Minimalist Shoes

Jul 27

Also known as.. Barefoot Shoes, Human Shoes, Zero Drop Shoes, etc!

What is a Minimalist Shoe?

There are lots of companies that claim they have/make/sell minimalist shoes, so I will start by defining what I would call a minimalist shoe.

Zero Drop: the sole of the shoe is the same thickness front to back.
Wide Toe Box: the front of the shoe allows for the toes to FULLY splay - the toes should be the widest part of the shoe. If you were to take the insole out of your shoe and step on it, would your feet fit within the boundaries of the insole, or do the sides of your feet or your toes spill over?
Flexible Sole: You should be able to easily roll/fold up the shoe.
Thin Sole: You should be able to feel the ground under your feet.

Why Minimalist?

Think about the shoes you wear. Most traditional shoes are stiff and do not allow for a lot of movement of your foot.

THEN - summer comes and say we decide to wear flip-flops and maybe we get plantar fasciitis. What happens? We blame the flip-flops.

What if it wasn’t the flip-flops’ fault? What if it was because you went from very restricted movement to no restriction in the movement of your shoes? What if it was because your feet are not used to movement that flip flops allow?

What if - instead of wearing restrictive footwear, we allowed our feet to have some freedom?

If your feet had freedom they would likely:

Become more mobile - because they can move!
Become stronger - because you are using them, and not relying on external support - all the time!
Have a decreased chance of injury
- How can you have decreased injury when you don’t have a “good supportive shoe”? Well, we already talked about the strength and mobility aspect of it. So lets talk about feedback. When your foot can feel the ground, it can react more quickly to an uneven space. When your tissues have had enough load, they are able to react more quickly. Essentially, when in minimalist shoes, pain will have a shadow, and if you listen to your body and back off when you start to feel that shadow, you will decrease your chances of injury!

Minimalist Shoes and Impact

Okay - so you only wear the minimalist shoes for day-to-day stuff right? It can’t be safe for impact activities can it?
Minimalist shoes are safe for impact activities!

If you train for it. If you have never worn minimalist shoes then yes, there is a good chance you will have an injury if you go out tomorrow and run your half marathon. BUT if you train your body and your feet, then minimalist shoes are perfectly safe to wear with impact activities - I run long distances (10-21k) in minimalist shoes!

Conclusion

Minimalist shoes do not need to be for everyone, and they do not need to be for every activity, and I am not saying you HAVE to switch to minimalist shoes. All I am saying is that it is another option that is out there, and maybe the flip-flops is not the problem. Maybe it is the lack of variety that we are exposing our feet to.

Wondering where you can buy minimalist shoes?