Weird question

[Andreas Mom]

So I have a really weird question. How does everyone feel physically after a day in the parks?

Back home I go to the gym 5 days a week so coming down I thought I would feel fine cause it would be walking and a lot of standing but man! By the end of the day I feel like I have done 5 workouts!!! I was having some heel pain in one foot before we came down so I'm not sure if that's making everything hurt worst or if my hit by a truck feeling is what everyone else feels. We are here now, had 5 day passes, and our taking pool days in between so we are not even mad dashing through everything. A perfect slow pace.

 

[MichaelaF]

I realized that a lot of it has to do with my footwear.

Last year, I bought some Tevas specifically for our WDW trip. And while I was tired at the end of each day, my feet were kinda sore but not bad. Seemed pretty much what I expected.

When we went to DLR in March, it was cooler in CA, and since we were only going for two days, I didn't bother taking the sandals, I just wore trail running shoes (not the ones I actually use for running, just daily regular shoes for me), with regular cotton socks. But.....my feet KILLED at the end of the day. My legs were way more sore, and I was more worn out overall, even though I clearly did less walking, and I was in much better shape and weighed less than when I was at WDW!

 

[Andreas Mom]

I bought new shoes a week before our trip and wore them everyday to break them in. They are the same shoes I always wear just new. I also had little lifts in for my heel but the days I did not wear them I felt better. I'm not in bad shape so feeling like this kinda surprised me.

Guess my heel is worst than I thought and that's probably he problem. Guess I'll be heading to the doctor when we get home.

 

[sweetpee_1993]

We got home from our week long trip last Saturday. I wore different shoes each day the first few days. By day 3 my feet were killing me and my calves oh so tight. My husband was the same. When I got out of bed that morning each step I took felt like an explosion in my foot that radiated upwards. We found some Crocs for him in WoD and I got a pair of Sanuk flip flops at the DtD store. Made all the difference for both of us. We could actually walk again. Definitely feeling our age. Definitely not used to all the walking after taking a few years break from parks. We both could be in a lot better shape, too. Solid eye-opener there.

I used to wear my Havaiianas flops in parks with zero problems. Notsomuch now. The Sanuks are really great. Very soft, like walking on cushions. The shock absorption makes a huge difference for me.

 

[jenpace]

What makes a huge difference for me is to switch my shoes 1/2 way through the day rather than wearing the same pair all day long, every day. Once I tried this approach, I noticed a lot less soreness in my feet. Your feet are super important since everything radiates up and is connected. Switching out my shoes helped with the sore feet, sore calves and backache from all that standing.

 

[whoever]

Feet are glad to get out of my shoes, but then again, I tend to wear dress shoes to the park. While I will occasionally do shorts and mandals, I'm typically in dress shoes, jeans, and a polo.

 

[goooof1]

I agree with PP about switching shoes during the day. A good friend suggested that trick and it works great! (change socks, too if you aren't using sandals)

 

[DahliaRW]

I used to have issues, but I went to "barefoot" style shoes (no heel elevation) and it has made a world of difference. No more lower back pain! It does take a while for your body to get used to them (so don't buy them and wear them at the parks first time). I wore my soft star shoes at WDW the whole time with no issues (5 days in the parks). It was great!

 

[whoever]

I'd say socks are more important than actual shoes. A good pair of wool socks will wick away moisture, and eliminate all hot-spots your shoes may cause. Of course, this means no sandals/open toe type shoes, but heck, a good pair of hiking boots would probably be pretty darn comfy for a day at DLR

 

[Jiminygirl]

I agree with switching shoes after 1/2 a day. Even my most comfortable shoes hurt my feet by mid day at DLR. Changing to another comfy pair gave me the stamina for the evening.

 

[jenpace]

I'd say socks are more important than actual shoes. A good pair of wool socks will wick away moisture, and eliminate all hot-spots your shoes may cause.

Smartwool is a great brand. I won't wear anything else since trying them a few years back.

 

[tstidm1]

I make sure to get a pair of shoes about two months before the trip (just did for the July trip) to make sure their broken in before I go. This helps me not have as much of that feeling as a very old pair of shoes. Also, I go to a specialty Running/walking shoe store. A good one measures you and looks at your walk. It's worth the $130 (with sales tax) on those shoes.

 

[whoever]

Smartwool is a great brand. I won't wear anything else since trying them a few years back.

I tend to pick up their stuff at REI when they do clearance sales. Pretty awesome footgear.

 

[nannyz]

I suffered horribly with plantar fasciitis until I bought a pair of SAS shoes. On the second day of wearing them, the pain went away and has never returned, and that was a year ago.

Now SAS is all I wear. I highly recommend them.

 

[dragonflycurls]

Another good tip- if your hotel has a mini fridge with a freezer- freeze a bottle of water and roll your foot on top of it at the end of the night

 

[DizMe]

I change up between sandals and tennis shoes. As others have said, I go part of the day in one and then switch over. It really does feel good to your feet! Other than that, I don't have much trouble as long as I stick to basic footwear. I learned that my cushy Born sandals that felt so nice at home rubbed a nasty blister on the bottom of my heel where the logo is stitched on. Now, I look for smooth insoles with no bumps or indentations if possible and also avoid those super-flat sandals whose bottoms are just a skinny piece of...leather or whatever that stuff is that's like cardboard. I do like to wear flips when they're comfortable, like the Sanuks mentioned by a PP.

My style has also evolved. Since becoming an AP holder and visiting more often, I don't get so tired because I never feel like I have to run from one thing to another in order to see it all. I'm sure that helps

 

[Andreas Mom]

All great tips, thanks so much!!!

 

[hlbtimes2]

I wear sandals of some sort during the day, and sneakers in the evening. The change makes my feet feel better. And, the sandals are good for water rides, and shoes and socks to keep feet warm at night. But, in general I'm exhausted when we return.

 

[GenGen22]

When we went to WDW I was worried about my feet hurting as when im at DL I have experienced the pain that everyone is talking about on here so before I went, I looked around at many shoe stores & asked around what were the best walking shoes as we were going to be there for 10 days. I bought Nike Air Max running shoes & ill never wear anything else!! My feet didn't hurt not one day!! Ive always bought the less expensive shoes but now I fully understand why people pay out over $100 for shoes.

 

[Aladora]

We got home from our week long trip last Saturday. I wore different shoes each day the first few days. By day 3 my feet were killing me and my calves oh so tight. My husband was the same. When I got out of bed that morning each step I took felt like an explosion in my foot that radiated upwards. We found some Crocs for him in WoD and I got a pair of Sanuk flip flops at the DtD store. Made all the difference for both of us. We could actually walk again. Definitely feeling our age. Definitely not used to all the walking after taking a few years break from parks. We both could be in a lot better shape, too. Solid eye-opener there.

I used to wear my Havaiianas flops in parks with zero problems. Notsomuch now. The Sanuks are really great. Very soft, like walking on cushions. The shock absorption makes a huge difference for me.

I got a pair of Sanuk's on our trip in March and I cannot say enough great things about them! The ones I have are the Sanuk Yoga Sling and I am considering getting a second pair in August!