Things I Learned About My Feet

I have been wearing minimalist and barefoot shoes for over a month and I have learned a lot! Some things were expected but honestly the unexpected were the most eye opening for me.

Starting off, I just want to say I am no expert. Most of my information comes from what I have learned following SquatUniversity on Instagram and you should definitely follow! Originally, the thought came into my mind after realizing that after my shifts, my feet were absolutely killing me! I have been obsessed with ON Running Shoes for a hot minute but even with their cushioning I found myself cleaning the studio barefoot. Really, why even wear shoes if they just make my feet hurt? Of course that is where the idea of minimalist shoes came into my head!

It still took me a while to get some because, like most people, the price tag on these name brands can be jarring... and I am a thrifty lady. haha! It was not until I did some looking on Amazon that I found other options that were around 40 bucks! At that price I had to at least try them. My first pair is from WHITIN on amazon and they were a great starter pair! About 3 weeks in, I ordered my second pair directly off Saguaros website for their barefoot shoes for my first unexpected realization about barefoot shoes:

You don't need to wear socks!

For all you concerned, yes of course you can still wear socks with these shoes! But I was super surprised that I was getting extra chaffing and SOME resistance to opening my toe box wearing socks. I expected to get some chaffing but not just due to the extra layer that socks provide. However, minimalist shoes are intended to just protect your feet from cuts and scrapes but leave you feeling like your feet can do the work of a barefoot. They are designed to be worn in a way that avoids chaffing and fits snug closer to your ankle to keep your shoes from falling off as you use them. I do recommend checking reviews to ensure that the shoes you chose are going to fit right. Not wearing socks did come with some extra sweating, specially since I am an active person and started working out with them. So I did some more research and decided to get a second pair from a different company which gave me a great comparison of reasonably priced minimalist shoes. BUT... the main reason is that I do need to clean them more regularly so I need a second pair so that I have the time for them to dry properly. Speaking of my second pair, second thing I want to tell you I learned:

Not all minimalist shoes are made the same.

Let's be honest, these shoes are not the cutest... There is a HUGE difference between my two pairs. (see photo above) But I am doing this to build my foot muscles and create a base that can help my body feel better. If you asked my opinion, I think I did it the right way around. The WHITIN orange pair has great cushion with minimal support and more space for my toes to spread out, specially when I am working out. This provided me with the extra cushion but toe space to ease into this new lifestyle. The Black Saguaro pair came with an orthopedic insert that I immediately took out. I am not sure I would have taken it out if I had started with this pair. They have a noticeably high heel insert, which I am not sure why they would do that. I probably would not have noticed if I started with these. So do keep that in mind if you decide to start with Saguaros. They are much prettier looking shoes though! There is still plenty of space for my open toe box.

As a trainer, coach and fitness enthusiast, I think the next realization is the most surprising and important:

Running wasn't the hardest adjustment.

I REALLY thought running in these shoes was going to be the hardest adjustment. Color me impressed! Probably the most interesting realization seems obvious to me now. Hopefully in your own experience running, you should know that running on the balls of your feet protects your joints and helps you keep pressing forward, more efficiently. When you wear normal shoes, they have insoles and designs that naturally put you in a ball focused strike. HOWEVER, it also rounds your toes together internally (aka towards the big toe and largest part of the ball of your foot). By opening up your toe box during running it actually evenly distributes the weight throughout the entire ball of your foot as well as distributes the weight through all toes. This actually reduces impact to the internal portion of the foot! I had no idea when I first tried to run. I won't say it's been all sunshine and rainbows but I have been slowly adding running into my workouts (less powerwalking for you OrangeTheory folks) and my feet are still getting tired with all the new muscles I am activating. Which will definitely be worth while. Of course the other side of this:

I have had to humble myself on the weight floor...

Shoes are exactly like belly wraps, belts and knee braces: they are all crutches. From years of normal shoe usage, my body is used to relying on that crutch in lifting heavy with great range of motion. Now I have to really focus on what my feet are doing in lower body movements and it comes with some weight adjustments. But as I have mentioned and utilized with my clients, it takes some time but it is so worth the limitations. Now that I don't have that crutch supporting my normal movements I have the opportunity to build strength that I have not had before!

Please leave a comment! Let me know if you bought your very own pair and what you have learned about your feet!