jairama Wrote:
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> the proper way to walk barefoot i'm told is to not
> invest all your weight until the front pad of your
> foot deems the ground suitable. in other words -
> front pad goes down first, lightly, then, full
> investment is made, repeat with other foot.

The investment happens, then you roll off the front pad forward. The roll is part of what propels you along.

Most people who wear shoes don't have that roll. They walk like they have swimming flippers on to some degree. The higher the heel on their shoes, the less one will have learned to roll.

Why is it important to walk correctly? How one walks influences what parts of their body get more stress.

The opposite could be said also though. What ever weaknesses there are in one's body will be reflected in one's walk.

So being raw improves our walk even if we have shoes?

madinah Wrote:
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> Anybody used these
> [www.vibramfivefingers.com]

I owned a pair of those for awhile--my feet are very sensitive, so the material around my toes and ankles irritated my skin a great deal. If you don't have sensitive feet then you would probably like them...they are awesome if you want to feel as if you're going barefoot without actually exposing your skin to the ground.

madinah Wrote:
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> So being raw improves our walk even if we have
> shoes?

I don't think its that clear cut.

There's a big world of "raw". Not everybody is attempting "raw" with a clear image of what is actually happening to their body while they do it.

Many people are young enough and/or have constitutions that can take a lot of abuse before it impacts their homeostasis in a way that life becomes impossible.

Those shoes have actually intrigued me (after I had a good laugh--reminds me of the toe socks I wore in high school).

But I don't think I could get away with wearing them at my job. =*(

Good point hyldemoer, I guest it is not enough to be raw, we need to work on our physical.

Phantom, I have ordered them and I will wear them to work, they may have to change the dress code, the current dress code does not exclude them.
[www.vibramfivefingers.com]



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/26/2008 02:34AM by madinah.

those shoes are totally freaky, wow. i love them, especially the maryjanes.

I know people that have run marathons barefoot. Something I inventigated but was too lazy to go through with. It's just a matter of getting your feet back in the shape they were, lifetimes ago, before we started wimping them with shoes.

Shoes cause us to run and walk differently and unaturally. Maybe not so bad for regular walking, but you can definately spot the difference in running when barefoot and when wearing shoes. It's possibly one of the reasons people get so many injuries in distance training.

[runningbarefoot.org]

Hyldemoer, so you are saying your foot should hit toes first then rolls back to the heel? In shoes we hit heel first then roll forward...and this is the problem? I have a problem with suppination (my feet roll in) and I wear an insert in my shoes. I am not happy with it, it is very expensive and seems like a crutch. But, if I stop wearing it or wear flip-flops or something my ankle will start to hurt. I wonder if I stopped wearing shoes if I could improve my foots form. This is interesting to me!

ksmanthey Wrote:
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> Hyldemoer, so you are saying your foot should hit
> toes first then rolls back to the heel? In shoes
> we hit heel first then roll forward...and this is
> the problem?

First let me make it perfectly clear I'm not a podiatrist or a physical therapist.

The part of your foot that hits to ground first is most likely going to be your heel but not necessarily.
The bulk of your weight shouldn't be switched to that foot until the rest of your foot has contact with the floor.

Then, you roll off your foot in a mild push.

The whole action is just the opposite of what you'd experience with your foot if you were walking backwards barefoot
and pretty much exactly what you'd be doing walking barefoot on a sandy beach.

> I have a problem with suppination (my
> feet roll in) and I wear an insert in my shoes. I
> am not happy with it, it is very expensive and
> seems like a crutch. But, if I stop wearing it or
> wear flip-flops or something my ankle will start
> to hurt. I wonder if I stopped wearing shoes if I
> could improve my foots form. This is interesting
> to me!

I've had therapists from all sorts of therapies tell me to throw away my shoes and orthotics
but the fact of the matter is, unless one has all three arches in their feet working properly
and correct alignment in their ankles
they'll be causing extra stress in the rest of their body's joints.

At some point they'll wear the rest of their body's joints down unevenly and what they'll end up with is osteoarthritis et cetera.

What to do?

Neither of us might ever be able to build those three arches in our feet to support the rest of our body if the tendons that hold the muscles to the bones are already stretched beyond function
but
there's some Ayurvedic and Traditional Chinese Med. theories that say by manipulating the flow of energy the tendons can be repared.
In the mean time I have a life. I can't be walking around like I'm walking on egg shells all the time.

I choose to wear shoes that give me support with my orthotic supports in them for general running around

and a MAJOR portion of my daily hatha yoga practice (to manipulate the tendon and muscle building energy) is spent focusing on building muscles in my feet and making sure all the rest of the asanas in my daily routine are with proper alignment of my ankles.

I also make a special effort (when I'm not rushed) to practice good walking (rolling off the front of my foot) habits which give my feet's small muscles further exercise.

I theorize that with proper focus on building strength and the right nutrition to support the adventure I might someday wean myself off the need for the corrective devices in my shoes.

Life is just so full of adventure isn't it!

Ok I get it, sort of a rolling motion instead of a "flop the foot down" motion like with rigid shoes. I will try to pay attention to this, I tried it a little today and it felt good but weird! Thanks for the tips

I played without shoes when I was about 4 or 5 years old, I knew it was safe and I knew how to prevent from being injured, but my father lashed me in order to compel me put on my shoes!

I don't think I would ever go barefoot in large cities or urban areas. Too risky (nails, glass, sharp objects, etc.). However, going barefoot is perfect for natural areas--grass, sand, open fields--or when you're spending time at home.

I also wonder about parasites if you go barefoot outdoors. I've been told that parasites often enter the body through the sole of the foot.

Having to wear shoes is one of the things that has bothered me the most since I got out of the hospital. The stroke affected my right side to the extent that it can't support me anymore. But, I still exercise that side daily attempting to restart the engine! I have always hated wearing shoes and would usually wear moccasins during the summer and at home during the winter. But, living in Alaska winter does last for several months. I did have a nice pair of Birkenstocks that I loved to wear most of the time when not wearing the moccasins. Hope that I will be able to leave the brace and the orthodonics behind and get on with my life as it used to be someday soon!

Yeah, I'm thinking of getting those five finger things but I doen't like the idea of the toes!

I wish I could just wear some togh bottomed sock or something!

f1

Got them....they fit great, I'm going to introduce them to my world later!

F1

Get paid tomorrow, so I'll get them tomorrow. XD

I talked with my manager about wearing the shoes to work--they fit the dress code, no-slip and all black, but she had to contact HER manager... he thought it was all about fashion and totally ignored the "health reasons." Ugh, maybe if I notarize a waiver or something saying I accept all responsibility for wearing them, I can get them. I would love to stop wearing shoes that kill my feet all day~ They get so tired. >.<

There's another manager I can try to push the issue with, but she's on vacation this week. Really, having me run around on my feet for ten hours and feel great the whole time would only be an asset to the company, anyway. And my ugly callouses would go away... I'd never have to beg my boyfriend to crack my toes again... my calves wouldn't ache...

We'll see how this goes!

Ooh! Richard, I hope you'll show them in one of your next videos!! I'd love to see them in a video, notice how they fit when a person is walking, and hear more thoughts about them!

I told my daughter about them, since she detests wearing shoes, but we are wondering if they'll fit her well. She has wide feet, with toes that spread out (which is probably because she has healthier feet than I do, since I rarely ever insisted that she put shoes on--thank goodness for that!). Does anyone know if they will work for someone with wide feet and toes that are spread out a bit more than most feet?

Lots of love to all of you,

Wendi Dee
XOXOXO

Thanks so much for posting this topic!

As a child I was always barefoot - and recently I've always been shod.

So I've been taking my shoes off more now, and all of a sudden I feel young again and connected to the world. I actually want to go outside more and feel the textures that the world has to offer me through my soles.

My feet are quite strong despite having worn shoes for most of my life - I always dance barefoot and I think my shoeless childhood helped.

But my big toes curve at the top, exactly in the shape of the shoes I wear - that has annoyed me.
Now that the weather is warming up I'm excited to try barefooting it as much as I can, even in the city and towns - I don't think it's that dangerous because being barefoot teaches you to be mindful.

And in saying that I feel that going with out shoes only for the last few days has really strengthened my meditation practice.
When my feet feel cold, I stay with the feeling instead of hurrying to put shoes on. I feel much more animal/human/natural/childlike/free without shoes.

Went out in the garden just now - damp, warm soil was lovely on my tootsies!

--------------------------------------------------

[www.azurastorch.blogspot.com]

GypsyArdor Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Ooh! Richard, I hope you'll show them in one of
> your next videos!! I'd love to see them in a
> video, notice how they fit when a person is
> walking, and hear more thoughts about them!
>
> I told my daughter about them, since she detests
> wearing shoes, but we are wondering if they'll fit
> her well. She has wide feet, with toes that spread
> out (which is probably because she has healthier
> feet than I do, since I rarely ever insisted that
> she put shoes on--thank goodness for that!). Does
> anyone know if they will work for someone with
> wide feet and toes that are spread out a bit more
> than most feet?
>
> Lots of love to all of you,
>
> Wendi Dee
> XOXOXO


VERDICT: AWESOME!!!!

Yeah I just introduced them to my world and all is good!!!!

I can't imaging going back to shoes EVER!!!!!...infact, I'M NOT!!!

I punished them for 2 hrs worth of speed walking!!!...didn't feel any burn or anything and I felt SWIFT, my movement flowed effortlessly!...I felt turbo charged!...the only issue that was an issue was the fact that little stones/gravel would get caught up in them but I had that issue with my regular shoes too so no biggie!....other than that....PERFECT!

I think it's best to go to the store and try them on, play with the sizing, I have long toes so I had to play around a bit, also get the spints because they have the strap going across the top.

I'm sure they will make their video debut real soon!

F1

I'm for going barefoot and have always done as much of that as possible. In SoCal and living near the beach I was mostly barefoot in and outside of home. My feet do toughen up though without the shoes, with shoes my feet may not like them but my heels do. I did need to wear sandals though on the hot sand.

All winter since I loved to cold climate recently I only have worn socks inside, no shoes unless I'm going outside or out to do errands. I do love shopping for shoes though..I learned though the last time I was in Oregon to not buy so many..'cause many stayed new and never worn!

Now that it's warmer I'm wearing my cute easy off and on sandals more often.

Love,
Prism

F1's Vibrams Five Finger Review

[www.youtube.com]

F1

I just picked up a pair of the Vibram sprints today, and... HOLY COW!!!!!

Guys, seriously... COOLEST SHOES **EVER**!!!

I put them on right after I bought them for a romp around Toronto--no sweat walking around the city! My sneakers made my feet feel like the equivalent of doing jumping jacks in a straight jacket. The movement in the toes and arches was sublime.

The real test was to take them outside on the nature trails near my apartment. I ran through gravel, woodchips, earthen paths, mud, climbed rocks, hills, trees, old beaver dams, and ran through streams. It was so comfortable. Over the course of hours, I noticed my gait changed. My step became so secure.

There is a fallen tree that I like to climb and sit over a stream... but it takes me forever to get up there, and I used to have to very slowly inch my terrified and unbalanced way to the middle, and then pray not to fall. I got up the tree in a heartbeat, my feet just LOCKED AROUND the trunk, and I didn't even need my arms for balance to just run across. It was so much fun. I found all the fallen trees and ran on them, including the wobbly ones over the deep parts of the stream. My feet just HUNGERED for more texture. I felt like a little kid, so connected and running around.

While I was trekking down an earthen path, an older couple stopped over a bridge on the main gravel path. They were watching me... and all of a sudden, I just dashed into the stream. I said hello as they exchanged surprised and disapproving glances.

SO MUCH FUN!!! The shoes are SO NICE!! So liberating. Wow! I couldn't imagine being a barefootist, but this is really the joy barefooting has to be all about. I have so much freedom. I can walk wherever I want! =D

This may sound like a weird question, so forgive me... are the Five Fingers made with an inbuilt arch support? They LOOK like they might, and, if they are, I'll be getting a pair in a heartbeat! I started wearing Earth shoes a couple years ago, which took care of a second nasty round of Plantar Fasciitis (spelling?) but really miss walking barefoot a lot...especially since I'm originally from the C'bean and used to go speedwalking on the beach for at least an hour every morning... gave me the best legs ever!

Okay...so I spent a lot of time exploring the Five Finger site, as well as reading the NY Times article referenced to in the beginning of this thread. Found more links to other kinds of "barefoot shoes" in the comments section after the article; of them all, Vivo Barefoot and Soft Star Shoes were a bit intriging...

Now I get that they don't come with arch support necessarily because that would be defeating the purpose! I am really considering getting a pair of F.Fs...I think the KSOs would be the ticket. Thank you, F1 and phantom, for those great reviews!