We are often asked by our customers to recommend shoes for their upcoming trips. Our female customers are often looking for good, comfortable shoes that also look good with a skirt. Read below for recommendations from “Abbadabba” herself, also know as Janice Abernethy.

I have faced the same concerns myself and this is what I chose:

• Naot sandals
• Mephisto walkers
• Keen water sandals and mary janes
• Salomon trail shoes
• Chaco flips
• Vibram FiveFingers

Of course, I was traveling for a month and was going to be walking as well as hiking, both in jungles and on city streets, so I needed to cover a lot of bases. But what I tell everyone is that no single shoe can do all things. Not only that, but you should never wear the same shoe day after day (especially if you sweat in them or they get wet). Your body does not benefit from being entrained to respond in the same way and to the same shoes day after day. We benefit from varied stimuli. Plus, the shoe has no time to “refresh” and regain it’s memory.

What I usually recommend as bare bones for most women is a basic slip-on style from an outdoor brand like Merrell or Keen that can be worn as a city dress/ walker. Many of these styles have the added advantage of being weather proof. Add to that a hiker from a brand like Salomon, and you are good to go for most activities both on and off the trail. Picking lightweight, collapsible, and waterproof footwear will add positively to your travel experience. Bon Voyage!

Many of our customers are also crossfit enthusiasts so we are often asked to recommend the best shoes for training. As you may know, when you train at a Crossfit gym, you are often doing a variety of exercises including sprinting, weight lifting, jumping and gymnastics. You need to be able to wear shoes that will work for all of these activities. We asked Crossfit Paragon co-owner Chace Weaton and Crossfit Competitor/ Atlanta Hot Yoga instructor Becky Signoretti (pictured, right) to give us their input on shoe selection.

“You really need a shoe that’s all encompassing – something with enough support for sprinting but with minimal heel cushion for stability while weightlifting” explains Chace. “When people come to me complaining of knee or shin pain, the first thing I do is look at the shoes they are wearing. Often, I find that their shoes have too much padding and I recommend a more minimalist shoe for training.”

Chase recommends the Inov-8 f-lite series for most of his Crossfit customers. “These shoes are ideal for Crossfit because the 2 – 3mm drop ensures that the foot remains close to the ground in a more natural and stable position. However, it still provides adequate support for running and jumping,” says Chace.

Becky agrees and says, “I love wearing the 220 Inov-8′s during Crossfit because they give me just enough support for every WOD without feeling weighed down. They are one of the only shoes I’ve worn that don’t give me blisters. The Invo-8′s are simply amazing!”

“Personally, I like a shoe that’s even more minimal than the Inov-8′s. I have trained to run in a minimalist shoe and prefer to wear the Merrell Trail Glove,” adds Chace.

We have found that Vivobarefoot, New Balance Minimus and Vibram Five Fingers are also good choices for Crossfit for several reasons:

• Performance materials used in the manufacturing provide maximum protection and return of energy
• The construction allows the foot to function as it was designed to
• The minimal drop approaches zero

Performance materials reduce impact by absorbing shock, and enhance the natural movement/function of the foot which increases the return of energy (less output of energy = more in reserve and quicker recovery time). A wide toe box and flexible sole also are critical for the foot to function totally and contribute properly and positively to any movement. The “zero” drop aspect means the foot is totally balanced as if it were barefoot, allowing for equal weight distribution and alignment of the body, especially important if weightlifting.

In the near future, you will see even more footwear options available at Abbadabba’s that enhance the Crossfit environment.

The excitement created by Vibram Five Fingers and other new “minimalist” styles raises obvious questions:

• Just how “new” are these concepts?
• Are all other shoes suddenly obsolete?
• Should we be wearing minimalist styles for everything?

Minimalism is not new. Decades ago athletes trained and ran in minimalist shoes. This last surge is a direct response to the Nike heel motion-control design that has taken running shoes in the direction of thick bottomed soles and heel pads. The design isolates the foot from ground contact and allows the heel to strike at a much greater force, passing that energy into the rest of the foot, ankle, leg and body.

That Nike heel was designed to lengthen the stride, and it did, but at the cost of generating much higher incidence of injury. For running, specifically, the change from Nike heel to minimalist has a huge affect on the runner’s stride, gait, and foot impact. The change allows the foot to function more naturally.

At Abbadabba’s, we have been providing footwear that allows the foot to function more naturally for three decades. We have been committed to shoes that make sense starting with our early commitment to Birkenstock and other “Euro-comfort” brands and styles. We have helped countless customers make a change from fashion shoes that constrict your feet to comfortable shoes that empower feet to function properly.

For walking, standing, and all kinds of everyday use, coolshoes from Abbadabba’s have always delivered exactly what the new Minimalist concepts advocate: shoes that make sense!

Man was made to walk barefoot — not on even, hard concrete, but on surfaces that allow for full functioning of the foot and engagement of its many parts. Shoes, like some surfaces, can also negate the functioning of the foot. By binding the foot or elevating the heel, natural gait is restricted, contraction & springing of the arch is reduced, and the toe-off (the last part of your step) is “toe-tally” eliminated.

With the exception of such brands as Birkenstock, Mephisto, Think! and others with ergonomically-designed footbeds that help promote natural foot functions, many shoes need the addition of orthotics to correct what the shoes “un-do” regarding the functioning of the foot. When an orthotic is placed in the shoe, the heel is cupped and the entire foot is better aligned. An arch can also help properly guide and support the foot through its gait.

You may ask: “But what about ‘barefoot’/minimalist footwear like Vibram FiveFingers and Terra Plana?” These types of shoes begin with a design that allows for full range movement for the foot. They do not restrict, but instead encourage, the way we were made to walk — barefoot. These shoes are designed to center & align the heel, guide the arch, and absorb shock — all elements you’ll find in an orthotic. That said, there still may be individuals who need orthotics in minimalist shoes (perhaps due to a significant drop in their navicular bone). For these individuals simply adding a minimal insole like the Superfeet Dress orthotic to a “barefoot” shoe, can help achieve a more positive influence for full foot function.

So, to wear an orthotic or not? My personal experience is that when I’m standing or walking all day on man-made surfaces, my feet tire much more quickly without the benefits of an orthotically-integrated footbed or shoe. So for me: absolutely yes, to wear. With them I move better, faster, more efficiently…from the ground up.