Never say never… but I did! Seriously, I thought I would NEVER own a pair of shoes that looked so ridiculous. A few years ago, I first saw a pair of Vibram FiveFingers shoes on my Chiropractor, and a giggle escaped me as he walked into the room. I had a brief conversation with him regarding how he felt and the time it took for him to adapt to having his toes spread out. I thought they looked more like gloves for feet than shoes. Needless to say, two years later I stumbled upon them on my birthday while out shopping and low and behold… I’m now a proud new owner. AND I LOVE THEM!!!
It’s amazing how bunched up my toes were and I never realized it. Ladies… you need these shoes! You need them to get your feet back to their original form before pointy-toed shoes and boots. Yes, the pointy shoes look hot, but your feet and back suffer. It seriously took me about two weeks to get my toes trained to slide into each section with ease.
When I first used the shoes they felt pretty weird. But when I ran, I noticed that the shoes kept me more on the balls of my feet and leveled out my springy sprinter gait. My pace was much slower in the beginning and I felt my muscles working differently, especially around my ankles, my calf muscles, and my quadriceps. But, all, I noticed better form, better balance, and better muscle connection with each step. I’ve even been wearing them around the house and when I train clients. Of course, I still use my Asics running shoes as well, but the Vibram FiveFingers are a great trade-out.
Minimalist shoes (as they call them) provide protection, yet they are highly functional. They allow the foot the feel the ground, move naturally, and sense its surroundings. All of which we have lost most awareness of due to the modern-day running/walking shoe. I highly encourage you to invest in a pair for yourself. Let me know what you discover; beyond the funny looks that you will receive!
