Do you have your inside shoes yet? This is the time of year I discovered the joy of having a pair of new shoes that never go outside. If I’m smart and put my inside shoes on at the beginning of the day, even after a day of working hard in the kitchen, standing up to cut vegetables and knead bread (ok, lying, I always let the KitchenAid do that!), my feet don’t hurt. My lower back and hips don’t complain. And in my 64-degree house on the cold tile floor, they help keep my toes from freezing as well!
Here’s the deal: if you’re in the market for new tennis shoes/walking shoes anytime between now and May, and especially if you live where winter means snow and mess outside, you might as well buy the new shoes now and then quarantine them until spring. You’d just mess them all up outside anyway.
Inside shoes are worth it.
Flylady says they make you more productive, too. Something about being less likely to crash on the couch and waste time or drift off, because you feel more active or professional with shoes on. (See, I wouldn’t know that from experience, because I never would dream of falling asleep or wasting time midday…)
It really works. Katie’s tip of the day: get some inside shoes!
I’ve posted on this tip before, along with good posture at the counter and my method for toning the ol’ abs while doing dishes. This is the time of year for a reminder, though!
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Kitchen Stewardship is dedicated to balancing God’s gifts of time, health, earth and money. If you feel called to such a mission, read more at Mission, Method, and Mary and Martha Moments.
More Great Tips:
- Maximize Your KitchenAid Mixer
- How to Stretch Your Real Maple Syrup
- 6 ways to Use Leftover Pumpkin
- Lazy Do-Fewer-Dishes Guarantee
Photo credit: from Αhasver
I’m pleased to participate in Works for Me Wednesday at We are THAT Family.
I *try* to remember to do this, and it really works!
.-= April´s last blog ..A little rant, and some sad news =-.
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Great post
Just dropping in from WFMW. Love your blog.
.-= Jenny´s last blog ..The Buddies are Coming to Town =-.
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Katie Reply:
November 19th, 2009 at 5:18 pm
Jenny,
Katie
Welcome!
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Do you have concrete floors? I have noticed a big difference between the concrete-slab ranch house where I grew up and the wooden-floored houses I’ve lived in since, in terms of how long I can stand without shoes and not get a backache. I like walking around in socks, so wooden-floored houses work for me! My problem when washing dishes is aching in my upper back because I’m tall and the sink is too low for me; I keep wishing there was some kind of reverse stepstool that would let me stand a few inches below floor level.
.-= ‘Becca´s last blog ..How to Clean a Basement or Porch Floor AND Use Up the Last Dregs of Liquid Laundry Detergent =-.
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I have cold tile floors and I use flip flops all the time. Love the idea of inside shoes, but my feet don’t do well in shoes . . . if I wear them for more than an hour at a time, my toenails get infected for some bizarre reason.
.-= Expat Mom´s last blog ..Excuse Me While I Freak Out a Little =-.
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Love the Flylady, and I love my inside shoes. It really helps in the kitchen because we have ceramic tile floors.
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I’ve been wearing a pair of crocs around the house…LOVE IT!! They were my summer go to shoes last year and they were so comfy that I made them my “slippers” for this winter. I think I’ll have to buy another pair so I can have one pair to wear outside for the summer again.
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That’s one tip I’ll have to take a pass on… wearing shoes for too long makes my feet uncomfortable and my back ache MORE, and if I wear them even longer then all the skin peels off the soles of my feet and they crack and bleed. :S Gross, I know. So I’m a barefoot kinda gal. I’ve read a lot that going barefoot is better for your joints anyway, hence the popularity of the new “five-finger” type shoes.
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Mine are Danskos — the professional clog. So good to my back when I’m on my feet all day long in the house.
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I have sworn by inside shoes for years….KEENS baby! They save me from pain filled exhaustion at the end of the day! Woohoo for posting this!
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Ooh – great idea – inside shoes – thanks!
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When I coached gymnastics we had to wear inside only shoes and we called them our “Mr Rogers Shoes”
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I try to have my shoes off whenever possible and same for my kids! We are going minimalist shoes in our family. So no inside shoes here.
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I have to wear shoes all the time because I have horrible feet. I have prescription orthotics and me feet, knees, and back KILL me if I try to go without. That being said, following flylady’s advice of getting dressed to the shoes is SO helpful in making me feel like I’m ready to get going on the day. Otherwise, I just want to sit on the couch.
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I also MUST wear shoes so it is really a pain to have to take them off at someone else’s house. Literally! I need to buy some indoor shoes and carry them in a bag to other people’s houses. It is just that the shoes I have to buy are so expensive.
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That is brilliant! Part of the reason I can’t commit to taking my shoes off when I come into the house, is that I like wearing shoes inside. So simple, yet I never thought to designate a pair for inside only. Thanks!!!!
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Anna Karenina Clark – I always buy new shoes for indoor shoes and then make the older pair the new outdoor shoes, so I don’t end up buying any more shoes.
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