I have a bad problem with blisters on my feet. When I walk a lot, I get them. Hence, I don't walk a lot. At least not unless I have to.
Well, that's all changed lately. I have to. I walk a lot now, at least 3 times a week, and in the past week I've walked over 8 miles in 3 separate walks. Most of this sudden influx of exercise (yeah...I call it that) is due to my new way of living (yeah...I call it that) due to a more aggressive form of diabetes that's started to hang out with me. But part of it also is to get in shape for that July marathon some people call Comic-Con. I call it "that July marathon."
Because I almost always come out of it with blisters. Two years ago, they were so bad I almost couldn't walk for a week. Last year I got them in San Francisco, too, and then the pain I was in when I went on vacation in New York immediately after the SF work trip ruined my trip for me. Well, that and the crappy hotel room I had. The blisters hit me right where the toes join the bottom of the foot, and they come in big and painful, kinda like tax time each April.
But I've learned some things since then, and the most important lesson is SOCKS. I've been wearing socks that are two thick for my shoes, and that don't allow my feet to breathe. Consequently, moisture builds up. I've bought these "Wright Socks" off Amazon.com, the maker of which trumpets their product as blister-free. And you know what? They work. (There are different styles than just the one I linked to...look around). I'm not getting any money for this product endorsement (unlike my lucrative deals with Acura, American Express, and Trojan Condoms), so I have nothing to gain here (except a few pennies if you click on the link and order them). But these lightweight, polyester (yes, I know...I hate polyester, too, but it's not like it's a lime-green leisure suit), two-layered socks really feel more airy and keep your feet moisture-free and consequently, blister-free, too. I'm ordering more for my July--and August--walking season. And they're amazingly light for having two separate layers.
Shoes of course help, too. It doesn't seem to matter to me what kind of shoes I wear--expensive or not--blisters still happen. But I found a cheap pair of lace-up black shoes--sneaker-like ones--at Target that really seem to work for me. So my walks--which take me all over downtown and up to Balboa Park and back (a jaunt all the way to Hillcrest and back is on the boards for this weekend)--have become much more fun and less painful without the sheer agony of blisters. I actually LIKE walking again. And that's a good thing.
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