Reading the title of today’s blog may have you humming Nancy Sinatra’s #1 song from 1966, or perhaps you are more familiar with Jessica Simpson’s version from the 2005 Dukes of Hazzard movie. Either way, that song came to my mind as soon as I heard the news this week about Queen Elizabeth’s shoes. The Queen’s longtime stylist/dresser is about to release her memoir and in it she details many aspects of her job, including her responsibility to break in her boss’s shoes. If you have ever been excited to wear a new pair of shoes, only to be derailed hours later by pain, blisters and swollen feet, you know the importance of the “breaking in” process. My guess is that most of us are not “outsourcing” that job like the longest reigning monarch.
Over the years, you have probably heard the various ways that you can successfully break in a pair of new shoes. It brings back memories of my baseball-playing son who painstakingly took many steps to break in his brand new baseball gloves. There were a lot of things involved...oil, rubber bands, newspapers, a blow dryer and time...lots of time and patience were required for a successful breaking-in process. I think the leather-breaking approach may be applied to other aspects of our lives. The very same 5-steps used to break in your shoes can help you to break in a new habit - like beginning a workout, adding in a few new healthy foods or getting your life organized.
Put your favorite shoes on and follow along with me on this 5-step journey:
Start With Baby Steps - If you don’t have the Queen’s dressmaker Angela Kelly to break in your new shoes, your best course of action is to wear your new pair for short periods of time when you first get them. This “baby steps” approach will help you with other things too. You don’t have to take the Burn Bootcamp Class on the first day you show up at the fitness center. Start with something you have always wanted to do like a dance class or Slow Flow Yoga. If you enjoy the class and don’t get injured, you are much more likely to return for round 2.
The 20 Minute Mold - The experts say that if you spray a mixture of rubbing alcohol and water into your new shoes and then immediately wear them for 20 minutes, the shoes will begin to mold around your feet and feel more comfortable. I love the 20 minute approach and use it a lot in my life. There are tasks that I have put off for years (you know the dreaded cleaning out the kitchen junk drawer and sorting through a box of papers), yet once I commit 20 minutes, the jobs are done!
Ice, Ice Baby! - One tactic that is used to stretch out leather shoes is to fill two bags with water, drop them into your shoes and pop them in the freezer overnight. When you wake up, your shoes will be stretched and ready! Your freezer can help you in other ways to live a healthier life. Fill baggies with fruit and veggies than can be popped into your blender the next morning for a Smoothie that will fuel you for hours. I also like the idea of cooking a double batch of your favorite meal and freezing the second one for an easy dinner on a busy night.
At Home Dress Rehearsal - I have been known to break in my new high heeled shoes by wearing them around the house for several days to prepare myself for opening night. Why not use the same approach to trying anything new? Some of my students did Qi Gong at home with a YouTube video before they came to their first class. Test out a healthy recipe for yourself before it makes its debut at the family Thanksgiving Dinner table.
Fake It!- This is a tale as old as time...."fake it ‘til you make it”- if we imitate confidence, competence and optimism, soon we will be feeling all three! You can always wear those new shoes and pretend they feel as good as they look, smile as you eat that kale salad, and be the first one at the gym for the Tone and Tighten Class. Research backs up this concept and says that by adopting a powerful and positive attitude, you will actually change your body chemistry. Your body can help to change your mind!
So whether today is the day that you are test driving your new shoes or eating quinoa for the first time, get the breaking-in process started for the journey of your life!