Sarcopenia: “a reduction in skeletal muscle mass due to aging… It can begin as early as age 30, when the body starts a slow, gradual reduction in muscle mass and strength.”
Well, that’s depressing. Our muscles begin to deteriorate as early as age 30? So what can we do to slow this deterioration?
Exercise. Watch our diet. Take supplements.
Regardless of these efforts, however, the years take their toll. We slow down, energy decreases, we have to remember we can’t do everything we used to.
And above all, as we move into our 60s and 70s and beyond, the biggest risk becomes avoiding a fall. Walking is more difficult. We don’t go down stairs without using a guardrail. Uneven ground can prove to be a challenge.
Good shoes becomes a priority. What to wear? For years we’ve been told we need good arch support and lots of cushy padding. Orthopedic shoes might not be attractive, but–so the experts say–they’ll help us walk more safely and comfottably.
Okay. We buy some. But we’re still feeling unsteady.
Then along comes the latest fad: barefoot shoes. Now, I love going barefoot at home, especially because we have radiant heated floors, and during the summer I love the feel of soft grass underneath my feet. But barefoot shoes? What good could they be? Aren’t they just a flashy, fashion kind of thing?
Enter our builder, Gavin, doing some house repairs. “Look,” he says, “I got a pair of barefoot shoes.”
“Wow,” I say. “They certainly are colorful!”
“They’re more than colorful,” he says. “They’re comfortable. I wear them everywhere now–on the job, into town. Everywhere. Best shoes I’ve ever had.”
Really?
“You should try some,” he continues.
My husband shakes his head. “Not my style.”
“They have them in all kinds of colors,” he assures us. “They’re really comfortable.”
When he leaves I do some research, check out the brand he bought online. They’re not expensive. Maybe I’ll give them a try, just for fun.
A day later, thanks to Amazon, they arrive. I put them on and begin walking around. He’s right–they are comfortable!
My husband eyes them curiously. “They look a little weird. I can see the outlines of your toes.”
“They’re BAREFOOT shoes,” I say. “They have a wide toe box.”
“Do you think they have them in gray?”
I buy him a pair.
When they arrive, he puts them on and walks around, amazed. “They do feel good.”
We start taking our morning walks in our new barefoot shoes. And before too long we notice an interesting thing: not only do we feel steadier on our feet, but we can tell they’re increasing the strength of our leg muscles.
After a week of walking in them at home, we start wearing them everywhere–into town shopping. Even to church.
“Maybe I should get some black shoes for church,” he says. “These gray ones look a little too casual.”
I find him some black barefoot shoes with less toe pronouncement.
He likes them. He wears them to church.
“You know,” he says, as we get into the car. “When I go down the aisle for Communion, I feel steadier.”
“So do I!” I say.
We tell this to fellow octogenarian friend, Pat. She looks at our shoes dubiously. “I need a good arch support,” she says, looking down at her padded sandals. But then, pausing, she looks back up at me. “What kind did you get?”
A few days later she emails me: “My shoes arrived. But I can’t get them on. I need help.”
We meet at church and then follow her home. She shows me the shoes.
“Your toe goes right up to the top,” I say. “They’re too small.”
But she puts them on anyway, tries walking around. “They ARE comfortable. I’m going to return them and get a larger size.”
The next day there’s an email from her sister, Jane. “Tonight, I started wearing barefoot shoes. Pat’s, which were too small for her, fit me well and I’m amazed at how comfortable they are. I can already feel changes in my posture, etc. but am not quite sure what or why they work so well for me.”
Why indeed? Who knew the best possible shoes for helping with sarcopenia might not be highly-touted, padded and expensive orthopedic ones with great arch support, but simply shoes that keep you closer to the ground–walking around the way we were originally created.