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.
Ten Common Misconceptions About Global Offensive Counter-Strike That Aren’t Always
The Truth case snakebite
5 Online Shopping Websites Clothes Projects For Any Budget Mul-16-12 Steel Strapping
14 Cartoons On Upvc Window Repairs To Brighten Your Day Window repairs near me
20 Fun Infographics About Kia Sportage Replacement Key kia sorento Key fob
Programming (another-ro.com)
A Sage Piece Of Advice On Auto Accident Lawyer From
A Five-Year-Old auto Accidents
Seven Explanations On Why Land-Based Slots Is Important Evoplay slots alluring
You’ll Never Guess This Online Shopping Uk
Sites’s Tricks Online shopping uk Sites
The 10 Most Scariest Things About Underdesk Treadmill underdesk treadmill (Lilian)
The One Winning Slots Mistake Every Beginning Winning Slots User Makes Trusted Slots
What’s The Current Job Market For Double Pram Pushchair Professionals?
Pram Pushchair
5 Killer Quora Answers To Pushchairs Pushchairs pushchairs Pushchairs
Why We Why We 18 Wheeler Accident Attorney Near Me (And You Should, Too!) 18 wheeler accident Lawsuit
9 Things Your Parents Taught You About Link Building Seo Software link building Seo software
I really like reading a post that will make people think. Also, many thanks for allowing
for me to comment!
Your way of describing everything in this piece of writing is genuinely fastidious, all can easily be aware of it, Thanks
a lot.
What’s The Job Market For Best 2 In 1 Pushchair Professionals?
Best 2 In 1 Pushchair
What Is The Secret Life Of Car Accident Case legal
The Most Effective Reasons For People To Succeed In The Upvc
Windows Repair Industry Upvc Window Repair
See What Treadmills Best Tricks The Celebs Are Making Use Of treadmills Best; osclass-classifieds.a2hosted.Com,
I do not even understand how I finished up right here, however I assumed this post
was once great. I don’t realize who you’re but definitely you’re going to
a famous blogger in case you are not already.
Cheers!
Why Adding A Slot Strategies To Your Life’s Journey Will Make The Difference casino Slot Machines
What’s The Most Important “Myths” Concerning Veterans Disability Attorney Could Actually Be Accurate Veterans Disability Lawsuit
A Productive Rant About Window Screen Replacement replacement windows and doors
What’s The Job Market For Cheap Double Pushchair Professionals?
cheap Double pushchair
9 . What Your Parents Teach You About CSGO Cases Ranked riptide case (Shanon)
Double Glazing Companies Near Me Tools To Ease Your
Daily Life Double Glazing Companies Near Me Trick Every Person Should Know
Double glazing companies Near me, m1bar.com,
The Leading Reasons Why People Achieve In The Upvc Door Locking Mechanism Industry door hinges Upvc
You’ll Never Guess This Fela Lawsuit Settlements’s Benefits fela lawsuit settlements
You Are Responsible For The Slot Bonuses Budget? Twelve Top Ways To Spend Your Money modern Slots
7 Secrets About Land-Based Slots That No One Will Tell You top jackpot Slots
What Freud Can Teach Us About Slot Gaming Experience Evoplay Slots Recommended
Can you tell us more about this? I’d want to find out
some additional information.
5 Killer Quora Answers On CSGO Case Opening Simulator Case Opening
15 Funny People Who Are Secretly Working In Modern Slots Slot Features
Interactive Slots Tools To Streamline Your Daily Lifethe One Interactive Slots Trick That
Should Be Used By Everyone Know Interactive slots – cube6shop.dothome.co.kr –
10 Door Repairs Near Me-Friendly Habits To Be Healthy Upvc Door Repairs Near Me
I really like reading through an article that can make men and women think.
Also, many thanks for allowing for me to comment!
Upvc Door Repairs Near Me Tools To Streamline Your Daily Lifethe One Upvc Door Repairs Near
Me Trick That Should Be Used By Everyone Know upvc door repairs near me
What’s The Ugly Reality About Best Slot Machines multi-line slots
Why No One Cares About Window Repairs Luton Upvc Window Doctor Near Me
15 Twitter Accounts That Are The Best To Find Out More About List Of Online Shopping
Sites In Uk Vimeo
Nine Things That Your Parent Teach You About Upvc Windows Near Me Upvc Windows Near Me
See What Double Glazed Door Repairs Near Me Tricks The Celebs Are Making Use Of double Glazed Door
10 Quick Tips About Slot Tournaments scatter slots, Tate-connor.federatedjournals.com,
What Freud Can Teach Us About Demo Gates Of Gatotkaca slot demo gates of
Gatotkaca – mspeech.kr –
15 Things You’ve Never Known About Licensed Slots top mobile Slots (http://www.gisbbs.Cn)
9 . What Your Parents Teach You About Lightest Double Stroller Lightest Double stroller
10 Facts About Slot Strategies That Will Instantly Put You In A Good Mood Mobile-friendly slots, http://Lslv168.com/home.php?mod=Space&uid=764355,
5 Reasons To Be An Online Treadmills Folding Treadmills Shop And 5
Reasons Not To Shop
Twilight Princess: What’s The Only Thing Nobody Is Talking
About slot demo gratis starlight princess (Harvey)