Sunday, September 18, 2011

Barefoot- The new black

I am calling it right here and right now with you as my witness. Going barefoot is going to be the next fad. Alright, so maybe not necessarily barefoot, but close! We are already seeing multiple shoe producers making shoes with thinner soles and less support. And there is a good reason behind it too! People are beginning to understand the impacts that shoes with support have on your body. Many athletes and health nuts have gone "barefoot" and they are spreading the word rapidly. 

Hey, there is science to back this stuff up! When you run in conventional running shoes that have tons of support, you tend to run heel to toe. There have been multiple studies done that shows the impact running like this has on your body and how having less support is actually better for your feet, shins, knees, hips, back, neck, and head. With less support, you strengthen your muscles while preventing running injuries. Don't believe me? Check this out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=auntctXMS5Q&feature=related

Still don't believe me? Let me give you some history. From the beginning of the known history of man until the late 1960's, man wore shoes that had very little or no support. Humans would hunt, travel, and pretty much live day to day wearing flat shoes or not wearing anything on their feet at all. Starting in the early 1970's, with the rise in jogging interest came the rise of running shoes with support. With the new shoes came new reports of running injuries. Today, people who have switched back to barefoot running have experienced far fewer running injuries. They also find it easier and more fun to run barefoot. Need more evidence? Listen to what a best selling author and barefoot activist has to say about it: http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/christopher_mcdougall_are_we_born_to_run.html 

When growing up, I always hated wearing shoes, especially bulky sneakers. As an adult, I have owned several pairs of supporting sneakers but about 10 months ago I was introduced to going barefoot. Since then, I have only worn sandals and minimalist shoes with no support. Since I live in a city I don't want to go fully barefoot, so I do the closest thing I can to it. I wear shoes called fivefingers (made by vibram) for running, biking, hiking, rock climbing, and water sports. It took time (a few weeks) to get the muscles in my feet used to wearing almost nothing, but now I can't go back to sneakers. I recently really put the shoes to the test while hiking along the AT. The terrain was rocky, but the shoes held up and I stayed barefoot! My feet were a bit sore at the end of the day, but I woke up the next morning ready to go. Super cool experience!

I seriously think going barefoot is going to get big soon. When I first got my shoes, it seemed like everyone thought they were weird. I rarely saw anyone else with similar shoes and no one really knew about the benefits of going barefoot. Since then, I have been seeing more people try it out. I have been seeing more barefoot runners around the city and I have had more people accepting the idea of running barefoot. I even got a few friends to get a pair and they love them as well! Wearing these shoes is also a great way to meet people. I constantly have people coming up to me asking me about the shoes. My reply? Like I said earlier, I will never go back to conventional sneakers. 

Here are some links to minimalist shoe websites. What is great about this new fad is that we are starting to see major shoe companies come out with minimalist shoes as well.





And here is where I got my information about barefooting: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barefoot_running


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