Let me start this post by saying that this is not a sponsored post. I bought these myself and wanted to share some hard, objective data with you to potentially help you with your own weight loss/fitness journey!
A few months ago when I reignited my fitness journey, one of the first conscious decisions I made was to take a risk and try something different. I have very flat feet and have been wearing orthotics for the past decade… ever since I stopped my intense training in the martial arts. With my arches so flat, I always felt at the end of the day like I had been walking around Disneyland for the past 13 hours; even if I hadn’t walked that much. So, I sought out a podiatrist and began looking into picking up some prescription orthotics. Eventually, I picked up a pair and it was heavenly! Though it was pretty harsh walking on plastic footbeds (with padding on them), my feet weren’t sore like they were before. That is how I was fixing the problem of dealing with my flat footedness. Conventional wisdom. Conventional medicine. Like I said though, this time around I was going to try something new.
Minimalist Shoes and the Hype
Back to present day: When I decided that it was time to do better, it wasn’t a whim that lead me to the notion of going with barefoot running and minimalist running shoes. I’d heard about VFF’s, as they’re called by the minimalist faithful, roughly two years earlier and had been following the research and headlines off and on since then. They looked pretty cool (I have a thing for camo) and at the time I first found them I was looking for water shoes not knowing that Vibrams were so much more than that. So, the day I decided I was getting back into shape I immediately ran out to REI and picked up a pair of Vibram Five Fingers’ TrekSports. It was love at first run! My calves were sore but I could feel them getting stronger and as an added bonus, I could actually see them getting stronger. There was just one nagging concern in the back of my head… hype. One of the claims of the barefoot and minimalist running evangelists is that running shoes actually weaken arches and the supporting muscles in your feet and by running the way that nature intended, you will actually strengthen those atrophied muscles. A large part of my decision to go the minimalist route was various posts I’d read by large guys like myself who were now running without shin splits or knee or hip pain, thanks to Vibrams. I was 250lbs and figured that if other 250 or 300lb guys were seeing results then it was probably not too far fetched that I could as well.
Vibram Five Fingers and the Foot Scanner
Being the nerd I am, anecdotal evidence wasn’t enough for me. I decided that around the 3 or 4 month mark I would have my feet rescanned to see if my new running posture (I’ve been using the Pose method), which I attribute to the wearing of the VFFs, had yet effected the muscles in my feet for the better. That meant that I should also see an improvement in my arches. During this time I also wore my VFFs at work, for short walks around the neighborhood and to work out in. In other words, I practically lived in them. They’re so comfortable that I wanted to wear them all the time! The only time I didn’t wear them was when summer got into full swing and I started wearing flip flops. This week, I went and had my feet rescanned, the results of that scan are below, along with my baseline scan which shows how my feet looked prior to wearing VFFs.
The scan above is my baseline scan. This is what my feet looked like after having worn prescription orthotics. I wish I had scans from before I began wearing the orthotics, but I don’t. The right side of the page shows what healthy feet should look like and the left are mine.The dark areas of my foot are where the most pressure is being placed on the contact surface. Notice how different the arch on my right foot looks than the left? My right arch is pretty collapsed, which means the left side of my body is doing more work. This can lead to lower back pain (and it has), very tight thigh muscles (IT band issues) and sore, tired feet. I’ve experienced all of the above.
This scan shows my feet today. Notice how balanced my arches are now? That’s because my right foot actually has an arch now! I thought it was a pretty dramatic difference myself. I could’ve had the doc send my scans to the lab to have them pour over them with precision and give me hard data for the improvements in my arch, but I figured I’d save the doc and myself the expense since the pictures are fairly striking. I can tell you that I’ve been running now for four months, averaging 3-5 miles a week, and have had no shin splits, no lower back pain and no running associated knee pain (they’ve been a little tender but that’s because I’ve also been doing a lot of squats).
So, there you have it! Let me make one thing clear though. I’m always asked by people, “how do you like your Five Fingers?” I tell them that I love them and how much better I “feel” having worn them but I’m also careful to let them know that the shoes themselves aren’t a “magic bullet.” Vibram Five Fingers didn’t do this to my feet, running with no cushion, on the balls of my feet like a sprinter did this to my feet. Walking around in them all the time, did this to my feet. Not pushing myself too hard and injuring my feet (people are seeing instances of plantar fascitis and top of foot injuries from overuse) did this. The shoes, as awesome as they are, were the catalyst for all of this though. If I hadn’t stumbled upon the site while looking for water shoes years ago, I may not have stumbled upon the barefoot and minimalist running movement and added one of the most important tools in my fitness journey to my toolbox.
5 Things That Everyone Doesn’t Know About Treadmills Home Gym treadmill home gym (Terese)
Five Things You’re Not Sure About About Fela Lawsuit Settlements Firms
10 Steps To Begin Your Own Panels For Upvc Doors Business
replacement Upvc Door Locks
The Reason Car Accident Claim Is So Beneficial When COVID-19 Is In Session Car Accident Law Firm
Switch the narrative and speak about your most significant
achievements instead.
Feel free to surf to my weeb site; Ezalba.Com
Guide To Double Glazed Window Near Me: The Intermediate Guide To Double Glazed Window Near Me Double Glazed Window Near Me
Guide To Good Prams: The Intermediate Guide To Good Prams good Prams
You’ll Be Unable To Guess Demo Slot Pragmatic Hades’s Benefits demo Slot pragmatic hades (chemimart.kr)
Five Motorcycle Accident Settlement Lessons From The Professionals
Motorcycle Accident Lawyer
Five Killer Quora Answers To Double Glazing Repairs Leeds glazing repairs leeds
14 Smart Ways To Spend The Leftover Motor Vehicle Litigation Budget motor vehicle accident law firm
Watch Out: How Birth Defect Litigation Is Taking Over And What Can We Do
About It firms
Do Not Buy Into These “Trends” About Fela Railroad Settlements Fela Settlements
You’ll Never Guess This Double Glaze Repair Near Me’s Secrets double Glaze Repair near me
This Week’s Top Stories About Workers Compensation Litigation Workers’ Compensation Attorneys
You’ll Never Guess This Which Online Stores Ship Internationally’s Secrets which online stores ship
internationally (Michal)
The 10 Most Terrifying Things About Online Grocery Stores That Ship online grocery stores that ship
10 Things Your Competitors Can Teach You About Slot Themes Top jackpot slots – https://www.Metooo.com/ –
Guide To Slot Wins: The Intermediate Guide The Steps
To Slot Wins slot wins (m1bar.com)
The 10 Most Infuriating CS GO Case Website Failures Of All Time Could Have Been Prevented
case revolution, Demetria,
What Is The Future Of Repairing Window Be Like In 100 Years?
Repaired
How To Tell If You’re Ready For 2 In 1 Pram System egg stroller 2 in 1
10 Things Everyone Has To Say About 18-Wheeler Lawyer accidents
Window Glass Replacement: 11 Things That You’re
Failing To Do window glass replacement near me
This Is How Winning Slots Will Look In 10 Years Legitimate Slots – Postheaven.Net –
How To Tell The Window Repairs Which Is Right For You Upvc Window Repair
10 Things Everyone Hates About Mazda 5 Key Fob mazda spare key replacement
Slot Bonuses: The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly bonus Slots
What’s The Current Job Market For Bonus Slots Professionals?
bonus slots (suiwifi.Vouvstudio.com)
Why You Should Forget About Enhancing Your Truck Accident truck accident lawsuits
Why You Should Focus On Improving How To Buy Clothes Online From Uk Astronaut Suit 6-12 Months – Douglas
–
A Peek Into Window Repair Near’s Secrets Of Window Repair Near Upvc window repair near Me
Guide To Top Prams: The Intermediate Guide To Top Prams top prams – inprokorea.com –
Five Reasons To Join An Online Misted Double Glazing Repairs Near Me Shop
And 5 Reasons Not To doors
The 10 Most Scariest Things About Modern Slots casino slot games
Ten Online Shopping Uk That Will Make Your Life Better Grain-Free Dog Treats
10 Things You Learned In Kindergarden That Will Help You With Birth Injury Litigation birth Injury law firm (https://kizkiuz.com/user/DCCJonathon/)
Five Killer Quora Answers To Free Casino Slots free casino slots
The 10 Scariest Things About Progressive Slots Progressive Slots
10 Meetups On Boat Accident Compensation You Should Attend boat accident Lawyers (http://Www.gawonsilver.Com)
15 Desk Treadmill Foldable Benefits Everyone Should Be Able
To foldable desk treadmill
What’s The Job Market For Window Doctor Near Me Professionals?
window doctor Near me
10 Best Mobile Apps For Double Glazing Repairs Leeds Window caulking
14 Common Misconceptions About Window Repairs Near Me upvc window Repairs near me
The Worst Advice We’ve Ever Been Given About Upvc Window Repairs Upvc Window Repairs Near Me
10 Misconceptions That Your Boss May Have Regarding Replacement Windows Crawley window restoration Service
See What Online Clothing Sites Uk Tricks The Celebs Are Using online clothing
sites Uk (http://www.gongjuilbo.kr)
What’s The Reason CSGO Cases Opening Is Quickly Becoming The Hot Trend Of 2023 web case
The Biggest Issue With Pushchair Sale, And How You
Can Fix It baby travel Solutions
What Is The Reason Car Accident Claim Is The Right Choice For You?
car accident law firm