Since summertime is here and most of us are planning vacations, we have to make sure that not only our souls but our feet are ready for adventure too!
Let’s talk about shoe choices first.
I’m a huge fan of minimal shoes. That means a pair of shoes that allow your feet to move naturally. I included a picture below where on the left side you see a minimal shoe and on the right side a conventional tennis shoe.
1. Shoes that have an increased heel height compared to the front of the shoe (right picture) will cause postural changes in the knee, hip and lower back. When standing, this type of shoe places your foot in slight plantar flexion and results in the body tilting forward. Is that good for you? Nope!
Will that happen in minimal shoes? No, it won’t. In minimal shoes (left picture) your weight will be centered over your midfoot. Your mid foot bones are like a keystone bridge, an arch designed to be the strongest when loaded. Having your weight centered here sees the force distributed evenly over the weight bearing surfaces of the foot, creating a base for sound whole body posture.
2. Arch support…For some reason somewhere along the line we decided the foot cannot fend for itself. It needs support. Most people believe that good shoes come with a lot of stuff, the more stuff, the better the shoes. This is also what the local shoe store salesperson will tell you.
For example air pockets, torsional stiffness through the midsole, a firm heel counter, flexing only at the toes and most importantly LOTS of cushioning. So much that you can’t feel the ground so you don’t interact with it.
Now in reality with 33 joints our whole foot is designed to move, not just at the forefoot’s 5 joints.
3. Foot strength…recent research shows that wearing minimal shoes for 70% of the time increases foot strength by 60%.
I love seeing that research backs up what I believe in but it’s more of a reflection of what conventional shoes do to our feet. It shows that if we had never been in conventional shoes there would not be these gains or the need for them….we would just have strong feet!
Also, that prescribing foot exercises and not addressing the change to natural footwear is lip service to strength and conditioning of the foot.
It’s never too late to get your feet in better shoes and in better shape! I suggest that you take your time transitioning because your feet will definitely get a workout. Wear your minimal shoes for an hour first, then gradually increase the time. I also included some effective foot exercises, you just need to scroll down to find the video.
Oh, and my favorite minimal shoes? I love Vivo Barefoot and Xero Shoes. Check them out online and I hope you join the foot revolution!
[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8m0ZcEwK-0Q[/embedyt]