How to start with barefoot shoes
Photography: Masudnpathan / Getty Images
You have probably wore padded shoes almost your whole life. Do not expect to throw them away and be able to do the same mileage – whether it is walking or running – in barefoot shoes. To a certain extent, you must relearn how to run and walk. It will take a conscious effort on your part, and it can be very difficult. You don’t only learn, you are too unlearning Some rooted habits. The key is to go slowly. Very, very, absurdly slow.
The way you approach barefoot shoes depends on what you are trying to do. I happened to run, which worked well because I had To take it slowly (I sucked). If you are currently ultra-Marathonian and want to try barefoot shoes, you will find it difficult to hold back. If you are somewhere between these poles, it will always be difficult not to do too much. Concentrate the discipline you usually use for the distance not do the distance.
If you don’t know where to start, consult Graham Tuttle’s YouTube channelEspecially his foot strengthening exercises. These will help you develop the strength of the feet and ankle you miss if you come from years of padded shoes and help reduce muscle pain when you start running barefoot. Tuttle also offers some paid programs aimed at giving you a more personalized guide (I have not tried any of these elements). Another YouTube channel that I found useful is the Movnat canalwhich is not specific to bare feet but has a lot of good barefoot advice sprinkled throughout its content. And if you haven’t read Christopher McDougall, both Born to run And Natural heroes are fun readings linked to bare feet. Indeed, Born to run We can say that more to popularize the bare feet in progress than anything else since the birth of the padded shoe in the early 1970s.
It is also worth saying that bare feet shoes are not a zero -sum game. For more than a year, I wore bare feet shoes in progress, regular shoes for other tasks and sandals the rest of the time. It’s not all or nothing. If you go on a barefoot race, then slap your favorite conversation just after, it’s ok. It is just as important to know that everyone is different. It took me six months to go completely to barefoot shoes. But it’s just me. It could take you two or two years. Go to your own pace and don’t worry about the experiences of others.
