Questions & Answers

Hi, Here is a minimalist shoe lover. I want that my 3 years old boy to walk in minimalist shoes too, so I decided to produce healty shoes for him and for the others little feet.

Beside anatomical toe shape and wide toebox, how does the out sole shoe lasts must be? a flat one (toebox/the top is on the ground) or natural curved (where the toebox/ the top is up, it doesen't touch the ground)?

Thank you! C

As I have been getting into the barefoot shoe world I keep wondering how did the idea of kids needing shoes with support (be it arch support, heel support or whatever else) come about? Most articles where I read about toddler/kids shoes specialists say that barefoot is the best and then so many of them go on to say that when buying shoes for your child you need to make sure it has enough of "support". How did that idea get started? I have been trying to read up about it, but have not been able to find anything. Anyone?

I've started running for about 2 month now. And I want start running with c25k, and also shift to barefoot. Is it okay to be barefoot during this program, or is it too much too soon?

Hi there. I have read your article on winter running suggesting the Feelmax Vasko. Can you tell me how they compare to the Vibram Five Finger Lontra. I did a 2.5hr on a -15C, but feels like -22 with the windchill, and came home with both big toe with frost bite and frost nip on my hands. I am looking for a pair of minimalist running shoes for the winter. I currently run in Merrell Pace Glove. I have been looking at Vivobarefoot Neo Trail. What do you suggest for Canadian winters?

Haven't been to the site in a while, and what a surprise when I got here. It looks great.

To make this relevant to the topic, it's finally warm enough here in Newfoundland to kick off the shoes. Nothing beats barefoot gardening, I love the feel of moist soil. Not so keen on the gravel driveway I have to traverse to reach the shed, though... I hope my feet toughen up soon!

National Barefoot Day (presumably in USA but I'll be barefoot in UK on that day anyway) is June 1st.

The most respected article directory on the internet is EzineArticles, and Chris Knight is the public face of EzineArticles. Today he put out the following tweet, which I take issue with:

"Our team will be doing a local shoe drive to benefit @Soles4Souls + we'll be celebrating National Barefoot Day June 1st to bring awareness." https://twitter.com/#!/ChrisKnight/status/69049422570467329

Soles4Souls description is: "Changing the World One Pair at a Time® by partnering with Businesses, Orgs. & Individuals to collect & distribute 14 million pairs of shoes worldwide"

I responded:

"Chris, your National Barefoot tweet doesn't make sense. Feet, posture & balance are healthier unshod, so why distribute shoes??" https://twitter.com/#!/ishabluebell/status/69146486549647360

If you're on twitter and agree with me, you might like to join the fray!

Isha

I love this video:

http://youtu.be/wLLjwAZVkrY

He uses a skeleton of the foot to show the difference between natural feet and feet that have worn non-barefoot shoes, and how the correct position of the big toe gives more natural support to the arch of the foot.

I never thought I would really run with bare feet, only with minimal shoes. The last two weeks I ran barefoot through the woods three times and I really loved it. It gives me a lot of energy. After the run my feet feel very well and then I look at them with pride. I always watch out very well where I put my feet. Especially Pine cones have to be avoided. In some places they are on the trail everywhere. My feet got bruised a few times a littlebit but this is part of the game. Running barefoot is actually a matter of technique and a lot of concentration. So you can enjoy the surroundings less. My skin is quite thin. My experience is that you don't need a thick skin as long as you watch out very well and know your limits. But you need a thick 'elephantskin' for the responses from some other people you pass on your barefoot run. After the run I clean and inspect my feet very well. A cotton wash cloth or washing mitt is the best for this.

It's illegal for anyone under the age of 18 to ride a horse on a highway while barefoot. 104.1.2 Ont HTA (Ontario Canada)

Who knew.

I think if I looked into it some where in the act it is probably illegal to ride a horse on a highway now.

Oh wait I just reread that I guess since I am over 18 I can ride barefoot. How do these laws get made...

Hope the poor horse doesn't die on a Sunday because.........

in Toronto, Ontario, it’s illegal to drag a dead horse down Younge St on a Sunday.

Although the post is on a runner's website, I'm referring to it here on the Bare Feet forum because it's more on the same issues that come up again and again around being bare foot.

It's on marathon-runner Joanna Sayers' website, a guest post from another podiatrist:

http://joannasayers.com/index.php/2011/03/09/the-barefoot-debate-continues/

Thought it would be interesting to post pictures of bad barefooting experiences, or "why I wear minimalist shoes instead of going barefoot." :)

Hello from sunny southern california,

My name is Jon and I have been training barefoot for quite a while now and thoroughly enjoy it. The feeling and freedom cannot be compared, I encourage those who are on the fence to try it and see for yourself.

I have been barefooting for about a year and a half. I live in a small town where barefooting in public is not tolerated, and I am not allowed to barefoot at work. Because of this, I wear minimalist shoes when I can't barefoot. My husband of two years and my friends from work and church are supportive of my barefooting, which is nice, because my family is not. I am proudly on the Board for the Primalfoot Alliance, and am looking forward to the day when we can barefoot in public without being discriminated against!

I am a mother of 4 boys, our 5th is in Haiti awaiting his paperwork to be processed. I am a barefoot junkie and have been since I was a kid. My mom was always yelling at me to Put my shoes on...but alas my natural inclination to be barefoot won out. Now I have passed that desire on to my children. As we explore the world beyond our home however barefeet aren't really "sanitary" so we have been exploring footwear options for some time. My husband also suffers from back problems and has been told that a change in foot wear could alleviate his problems. We are still in the research phase and have yet to purchase any barefoot foot wear but am loving reading the reviews!!!! They have been so helpful. -Louise

Hello, I am new to running let alone barefoot. I have traveled barefoot for a good many years but have not gotten into the running part. I am trying slowly to change that. Currently I hibernate in the Wisconsin winters, but I am looking forward to training in barefeet again soon.

My name is Sara and I head up the NM contingent of the Barefoot Running Society. We have a small but most excellent group of barefoot and minimalist runners. I'm on my way to the Chicago Marathon in October.

New Mexicans - give a shout!

Good Morning. I have been a runner for over 20 years and am new to the barefoot movement. Since I have switched to a minimal shoe my running has improved greatly and I feel more free. I hope to run barefoot this summer for some training runs.

Hi,

I've heard that feet can change due to barefoot running. Has this happened to anyone? Feet getting shorter or toes splaying wider. There are some very interesting / disturbing photos in this article and I'd like to believe I can get my feet to look like the feet of the never shod guy.

Niki

I've been wondering this lately. I'm deciding to go barefoot (potentially - and hopefully - for the rest of my life), but I'm curious to know if I should perhaps go through minimalist footwear first? or if I should go directly to barefoot?

For those that don't know, I'm training for a barefoot hike soon that should last 2 and a half months over all sorts of Canadian terrain. My worry is that If I go to minimalist footwear first, my skin wont toughen up as quickly as it would simply going barefooted. I realize that it will help in many other ways, however.

Take note that I have a year and a half until my trek. Should I go with minimalist footwear first to help build proper muscle structure and so on? or Should I go directly to barefoot?

I moved to New Zealand from the Isle of Man in Great Britain just over a year ago. I teach at a secondary school.

Having worn footwear, just like everyone else in Britain, my whole life I was a bit shocked to find so many Kiwis barefoot.

Even at school all children run the cross country barefoot. Amazing! It got me thinking and although I am not tough enough yet I have started to not wear traditional training shoes.

I have been a little overweight for a few years and have recently lost 30lbs in weight. I have developed an interest in bodyweight training and do a little kettlebells.