We need our feet our whole life long – Part 3

Hilke Bär

Compared to when we started out making shoes, there are many more people nowadays insisting on special insoles being the only solution to their problems. The demand for shoes with removable insoles has risen considerably, i.e. there are far more people who have orthopaedic insoles and want to exchange the existing insole for their orthopaedic ones . Naturally that is the more convenient method for the person wearing the insoles. The less comfortable one is to exercise the feet, strengthening the muscles. A support weakens the muscles and these degenerate. That results in one being totally dependant on the support.

Once again I would like to point out that my own experience has made very clear that sufficient room to move in shoes complemented by specific foot exercises not only strengthens the muscles in the feet, but also those in the lower body and pelvic floor areas and helps prevent hip and knee wear. Warm feet are a by-product of this effort ! Additionally the improved energy-flow has a positive influence on the circulation in the legs and this helps to prevent varicose veins or to relieve existing ones.

You’re used to wearing high-heels?  Then you will probably need a little longer before your feet have become used to the zero-heel position. You don’t need to do without them completely, but restricting their use to special occasions is surely to be recommended. If you walk the whole day in healthy shoes with lots of toe-room and zero-heel, then you can wear the most beautiful Italian high-heels, for your feet are relaxed.

Yours truly,

Hilke Baer

We need our feet our whole life long – Part 2

Hilke Bär

Our feet require care and attention and – most of all – shoes in which they feel comfortable, which fit them. With “fit” we mean that they need room for the toes to wiggle and move freely. The toes naturally need to have room enough to grip and spread without hindrance. That way, the foot can build muscles with each step completely naturally.

High heels change the static of the whole body and lead to an unnatural strain on the spine. Wearing too narrow shoes can lead to hammer toes and bunions. Very often these deformations can only be rectified by surgery. Some doctors recommend that their patients wear BÄR shoes with natural fit and zero heel  – consequently for a few months – in order to ease painful irritation of the bone on e.g. the bunion. Sometimes it is even possible to avoid surgery if the front of the foot has enough room and there is absolutely no pressure on the bone. It’s always worth trying that in order to help oneself. The best idea, however, would be to avoid such deformations altogether. (…to be continued…)

We need our feet our whole life – Part 1

Hilke Bär

Our feet carry us and our body weight through thick and thin and get older along with us. They carry us approximately 4 times around the world in the course of our lives – that’s about 160.000km. Did you know that? Or do you – like most people – normally just forget your feet completely unless they hurt?

If you already know us and our shoes then you are already conscious of this and have realised that shoe fashions mostly don’t take into consideration how feet actually feel. Fashionable is only what hurts? As long as one is young, feet normally go along with everything. But, in the end, all of these shoe sins – no matter how small – influence our sensitive and highly complicated movement apparatus negatively – our knees, hips, spine and with that our health and whole well-being.

Too narrow and/or too small shoes hinder the circulation in the feet and legs and varicose veins can be the result. It is the calf muscles which ensure that the vein flaps open and close , to stop the blood from sinking back to the feet and these muscles are only active when we wear low-heeled shoes or better still flat ones.

No human being is born with heels. (…to be continued…)

Winter prospects

Hilke Bär

At BÄR Shoes, when we ask ourselves „what will the next winter be like?”, we’re already speaking of winter 2011/12, of models, leathers and colours, for we are now determining those. You might be astonished, for the winter of 2010 has just started to make itself noticed.

I read in an article in the German newspaper “Die Welt” last week that we are to have the worst winter of the century in 2011/12. That means, it’s to be very cold and stay that way for quite a while.  – Our reaction, naturally, was to check our stock of winter boots (boots for men / boots for ladies) because we’ve already sold a lot of boots.

There’s still a good stock for you in the warehouse, although not all models in all sizes any longer.  Sheepskin boots are being produced again, as we bought more skins than ever before, to ensure a good quality here. Should the one or other customer amongst you not get the boots of his/her choice, in spite of that, then please call us (0808 1563 652) and let us help you find an alternative which we can deliver to you immediately.

It doesn’t always need to be sheepskin to keep your feet warm.

Here’s my tip:

Since our shoes offer a lot of extra toe-room, the blood circulation in your feet functions well and unhindered and so warmth can develop and circulate inside the shoes. On very cold days I support this by wearing woollen socks and, if there’s still enough room left over in the shoes, by additionally using the felt soles we recommended recently.

This solution means you’re flexible, because you can increase the warmth when it’s freezing and decrease again when it gets milder. In anycase please accept my best wishes for the winter. Walk carefully and don’t fall, because there’s no sole which can guarantee that you won’t slip.

Yours truly,

Hilke Baer

What are the best shoes to wear in autumn?

Hilke Bär

What are the best shoes to wear in the autumn ?

The weather changes so quickly from really cold one day to warm sunshine the next day. Strong shoes or light boots are never wrong. But then you go abroad… the weather gets worse, you didn’t take your winter boots with you…

What now ?
My advice: our cosy, soft and warm felt insoles. The natural 100% pure wool is a wonderful solution to cold feet in autumn. However, these felt insoles are so pleasant that you won’t want to take them out again at all! The cosy feeling becomes so normal, that I for example just leave them in some shoes. They absorb all the moisture completely. And the crimped wool helps the air circulation inside the shoe.

Now I shall be sure that those of you who have followed this advice are properly cared for – whatever the weather.

Wishing you a cosy autumn on your feet

Yours

Hilke Bär

Welcome to the world of BÄR Shoes and the Bär family!

Hilke Bär

Here, on my internet Blog, you can read in regular intervals about our plans and visions with BÄR Shoes as well as about unique experiences that we have had with our shoes.

I will share with you the input and opinions we recieve from doctors about our shoes, but also our customers experiences from all over the world.

And of course much more… I believe this will be a quite exciting place. It will be worthwhile coming back often.

Recently a customer asked me during the opening of our new shop in Regensburg/Germany if there are any harmful contaminates in our leathers. Our clear answer is: no!

The purchase of leather is a trustful matter. For many years now, we are working with the same suppliers in Germany, Italy and Scandinavia. They are all very particular about the quality of the hides and an environmentally friendly dyeing process.

Furthermore, we have all our leathers tested at the independant inspection- and research institute PFI in Pirmasens / Germany.

You can rely on us!

Yours truly,

Hilke Bär