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 Lessons You Can Learn From Window Repair Near Upvc window repairs
10 Myths Your Boss Is Spreading Regarding Veterans Disability Legal Veterans Disability Law Firms
20 Great Tweets Of All Time Popular Casino Slots legitimate slots
15 Gifts For The Veterans Disability Law Lover In Your Life Veterans disability Lawyers
Themed Slots Tips That Will Revolutionize Your Life Themed Slot games
What’s The Job Market For Accident Compensation Professionals Like?
Accident
20 Reasons To Believe Birth Defect Case Will Never Be Forgotten birth defect Lawsuits
Why Slot Graphics May Be Greater Dangerous Than You Think slot software (Cheryle)
10 Amazing Graphics About Judi Bola tolol
Three Greatest Moments In Fela Railroad Settlements History federal employers
20 Resources That Will Make You Better At Modern Mobility Scooters self-Balancing Mobility scooters
5. Slot Features Projects For Any Budget top software providers for slots, Blanca,
17 Signs To Know If You Work With Semi Truck Claim semi Truck accident attorney
The Little-Known Benefits Of Replacement Upvc Window Handles upvc Window repair near me
How Much Do Jackpot Slots Experts Make? hacksaw
gaming casino games, Clara,
13 Things You Should Know About Adhd Private Assessment That You Might Not Have Considered assessed For adhd
Why Nobody Cares About 2 In 1 Pram convenient prams
5 Upvc Doors Projects For Any Budget upvc replacement door Locks
10 Things Everybody Hates About Mini Cooper Keys car key mini cooper (Elias)
The 10 Scariest Things About London Window Repairs london window repairs
11 Methods To Redesign Completely Your Double Glazing Shops Near Me Glazed
What Is Window Repair Near? History Of Window Repair Near upvc window repair (Sylvia)
7 Simple Secrets To Completely You Into Federal Employers Federal Employers Liability
5 Killer Quora Answers To Motorcycle Accident Attorneys motorcycle Accident attorneys
Guide To Walking Desk Pad: The Intermediate Guide In Walking Desk Pad Walking Desk Pad
Double Glazing Near Me Tips To Relax Your Daily
Life Double Glazing Near Me Trick That Every Person Must
Know Double Glazing Near Me (Jhil.Ipdisk.Co.Kr)
5 Lessons You Can Learn From London Online Clothing Shopping Sites which supermarket Is best for online shopping
20 Things Only The Most Devoted Amazon Under Desk Treadmill Fans Should Know
walking Treadmill for standing desk
10 Amazing Graphics About 3d Slots fruit slots (https://tagoverflow.stream/story.php?title=be-on-the-lookout-for-how-slot-volatility-is-taking-over-and-what-we-Can-do-about-it)
10 Tips For Double Glazing London That Are Unexpected Double+Glazing+Repairs+london
Keep An Eye On This: How Upvc Door Locking Mechanism Is Gaining Ground, And How To Respond
upvc panel Doors
Slots For Fun: The Ugly The Truth About Slots For Fun top winning slots
anyxxx, anyxxx.com
anyxxx, anyxxx.com
anyxxx, anyxxx.com
anyxxx, anyxxx.com
anyxxx, anyxxx.com
5 Killer Quora Answers To Replacement Double Glazing Units Near Me Replacement Double Glazing Units Near Me
anyxxx, anyxxx.com
anyxxx, anyxxx.com
anyxxx, anyxxx.com
anyxxx, anyxxx.com
anyxxx, anyxxx.com
anyxxx, anyxxx.com
anyxxx, anyxxx.com
anyxxx, anyxxx.com
Why Jackpot Slots Should Be Your Next Big Obsession? Themed Slots [http://Gs-Bio.Kr/Bbs/Board.Php?Bo_Table=Free&Wr_Id=9612]
Classic Slots Tips From The Top In The Business hacksaw Casino Online
How To Get More Benefits From Your How Many Cases Can You Get In CSGO
Case Opening
5 Things That Everyone Doesn’t Know Regarding Key Card For
Renault Megane Replacement renault sandero key replacement
(Clara)