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There's enough to worry about without having to focus on putting one foot in-front of the other.
By Elizabeth Blasi — Written on Apr 23, 2020
More than often, injuries happen every day because someone has taken a tumble. Whether or not those tumbles are caused by us not paying attention and staring at our phones is another story.
But unfortunately, many of those falls are due to faulty footwear and the lack of non-slip shoes. While we'd like to think our favorite pair of five-year-old shoes aren't to blame, they just might be.
But not all hope is lost for both your balance and your favorite shoes. Read on as we discuss how to make shoes non-slip and upgrade your footwear so you don't take a tumble again.
1. Use anti-skid pads.
Sometimes our favorite pair of shoes wear out their original sole's grip by the constant walking (and hopefully dancing) we put onto them every day. You're slipping and sliding all over the place and can never seem to get a proper footing.
If you're thinking of a certain pair of shoes and you can't bear to toss them away, try adding an anti-skid pad. These pads are self-adhesive (mostly made from rubber) that stick to the bottom of your shoe and prevent sliding on wet, sticky, or slippery surfaces.
(Try Solemates for $9.99.)
For the fancier events, if you also tend to find yourself skidding around (or even sinking into the ground) while wearing your favorite pumps at your friend's wedding, try covering the base of your heel with heel caps. This way no grass, gravel, or subway grate will get the best of you.
(Try Solemates high heeler protector for just $10.)
2. Add an insole.
Finding our balance or stability can be hard when wearing a pair of shoes, regardless if it's a sneaker, heel, or casual footwear. Everyone's footprint is different, literally — some have flat feet while others have high arches, and although footwear is meant to be relatively universal, there's no way to guarantee one shoe can fit a large quality of people.
So what to do? Add in an insole that caters to your foot. Along with keeping you from falling on your face, insoles can also assist in arch support and relieving back pain.
(Try Sole Insoles, for $29.99 if you're looking to add balance to your shoes.)
3. Buy a new pair of shoes with proper gripping.
We all have different needs when it comes to our footwear, whether for fancy occasions or getting swole at the gym. Regardless of the circumstance, we need our shoes to get us through our day to day activities. A huge way to do that is to not slip on marble flooring or sweaty gym mats.
So instead of trying to make an existing shoe work, maybe it's time to pull out our wallets and purchase a new pair of shoes that will provide us with the support we need. Below we've provided a break down of the best shoes to prevent slipping for every occasion:
Athletic Shoes
If looking to maintain your balance and not slip over your own sweat at the gym, why not buy a shoe with a 50 percent more gripping sole than the standard outsole compounds? Inov-8's G-Series shoes have an assortment of two types of trail running shoes and one made for indoor fitness (like cross-fit or machine work).
Heels
We don't know about you, but those marble floors in the office can be quite slippery! Especially when holding your laptop, paperwork, and answering emails all on your way to your afternoon meeting. Don't worry about making a mess and a fool out of yourself by slipping on the floor.
Instead, invest in a pair of shoes like SAS' Moxie Shoe. These heeled pumps provide a gripping sole underneath the ball of your foot, which is a genius addition for the woman who works her tail off running from meeting to meeting in stylish footwear.
Men's Shoes
When men are off hiking in the woods, their neighborhood lake, or even the friendly trail the town over, it's important their footwear has proper gripping to prevent any unnecessary falls or trips over uneven ground. Try out Duluth Trading's Men's Wild Boar Trail Shoes, coming in both brown and black.
Casual Street Wear
It's not necessary to give up style for both comfort and safety when it comes to nice streetwear. Shoes made by Cougar, like their Hope Stretch Knit Sneaker, provide exceptional gripping on the outer sole making walking uneven graveled streets and bumpy sidewalks manageable. These are a must for any city-dweller who's always out on the town.
Winter Boots
There's nothing more terrifying than slipping on a bedrock of ice or freshly fallen snow that's about to turn to mush under our feet. So how do we avoid the iconic winter slips everyone seems to experience? Invest in a really good pair of winter boots, one that specializes in providing proper sole grips to withstand the harshest winter terrain.
Duluth Trading Company has Ankle (Steel Creek) Booties made with lightweight and durable blown rubber outsole to help you navigate winter terrain.
4. Use coating spray.
Amazing, isn't it? There's now a product that will act as a gripping adhesive when sprayed onto the soles of your shoes. Marketed as the perfect winter accessory preventing slips and falls from snowy streets and sidewalks, it's also great to use if walking on sweaty gym floors, wooden kitchen floors, or office marble.
(We recommend using Shoe Grip Adhesive Spray from Bare Ground Solutions for $9.99.)
5. Scuff your soles.
This may sound counterproductive, but a way to add traction to your shoes is to scuff them. As silly as it sounds, it's true. Unless shoes are specialized to enhance your grip, many new shoes' bottom soles are extra slippery.
A way to scuff your new shoe's soles is simple and requires no extra purchases. Either walk your shoes through rough grounds (like gravel or unpaved streets), or take a sheet of sandpaper and rub against your shoe's soles until you feel like their smooth (out of the shop) texture has been rubbed off.
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Elizabeth Blasi is a New Yorker. A lifestyle & travel writer, who is often seen with a suitcase in hand, jetsetting to her next location. But as a true Digital Nomad, her love of writing and romance novels means her laptop is always beside her.
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