No, I haven't been tasting the mushrooms and no, I haven't fallen off my mid-life rocker or decided to embrace the hippy ways in which era I was born. You see, I share a few more details in my video below, but I have found freedom (at least in one aspect of my life). And I think this is life-changing for you too.
START AT THE BEGINNING
First, I mention in my video, growing up with my home located in a state forest I was most-often barefoot. Even in the woods, I would play with shoes off and enjoyed it intensely. My grandmother would come over and we would race on our gravel road while I ran barefoot. However, living in Ohio, our winters are hard, so I would essentially need to wear socks of some sort. Also, because I went to public school, I spent most of my young life in shoes. When I got home, though, off the shoes went, meanwhile, all summer I wanted to be "free". Don't get me wrong, I LOVE SHOES - cute shoes, boots, running shoes...all the goods out there and I have many. Fast-forward to college days, I would be barefoot whenever I could. I lived in school housing for married couples where were homes set up in duplex style with three homes on a local city street. One time, I needed a ride to class, so I asked a fellow classmate if she could take me in with her. When I got in the car, I noticed her looking at my sandaled feet. I asked, "What? Is there something on my shoe?" She replied, "No. I'm just really surprised at how good your feet look." She then continued to tell me that she always saw me barefoot at home so she assumed my feet would be a hot mess. haha. I explained that you can be barefoot, take care of your feet. It's all good.MAMA BEAR
Then, let's jump to today as I share my barefoot journey intro. I'm typically a health nut, so when I begin having my babies, I don't want them to have any restrictions to their feet with bones still forming. I notice that they have insane dexterity in their toes. This alone makes wonder why we become such a mangled mess in our feet as we age. I didn't put those cute little shoes on them and kept them barefoot or in socks instead. Being that I homeschool them, they've mostly been barefoot their whole lives. That led me to notice, in their teen years, that their feet are looking healthier than mine. The same grandma I mentioned racing me eventually was told by her podiatrist that she wore out the heel pad in her feet and needed orthotics in her shoes. So, with that, I thought I better start taking more preventative measures to make sure I didn't cause issues with my feet later on in life. I then buy the arch supportive shoes with cushion, etc. However, recently I begin to notice my arch is weakening (lowering), my big toe is slightly pointing inward, and my pinky toe is crammed against the next one. I even notice a difference in my wet footprint on a sidewalk. Have you ever done that to check?PRESENT DAY
That's when I was like...wait a minute. My shoe preference has always been low to no rise for my comfortable shoes, but I kept thinking I needed arch support and cushion in my athletic shoes. Funny thing is, I bought a pair of slip-on canvas sneakers to take on vacation a few years ago. We are heading to do much walking in a tourist city, and I decide to put those on instead of my athletic sneaker. The whole day my feet felt great, my back didn't ache and no issues in my knees. Surprising! How many times are we told that will ruin our feet? In addition, since I've been running more, my knees were hurting more frequent than I like and I had a hip flexor issue on one side. I kept thinking I needed to strengthen those parts, stretch more, work on form, and make sure I had proper shoes, plus chiropractic adjustments. None of these are wrong, but not what I needed. So, this last late winter/early spring I began to dig deeper. That's when I came across minimalist shoes or "barefoot" shoes (what an oxymoron!). Here's the jist of what is considered to be a minimalist/barefoot shoe:- no rise from heel to toe
- no arch support
- wide toe box so your toes can splay and use toes independently
- flexible sole with little to no cushion
- no toe spring
FIRST TAKE
Beginning in the first week of March, I took this picture of my left foot. (yes, I'm not big into seeing people's feet, but I have to share somehow)
Here's what I notice (1) my big toe slightly tipping inward, (2) my metatarsals are bunched (3) middle toes bent in, and curved downward (4) pinky twisted sideways and inward. Likewise, here's a view of my arch "before".
While I don't have issues with bunions or aches and pains, this definitely isn't looking good to me as a middle-aged gal. What to do?
FIRST STEPS
Just know that this takes loads of time to let your body change and adapt to this new-found way of living. It will take months, possibly years for your entire body to change if you will give it time to learn. If you are dealing with your own foot issues, the first thing you can do is stretch on a daily basis. Begin by putting your fingers between your toes in a clasp grip and roll your wrist to loosen up your foot muscles. Try it with one foot and then walk around. I bet you'll notice the feel-good-difference instantly.
Second, use a tennis ball or whatever smaller ball you have on hand and roll your foot on it and roll it on your foot like I demonstrate in my video. Likewise, use the muscle roller to loosen up calf muscles. The thing to remember is that your foot is linked all the way up your leg, into your spine, and affects even your head, neck and shoulders for good or worse.
[caption id="attachment_43515" align="aligncenter" width="550"]
I bought these for my kids two years ago for $10. Can't beat it![/caption]
Not only manual stretching is awesome, but also using toe spacers. You can wear these overnight, at home, and even in your shoes that have an open toe box. When I started wearing mine it was freezing out, so I had them on inside my 100% wool socks. That allows my feet to breathe naturally, but also the sock conforms to the shape of my foot with toe spacers and allowing me to flex and splay.
[caption id="attachment_43495" align="aligncenter" width="550"]
A popular (expensive) brand is CorrectToes. I bought these on eBay for $20 new.[/caption]
[caption id="attachment_43520" align="aligncenter" width="550"]
Notice these spacers don't wrap around my big or little toe. There are some bad spacers out there.[/caption]
WORK IT OUT
Then, the next step of my barefoot journey intro is exercises. I'm not talking hard stuff, just a simple doming exercise (again, see the video for the how-to). Do these while standing in the grocery line, doing dishes, etc.
Additionally, take a dishtowel and place it on the floor. Beginning at one end, bunch up the towel with your toes by grabbing it and pulling it towards you. I also use a rubber band (shown in video) to do individual toe training. You can also focus on your balance by trying to stand on one foot without wobbling. Even walking backwards in a safe spot (outside) where you can take a few steps, turn and walk backwards a few, then turn back slowly. This will increase your stability as well as develop a different connection in your foot all the way up to your brain. Even try to walk on a parking space bumper focusing on gripping with your toes.
CHANGE IT UP
For added bonus, walk on varied surfaces. Go walk on the grass, maybe smooth landscaping stones, then work your way into more challenging textures. This will create durability in your skin, but also challenge your brain until you eventually will be able to walk most anywhere without having to think about it. And don't worry...your feet will toughen and not be ugly.
While you're at it, also focus on walking through the ball of your foot with toes pointed forward. While walking, you'll want a soft heel strike with focus on your midfoot. Running, you'll want to land midfoot to avoid a heel strike completely. The best way to figure this out is to walk around barefoot and pay attention to how you land. You'll most likely notice heel striking when in shoes as they're designed to make you do that. However, when barefoot, your body will naturally land softer to avoid jarring your knees, hips, and back. (see video for demo). I already didn't heel strike when running, but it took me a couple of weeks of walking to get that figured out.
Now my gait is shortened, I'm learning to move through my leg using my muscles all the way up my body instead of swinging my leg out in front of me lazily. Trust me, I'm still working on that one, especially as I walk my crazy pup. The bonus is I have the most defined legs in my life and my balance is unbelievable to me!
THE NEXT STEP
Literally, the next step in my barefoot journey intro is footwear. Now, if you're like me and have a love for shoes, you might find this both hard and exhilarating. Once I started working on my feet, I found it difficult to enjoy wearing my old shoes any longer. Getting to shoe shop is something I don't mind doing. There is certainly a learning curve! Here are a few problems: (1) barefoot shoes are purchased primarily online only (2) each company has their own sizing charts (3) there are more things to considers such as foot volume and shape (mountain, slope, plateau, square). For me, I found I am a mid-volume, slope foot with medium to high arches. How do I know that? Loads of research and am thankful for bloggers like Anya's Reviews, Barefoot Universe, and Barefoot Training Central for sharing their knowledge at no cost to you. You can go as hardcore as you want to with barefoot/minimalist way of living. Okay, so I have shoes that I no longer want to wear, and I need to afford new shoes that are more comfortable and healthier. How to do that? For me and my kids, we took our current shoes and sold them. It's a win-win! Here's one pair of my several pairs of Chucks that helped me fund my purchases.
Yes, Converse shoes are not good for your feet, though they are awesome. However, there are plenty of look-alikes out there to replace (see my reference list below).
*post contains an affiliate link so I can make a few pennies for my hours of work and research. wink (see details HERE) This is not a sponsored post - all reviews and information is my own.
MY SHOE REVIEW
For your viewing pleasure, I thought I would share the most frequently worn conventional shoes compared to my new barefoot shoes as part of my barefoot journey intro. First, here is my previous running shoe on the right with my Xero HFS model barefoot shoe on the left. Notice the pointy shape of the toe box on the right. Plus, the conventional shoe has tons of cushion with toe spring (curved up toe).
My Xero shoes have a 5mm level cushion, whereas my conventional shoes have 1 ½" of cushion with extreme drop from back to front. Plus, I can remove the insole of my Xero insole for even more ground-feel. What's crazy is that I've been working on my feet for five months now and I've increased a half-size in these shoes, so I needed new ones. My feet and toes are stretching out instead of being wrapped in a conventional shoe - yay!
Even my kids have transitioned into barefoot shoes and adore their shoes as much as I do. My kids all run, some even run division 1 varsity track in high school and have switched to barefoot shoes with much success. We all took our time to transition by first walking for a few weeks, then running in small increments, and finally have worked up to a couple miles. We've not "arrived" yet but are feeling the difference and it's amazing.
MORE COMPARISONS
Next on my barefoot journey intro, here are my conventional casual shoes on the right compared to my barefoot Wildling casual shoe on the left. See the difference?
In addition, here are my favorite leather Teva sandals on the left next to my Earth Runners on the right.
WHICH SHOES?
Once you finally figure out your foot, then you can start to pick shoes. Measure your foot in centimeters and add 10-12 millimeters to allow for toe room. Also, it's good to figure out your size in European measurements. I wear a 40 up to 42 depending on the company and model. Honestly, I'm not a fan of Facebook since they made me lose over 100K followers on Instagram and Facebook and did NOTHING to help. Fortunately, I've found a good use for that platform (gritting teeth). I have not only found wonderful support groups who answer all the questions, I also have found where you can get shoes new and very lightly worn for a fraction of the price. (see reference list below) Most folks try a shoe, find it doesn't work for them, and pass it along. I have bought all shoes either new or lightly used. One pair of handmade Wildlings below is new and the other two are barely worn.
These are so utterly comfortable, made of natural fibers (wool, cotton, leather, etc.) The middle pair I ordered direct from Wildling in Germany. There were here in two days, were too big, so I exchanged without a hassle and got my new pair just as fast.
Likewise, your socks matter too. You can find anatomical socks that won't bind your foot or wear spiffy toe socks like these by Injinji. They take a bit to get used to, but they are phenomenal to me now. The conventional sock looks like ancient foot binding to me now.
For now, I'm happy with my small arsenal, but am also on the hunt for a pair of dressy shoes, boots for winter walking/hiking, and dressy boots for winter as well.
WHERE I'M AT NOW
Finally, after five months of my barefoot journey intro, I can joyfully say I feel GREAT! My feet are the healthiest they've ever been and they feel so relaxed. Look closely at the transformation and overlay in the photo below.
My foot is wider, my big toe is straightening, my pinky is free along with my middle toes, and my foot has muscle and tone definition. I can also move my toes independently, though I have three amigos on my right foot that don't want to separate as much, but I'm working on them.
What is more, my barefoot kids and I take off on adventures with shoes in hand. It's surreal. Here are my two youngest daughters spotting a deer just beyond that downed log.
Have you been bitten by the barefoot bug yet? Truly, I just ask you to take your shoes off and give a real look at your feet. Can you see room for improvement? Even if you can't make a total switch, being informed is key.
SHARE
Got questions? I'll do my best to answer and if I don't know I'll find someone who does. Please take a minute to leave me some comment love below as I spent months putting this together for you. In addition, pin and share my barefoot journey intro to inspire others to begin their own journey at ANY AGE. Also, read my next update a year later HERE in this post.
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SHORT LIST OF RESOURCES AND REFERENCES - a teenie sample of what's available
- Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen by Christopher McDougall
- Address by Dr. Irene Davis - Harvard professor speaks on the why of barefoot
- Gait Happens - finding better movement from the ground up
- Older Yet Faster: The Secret to Running Fast and Injury Free - by Keith Bateman and Heidi Jones
- My Pinterest Board - collection of shoes, resources, exercises and more
- Anya's Reviews - a website dedicated to learning and understand barefoot lifestyle with shoe reviews and exercises
- Barefoot Running: Step-by-Step by Bob Saxton and Roy Wallac
- Whole Body Barefoot by Katy Bowman
- Barefoot Running by Michael Sandler
- Facebook Groups - there are more than these pertaining to your location, age, etc.
- Barefoot Style: THE place to geek out over all things barefoot
- Barefoot and Minimalist Runners
- Barefoot Shoes Style & Chat
- DIY Mocs & Minimals
- Minimalist Shoe Buy/Sell/Trade
- Minimalist Shoes Re-Sell | Open Discussion US
- KIDS Minimalist/Barefoot Shoes BUY/SELL/TRADE
SHOE & SOCK RETAILERS ONLINE - some offer socks as well and offer vegan-friendly options
- USA Retailers - most of these offer shoes for all in family and I have had success with speedy returns/exchanges
- Xero Shoes - athletic, casual, boots, sandals for men, women, and children
- Earth Runners Sandals - sandals for men, women, and children
- Re-Earth Runners Sandals - seconds with very minor flaws and a discounted rate (where I got them for my family)
- Vibram FiveFinger Shoes - the original toe shoes
- UnShoes - casual shoes for men, women, and children
- Shamma Sandals - sandals for the whole family
- Luna Sandals - sandals for the whole family
- Splay Shoes - casual shoes for men, women, and children
- Everleigh Meadow - handcrafted leather shoes by a mama with simple to formal designs for women and children
- SoftStar Shoes - shoes for the whole family
- Injinji Toe Socks - these are the ones my family and I have
- ToeSox - toe socks with grip and for various purposes
- Altra Running Shoes - not technically barefoot, but have open toe box options and low drop models for those that need more
- Lems Shoes - also same as altra with different option that are close to barefoot and offer work boots
- Birchbury - leather sneakers and dress shoes
- International Retailers - most of these offer shoes for all in family and I have had success with speedy returns/exchanges
- Wildling - I own three pairs... casual and boots.
- Zaqq - I own one pair of their boots and in love with the quality and fit, but pricey. Bought mine new in a group for half-price
- VivoBarefoot
- ReVivo - same as Re-Earthrunners where there are discounted items due to very minor defects or resoled shoes.
- Groundies - Converse look-alikes available
- FeelGrounds - read my review HERE.
- Tikki Shoes
- Peerko
- Origo Shoes
- Belenka
- Mukki Shoes
- Bohempia - also as Converse look-alikes available
- Paperkrane
- Zeazoo Shoes
- Sambas the Bambas
- Crupon Sandals - shoes and sandals
- Koel Shoes
- Shapen
- ProAlp
- Crave Shoes - designed in Czech Republic and made in Portugal
- Blusun
While you're here, check out these other posts like my barefoot journey intro:
