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Vibrams and the Barefoot Experience

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Sat, 06/02/2012 - 14:55
Lizzy_B
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Joined: 10/25/2010
Posts: 3246

Kristen K. wrote:
I'm really thinking about buying a pair of these. I mean, I've been thinking about it for awhile but now I think I have to.

I was in a lot of pain when the kids and I were in Disneyland, and spent most of my Park time in a wheelchair. The one day that we were just relaxing I decided that I could probably make it through Downtown Disney on my own power. We got pretty far into the shops and suddenly I had to find a place to sit, I wasn't really able to balance very well and was seriously wobbly. I started to panic a bit as the kids and I came up with a plan to get me back to the room. Part of our plan, was that I would take my shoes off. I thought it sounded sort of crazy at first, but once I took off my shoes ( solid soled flip flop style sandal) I was able to balance, the pain lessened, and I made it back to the room with almost no problems.

I'm not sure if we hadn't of been talking about these toed shoes on the forum, if I would have even considered that they could be part of my problem. I spend the majority of my time barefoot and it dawned on me that perhaps I needed to be using different muscles to get myself back to the room. It really worked like a charm and I want to see if switching to this sort of shoes might just eliminate a lot of my day to day pain.

You may find these help a lot, Kristen! I spent the weekend in my Fit Flops last week, and I've had foot pain ever since. There's something about the cushy footbed that actually seems to cause me problems.

dontthrowsand wrote:
I dont wear the fivefingers but I wear a barefoot shoe - merrell pace glove are my current ones. They are made with a vibram sole. They are great because I feel very comfortable and often forget I am wearing shoes. I think it has also improved my posture a little bit. I am thinking of picking up for fivefingers soon.I also wear a lot of flip flops because sometimes I just don't like any time of shoes.

I am a huge fan of barefoot running, minimalist shoes and zero drop shoes. I recommend training your feet to get used to them first because you do walk and run differently in them. Also research the different types. Most people I know started with Nike or new balance minimalist shoes (that still have a minor toe-to-heal drop) and are making their way to ones with vibram soles before getting the fivefingers (or toe shoes as my goddaughter calls them).

Merrell barefoot connection is a great site to learn more for those who aren't used to the idea.

I likely will never go back to regular runners. I wear flip flops the majority of the time and sometimes my converse shoes but these are amazing shoes now that I am used to walking in them.

Thank you so much for weighing in! I really should check out the Merrells. They make my absolute favorite shoes that I own, so they would be a GREAT place to start, I think.

Right now, as for running/fitness, I'm still wearing Brooks, made to correct my over pronating. After I get a bit of weight off, I'd really love to try a light shoe.

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