I have always been taught to only use the belts on your heaviest lifts. So you might want to lower the weight to where it doesnt require a belt and then work your way up to a weight where you need to use the belt. That way you dont become dependent on it. As for the shoes, I was having issues of my own due to an ankle surgery I had earlier this year. I bought some shoes made specifically for lifting and they helped out a ton! I bought them off of Amazon.com and here are what they look like:
The brand is called Otomix...go check them out.
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