A crash course on how to keep your feet happy? That’s exactly what 30 Shape readers got when they turned up for the Soulful Feet workshop.
BY MEERA AMMANI

Staying true to the Shape team’s spirit of delivering fun, informative and energy-filled workshops, the Soulful Feet ‘clinic’ got off to a great start at True Fitness, Jaya 33 on 24 October. Following the customary welcome speech by Shape editor Merina Hew, True Fitness training coordinator and master trainer Ahmad Kamarul Hafizi kicked off the workshop by helping readers zone in on the most common foot problems and how to nip them in the bud. One of his practical solutions: Foot exercises.

Ahmad Kamarul got the participants wiggling, stretching and rotating their ankles, arches and toes, and even lifting their legs— moves they can do almost anywhere to relieve tired, aching feet. Then came the segment everyone loves, breakfast, which comprised hot, delicious soup from Vono, and crunchy cereal bars from Yogood. With their tummies full, it was time for the ladies to turn their attention to Nike account manager Raymond Liew, who took to the mike to fill them in on how to pick the right running shoes.Armed with a magnetic feet ‘shape finder’, he demonstrated how the various foot shapes require different types of shoes. Picking the correct pair of shoes, said Liew, can help minimize discomfort from certain foot conditions, such as high arches and over- or under-pronation.

If this segment had the ladies buzzing, then it was the next one that got them even more excited; Sue Koh, the merchandising director at NOSE Malaysia, was on hand to de-mystify fashion shoes. With the help of 30 pairs of gorgeous shoes lined up onstage, Koh reassured the participants that fashion and comfort can go hand-in-hand. Never worn heels from fear of discomfort? Heel ‘virgins’ can start with wedges, then progress to three-inch (7.62 cm) heels and stilettos, she said. And contrary to popular belief, it isn’t the height of a shoe’s heel that causes discomfort—it’s the arch that’s responsible for those pesky aches.