Our ladies’ range makes use of Q Form 2 technology which is specifically formulated to work with the movements of active women.

So, are you ready to begin your journey to fixing that posture? Then pay your nearest Cable & Co. store a visit, and allow our welcoming staff to assist you in picking out your ideal pair of perfect-posture footwear.