Barefoot is Better
I love my Vibram FiveFingers.
I get a host of different reactions when people see my shoes for the first time. Things like:
“WHAT in the world are those?!? Those are some funky looking things you have on your feet.” To “Wow, I love your shoes. I’ve been wanting a pair. Are they comfortable?”
Some people might pass off the current ‘barefooting’ craze as just another trendy thing to do, but there are actually good reasons why I got rid of my expensive running shoes in favor of my Vibram FiveFingers.
In fact, did you know that running injuries weren’t common until the invention of the modern running shoe in the 1970s?
And studies have shown that typical athletic shoes torque your knee more than high heels.
Athletic shoes are terrible for your body. Here’s why:
- Your toes are cramped into the tiny, triangular space in the shoe, removing your natural agility & balance afforded by your toes
- Your posture is thrown off by the simple fact that the padding in the shoe elevates your heels (same idea as high heels, just not as noticeable)
- But here’s the kicker. Running shoes give you a ‘heel-strike’ gait that sends unnatural shock through your knees, hips, and lower back.
When you run in athletic shoes, you extend your entire leg and your heel takes the brunt of the impact (but you don’t feel pain because there is so much padding in the shoe). Where is the shock absorption? That’s right, there is none.
So the impact travels straight up your legs, being absorbed by your knees, hips, lower back, even up your spine to your neck (it’s all connected, after all).
You can see the 2 big spikes in impact in the video below when you run with a heel-strike:
Compare that to the even absorption of shock when you run barefoot (and therefore naturally strike more on the ball of your foot):
When you think about it, it actually makes sense to go barefoot. Those funny looking appendages at the end of our legs are shaped like that for a reason. We have toes to aid in our balance and our sensory perception of the ground beneath our feet.
But when you shove your feet into shoes, you restrict their ability to do either of those things. Kelly of Root Simple talks about taking the stairs barefoot as she gets older. She says,
When I’m barefoot I feel completely safe. On the way down, my toes grab the edge of each stair, automatically. Going up, I’m high on the ball of my feet, and don’t worry about catching a toe and tripping.
This led me to realize, on a visceral level, that when you’re barefoot, you’re very surefooted. Your foot is conforming to the terrain, and the nerves in your foot are sending a constant flow of feedback to your brain. You walk more lightly–not more hesitantly, but with more awareness.
Just think about the feet of people, say, in the Pacific islands. Most of them still go barefoot on a daily basis. And their feet are much wider and their toes spread apart.
These pictures are from a 1905 study published in the American Journal of Orthopedic Surgery, which examined the feet of native barefoot populations in the Philippines and Central Africa.
Notice a difference? Which set of feet do you think offers a better base for balancing and supporting the entire body above it?
Upon losing my shoes, I had to re-train the muscles in my feet and calves. After all those years of shoving my feet in shoes, I basically had to re-learn how to walk and run. It’s recommended that you gradually work your way up to your full distance when starting to run or walk barefoot or in FiveFingers. Your calves will be ridiculously sore for a few days! But that just goes to show how far we’ve strayed from how we were created.
Granted, I firmly believe there is always a bit of adaptation that needs to happen to compensate for the environment around us. I wouldn’t need to take probiotic supplements if I hadn’t taken so many antibiotics as a child. And I wouldn’t even need FiveFingers if there weren’t shards of glass lying in parking lots.
But as it is, I love having the protection of a sole while still spreading my toes and strengthening the proper muscles in my feet.
Our bodies are incredible. They know what to do when we get sick in order to heal us. And they know how to walk and run in the way we were created. (Check out this incredible interactive website Vibram has set up–with fair warning that it might not be entirely appropriate for young eyes.) I’ve always loved this quote:
God doesn’t need any help healing us, only no interference.
That’s why I’m on a journey back to my roots. Back to the way things were meant to be before we decided we were smarter than God.
Now, to anticipate some of your questions/arguments/rebuttals/etc:
What about people with flat feet who require arch support? Trust me, they don’t require artificial arch support. Walking and running barefoot will actually build the proper muscles in your feet so you will have a strong natural arch.
I’ve heard plenty of doctors say that going barefoot is bad for you. Yeah, well, I’ve also heard doctors say that everyone can benefit from statin drugs (NOT true for anyone, by the way). Follow the money trail, people! If research seems biased, find out who stands to benefit from it financially.
But those gorilla shoes look weird. Here, I will loosely quote Dave Ramsey and say, “If chronic pain and a host of medications are normal, then be weird.” I admit, when my husband first expressed interest in buying some FiveFingers, I cringed a bit. I thought they were weird, too. But after doing my research (and seeing more and more people wearing them), they actually look completely normal to me now!
The benefits of going barefoot are just too convincing for me to ever turn back to conventional running shoes!
Are you a barefoot runner? What are your thoughts on Vibram FiveFingers?
**If you’re interested in learning more about barefoot and minimalist running, check out my Lose the Shoes series!**
Comments are closed.
Jacob
June 29, 2011 at 7:14 amFantastically written. Can’t wait to get mine…
abby
June 29, 2011 at 8:10 amGreat post Lori. James wears his Vibrams almost everyday. We also have the boys go completely barefoot as often as possible.
One thing that might be helpful for people who just can’t get past the individual toe thing is a shoe like the Nike Free. That is what I run in because Vibrams give me really painful ingrown toe nails. (No one else I know who wears Vibrams has had the problems I have had with them, so I still suggest them to everyone) But the Nike Free are a very minimal shoe that move with your feet. They are so flexible and feel like you are wearing nothing on your feet. I am able to maintain a toe or midfoot strike with ease in them. I really love this shoe. Just thought I would throw it out there as a great alternative if someone was looking for one.
Lori Winter
June 29, 2011 at 6:09 pmGreat point–thanks! Keen also just introduced some flat sole trail running shoes for those with toe aversions. But I’m still looking forward to getting some FiveFinger Trek Sports for the trails. Drew loves his.
Mandy
June 29, 2011 at 9:27 amI absolutely LOVE my Vibrams! Got them for my birthday and love how I can go from walking to yoga to in the pool without having to change shoes!!!!
Homemade Alaska
July 3, 2011 at 11:59 pmI love, love, love mine. I’m not a runner, but I’m on my feet all day and walk and hike in mine. I was on trying it after reading Born to Run and got a pair for my birthday. It was after I spent almost a year with severe foot pain, many medical visits, PT, and hundreds on expensive shoes which made my feet hurt the minute I tried them. Once I finally recovered and was pain free, I started treadmill walking barefoot during the winter. I’ve done 4 mile hikes in them and loved it. My brother in law says not great for long hikes, after 8 miles his feet were bothering him.
Lori Winter
July 4, 2011 at 12:05 amThat’s fantastic! Love to hear stories of healing the natural way. I’ve heard going barefoot can help with plantar faciitis as well.
.ambre. @ livingasoftheday
July 4, 2011 at 12:01 amI LOVE my two pairs. :) I wear them exclusively except for to events where I don’t want to draw any attention to myself (ie a wedding), then I wear my earth shoes with the reverse heel technology. I just wore them to the Sequoia National Park in CA in the snow and climbing rocks and they were awesome! Enjoy yours!
.ambre. @ livingasoftheday
July 4, 2011 at 12:01 amOh, 2 more things! :) One, I have the same blue pair you do and these shoes got rid of my lower back pain completely in the first week!
alecpap
July 4, 2011 at 12:04 amGreat post! I’ve been running in mine for several weeks now, in preparation for my first marathon. I still get some calf pain/stiffness after longer runs, but it’s the good, muscle building reminder pain. Last week, I even saw another running sporting FiveFingers as well. Always great to see another person loving their Vibrams
Krista
July 5, 2011 at 11:44 amSorry, novel!
Since I can’t afford the VFF yet I’m a true barefooter. My kids, one and three, also go barefoot. If we’re in a situation that requires shoes socially they wear Robeez-type shoes, I found some brand-new at the Salvation Army for $2.50/pair.
Once I was grocery shopping barefoot and was next to a man wearing VFF. I glanced down, had my moment of coveting, and moved on. He glanced down, did a double take, looked at my kids’ feet, and then told me, “You need to buy a pair of these, they’re like that (pointing to my fee) only better!” I replied, “I would love a pair, but they’re not in the budget right now, hence this,” and I wiggled my foot at him. But he continued with, “No, really, you need to buy these!” And I would counter, “No, really, no money!” I laughed after getting in the car.
Anyways, my feet and legs were very sore for the first few weeks. And I had to completely relearn how to walk! It was crazy! But now I have the hang of it and my soles are getting tougher by the day. I can run barefoot on asphalt and large wood chips (trust me, wood chips are no fun, they like to stab your tender arch).
Well to wrap this up, if you don’t have the money for VFFs or Nikes, just go bare. It’s been a great experience. Just carry flip-flops with you. The only place I’ve been turned away from for not having shoes is Costco. I’ve even gone to restaurants, but I keep my shoes in the diaper bag just in case.
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Christy
July 8, 2011 at 7:12 pmMy husband bought a pair of these while on vacation in Hawaii and absolutely loves them. He works construction and must wear steel toed boots during the day but at night and on the weekend he is either barefoot or in his toe shoes!
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Liana
August 10, 2011 at 11:48 pmI got my first pair today and did my first work out with them. Going to start slow and re teach myself how to run again. Very excited!
It was through this post of yours that I first heard of VFF and barefoot running, now I am an avid supporter.
Thanks for the great post Lori.
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Jennifer
January 3, 2012 at 8:18 pmLove this post, Lori – you’re so thorough! I’ve had Vibrams for about 3 years now and can’t imagine life without them. In fact, when I’m pregnant I usually only wear those because shoes just mess my back up, I think because my ligaments get so loose (?).
I am in complete agreement with you – we need to get back to treating our bodies the way they were intended to be treated so we can enjoy optimal health. It’s when we try to manipulate nature, etc. that we get into trouble…
Lori Winter
January 3, 2012 at 8:40 pmThanks Jennifer! I recall reading about a study that showed even just walking around in typical tennis shoes torques your knees more than high heels do (!) I can only imagine what they do to your back as well. But I’m so glad to hear wearing your FiveFingers helps with that! I love my two pairs :)
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Stacy
January 28, 2012 at 3:23 pmI’m back. Reading more of this series.
Those pictures are so interesting. I went to the podiatrist earlier this year b/c every time I workout for more than 30 minutes with my “athletic” shoes, my feet hurt. She couldn’t figure out what the problem was, but now I’m thinking, it’s the pointy toes! I usually wear keens or birks for every day (they have so much room) so when I squeeze my feet into running shoes, they feel really squished.
You probably didn’t need to know all that! I’m just excited about the possibilities :)
Brandis
July 23, 2012 at 3:24 pmLove this! I’m one of those “weird” (or lucky?) people who have always had an aversion to shoes- I used to walk for miles on our gravel roads barefoot. So my toes look far more like the pacific islander’s foot than the American woman’s foot in that picture! But I had never thought about running barefoot until a few years ago, and then it kept coming up randomly- I was at my mom’s house, in the basement, and had left my shoes upstairs. I didn’t want to get them, so I just started running. I’ve never been much of a distance runner, but I ran for 20 minutes and barely felt any muscle fatigue in my legs! They were stiff for the rest of the day and I totally expected them to be sore the next day, but they actually felt pretty great. THEN I said something about the run to my aunt, who is a hardcore runner, and she tells me about these shoes (the VFF’s) and how much she loves them. But I’m really not much of a runner, so I dismiss it. Then I watch this movie several months later- Straw Dogs- and in one scene the main character is running barefoot and I’m just like “that’s awesome.” Of course you would have to have the right surroundings to pull that off safely. But on a day to day basis I almost exclusively wear flip flops or non restrictive sandals or slip ons, just because they feel good. I know people say flip flops are just as bad, but I don’t grip them with my toes like most people do because I’m so used to wearing them, and I think that’s where they cause the most problem.
Anyway, I’m getting rambly… love your blog, just started to follow and have been cruising around it a little. I had dismissed these shoes (as I said, I only run sporadically, mostly on a treadmill in the winter to fight off the blues, because in the summer I’m too busy gardening and the like), but I think I may get them. They seem like they would be great for any kind of workout, and I do a lot of cardio-strength classes in the winter, and my chief complaint about working out is how sore my feet are afterwards from pretty much any athletic shoe I’ve ever tried. Just like Stacy said above- I think it’s because I’m sqeezing my normally “free” feet into restrictive pointy shoes!
Kelsi
February 13, 2013 at 12:29 pmJust stumbled upon your blog (looking for acne home remedies) and have not been able to peel my eyes away. Such truth and hope come from these posts that we all need to hear more of! So refreshing. Thank you for inspiring me and reminding me what’s important in life. And, as a runner who struggles with shin splints (and who happens to need a new pair or running shoes), now I know what I’m buying.