Dare to Get “Bare”-footed!

Dare to Bare

I wear Vibram FiveFinger minimalist shoes all the time! It’s the best thing I ever did for my knees, feet and posture. Frequently we are asked questions like the one below and finally, I just had to share!

QUESTION:

Lisa…I would like your opinion on the toe shoes for “my” particular situation…obviously, with the amount of tennis that I play I cannot give up my tennis shoes…however, I don’t like to wear my “running” shoes around the house…

I am trying to lessen the excuses for getting on my treadmill say “at lunch” so I was thinking if I had a pair of those toe shoes that I could pull on without socks for a 30 minute run/walk/hike on the incline trainer, that would make it easier and more convenient for me and would remove one of my excuses.

Can I just buy a pair, put them on and go merrily along my way using them on the treadmill, or is it more complicated than that?

I really appreciate your feedback!

Hugs, Vicki

ANSWER:

Beginning to Bare

Vicki…The short answer is “Yes”, you can get to that point!

The recommendation is to introduce them slowly to your feet. Because of the negative heel, they will “wake up” muscles you didn’t even know you had, especially as a result of repetitive exercise like the treadmill or running. Hamstrings (not unusual to get those stirred up) Calves (both the large Gastrocnemius and the under muscle called the Soleus), then there are all the little muscles around the ankles and in the feet. Sore, sore, sore, in the beginning.

So here is what I recommend:

Barely Bare

Week 1: Wear them around the house, wear them as much as you can this week (non-exercising)

Week 2: Wear them the last 3rd of your 30 min. workout. This is a pain because you will do 20 minutes and change shoes to do the last 10 min.

Week 3: Wear them the last 2/3’s of your workout, same inconvenience as above!

Week 4: I would hope you would be transitioned by then. Everyone is different.

Another consideration is to transition to a shoe called “Newtons”. Locally they can be found at Bay Area Bicycles. Tom Neagli, the owner, is slowly transitioning his store into a more rounded tri-athlete’s store and is carrying these “very cool” shoes! Eventually, I would still take your feet all the way down to minimalists. I trade with Ascube Venture locally, they know a lot about these shoes and carry a good selection.

Great Question! Lisa

Theresa Childress says:

July 16, 2013 at 7:10 pm

I am a runner first, cyclist second, and in the beginning I bought too many running shoes because all the colors caught my eye! I bought into all the specifics of the foot, all the technical terms of how the foot lands, etc. Then I read BORN TO RUN, and I decided I wanted my foot to run like I was made to run, feeling the ground under my feet, not having the sensation dulled by all the cushion. I found some New Balance wt10’s on sale and tried them on because they were minimalist, had good reviews, they had a Vibram sole. I wore them around the house, to the store, etc., every day for a week, and then ran lightly in them, increasing distance/intensity gradually until they became one with my feet, and I just didn’t even want to wear my other shoes anymore. I love the fact the Vibram soles protect my feet yet enable me to feel the ground. I love the minimalist feel. Even my flip flops feel fat next to these shoes. Anything else I have to wear to some event, as soon as I get home, I kick those off and slip sockless into my NB wt10’s and smile. Softness. Natural-ness. It’s so good. :o) Oh, and the newest ones in my collection are wt10v2’s, in case you’re interested in the “next generation.”