Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 40 Page 41 Page 42 Page 43 Page 44 Page 45 Page 46 Page 47 Page 48 Page 49 Page 50 Page 51 Page 52 Page 53 Page 54 Page 55 Page 56 Page 57 Page 58 Page 59 Page 60 Page 61 Page 62 Page 63 Page 6462 msfocusmagazine.org Taking It in Stride By Marcy Canavan, MS Focus Ambassador Walking is a problem for many MSers – but one thing you can do to improve your walking (and it doesn’t involve giving yourself shots!) is getting the right pair of shoes. Obviously, high heels aren’t useable for many of us – balance and leg muscle problems can make them a thing of the past, but there are shoe choices which can improve your walking. The biggest problem I find with shoes is the flexibility of the soles. Even track shoes can be bad in this respect. Pick up your shoes and try bending them with your hands. Now imagine the strength your feet and legs have to exert just to bend them enough to walk. Go to a shoe store and look at Nike Free shoes (sometimes called "barefoot shoes.") For a less expensive option, Payless and other stores sell Champion brand, some of which also work. The soles of the shoes look like they have been sliced across or into squares. Flex them with your hands – they bend incredibly easily. I found that wearing these easy-flex type of shoes doubles my walking distance because I’m not using as much muscle to bend the shoe. These shoes are made for men and women and look just like regular track shoes. For more information about this type of shoe, check out www.builtlean.com/2012/07/09/minimalist-shoes/ For dress shoes, if you are male, I’m not sure what you can find. For women – try ballet flats and other thin-soled dressy shoes. Easy Spirit also makes thin-soled women’s shoes – much dressier than track shoes. And avoid slides, flip-flops, and other shoes that your feet can slip out of. Get shoes or sandals that enclose or attach to your feet securely. Think about it, your feet are using muscle strength just to keep those types of shoes on your feet. You can still wear sandals – just get ones that have straps around the ankle and thin soles. Send Us Your MS Hacks In the next issue, Marcy will share her advice on something we all hate wasting energy on – cleaning. Have you hacked the problem? Send your tips and tricks to MSHacks@msfocus.org. Life with MS MS HACKS