Barefoot
A couple of weeks ago I bought my first pair of vivobarefoot shoes. This is the model, if anyone's interested:
http://www.theiconic.com.au/Neo-54672.html
The woman who sold them to me seemed concerned that I hadn't worn barefoot shoes before. She gave me lots of warnings about only wearing them for short periods of time at first, to give my calves and achilles tendons time to adjust to the lack of heel height. Everything I'd read online agreed said similar things. I was very skeptical about this being an issue, especially since I wear Birkenstocks all summer and they actually have a heel drop.
So I pretty much ignored the advice. The first day I just wore them around the house but the second day I walked to work in them (45 minutes) and wore them all day. I've hardly taken them off since then except to sleep. I've had no calf pain.
What I always suspected would be the bigger problem was adjusting to the lack of cushioning. It's a very thin sole so I've had to change the way I walk to avoid heavy heel striking. This took a bit of concentration initially but I don't even notice it anymore. The only thing I've have noticed is I now step off the concrete pavement whenever there's the opportunity to walk on grass instead. It used to be the other way around. When I wore traditionally structured shoes with thick soles I would prefer to walk on concrete so my legs didn't have to work as hard. Now soft surfaces are my friend.
I'm still a bit wary of the longer term effects on my feet and knees, so that's something I'll be monitoring. I've worn orthotics for years, so this is a big change.
http://www.theiconic.com.au/Neo-54672.html
The woman who sold them to me seemed concerned that I hadn't worn barefoot shoes before. She gave me lots of warnings about only wearing them for short periods of time at first, to give my calves and achilles tendons time to adjust to the lack of heel height. Everything I'd read online agreed said similar things. I was very skeptical about this being an issue, especially since I wear Birkenstocks all summer and they actually have a heel drop.
So I pretty much ignored the advice. The first day I just wore them around the house but the second day I walked to work in them (45 minutes) and wore them all day. I've hardly taken them off since then except to sleep. I've had no calf pain.
What I always suspected would be the bigger problem was adjusting to the lack of cushioning. It's a very thin sole so I've had to change the way I walk to avoid heavy heel striking. This took a bit of concentration initially but I don't even notice it anymore. The only thing I've have noticed is I now step off the concrete pavement whenever there's the opportunity to walk on grass instead. It used to be the other way around. When I wore traditionally structured shoes with thick soles I would prefer to walk on concrete so my legs didn't have to work as hard. Now soft surfaces are my friend.
I'm still a bit wary of the longer term effects on my feet and knees, so that's something I'll be monitoring. I've worn orthotics for years, so this is a big change.