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.
Keep An Eye On This: How Window Glass Replacement Near
Me Is Gaining Ground And What We Can Do About It repaired
The Most Worst Nightmare About Double Glazing Fitters Near
Me Relived Handle
What’s The Current Job Market For Designer Handbags Green Professionals
Like? Designer Handbags Green
The Reasons Top Table Freezer Is Everywhere This Year compact Freezers
Double Glazing Leeds Tips From The Top In The
Industry Local
This Is The One Auto Accident Compensation Claims Trick Every Person Should Be Aware Of Car accident injury claim attorney
15 Of The Most Popular Pinterest Boards Of All Time About Best Espresso Machine User-Friendly
The Complete List Of Online Shopping Sites List For Clothes Dos And Don’ts Inground Pool Vacuum Head
The Most Pervasive Issues With Slot Demo Gratis Pragmatic Play No Deposit demo slot click
A Peek Into The Secrets Of Double Glazing Doors Repairs double
glazing repairs (Rochell)
The 10 Most Terrifying Things About Double Glazed Repairs Near Me double Glazing window Keys
9 Things Your Parents Taught You About Cheap Treadmill Desk Cheap Treadmill Desk
9 . What Your Parents Teach You About Fridge Freezers Side By Side Fridge Freezers Side By Side
The Top Reasons People Succeed In The So Soft Avon Industry So Soft Avon (Boyette-Olson.Technetbloggers.De)
It’s The Complete List Of I Lost My Only Car Key Dos And Don’ts cheap lost Car key Replacement
See What Treadmill Shop Near Me Tricks The Celebs Are Utilizing
Treadmill Shop near Me
You’ll Never Be Able To Figure Out This Mini Cooper Car Key Replacement’s Tricks
mini cooper car key replacement (Basil)
Ten Startups That Will Revolutionize The Blown Double Glazing Repairs Near Me Industry For The Better Double Glazed Windows (http://Toolbarqueries.Google.Dk)
10 Top Facebook Pages Of All Time Concerning Railroad Injuries Attorneys erwin railroad injuries lawyer
What’s The Current Job Market For Double Glazed Window Repairs Professionals?
Double glazed Window repairs
Guide To Upvc Windows Near Me: The Intermediate Guide Towards Upvc
Windows Near Me Upvc windows Near Me
15 Surprising Stats About Double Glazed Window
Repairs Near Me Double glazed window Repairs
The People Closest To Window Repair Near Share Some Big Secrets upvc repairs (Jamila)
What’s The Job Market For Double Glazed Window Repairs Professionals?
double glazed window repairs (https://aquamarine-pineapple-hb6wkw.mystrikingly.com/blog/a-step-by-step-instruction-for-sash-window-repair)
Seven Explanations On Why Locksmith Near Me Car Is So Important cheap locksmith near me for car
The 10 Worst Best Sex Machine Errors Of All Time Could Have Been Prevented sex manchines (Giuseppe)
The Most Pervasive Issues With Male Masturbator sex Toys for males
15 Twitter Accounts That Are The Best To Learn About Choose Your Kit welcome kits (Rhonda)
5 Killer Quora Answers On Designer Handbags For Cheap designer handbags for cheap
The Locksmith Auto Near Me Mistake That Every Newbie Makes auto locksmith near me cheap; https://www.newstream.cz/galerie/jak-Chutna-v-brnenskem-elementu?photo=3&backlink=https://chessdatabase.science/wiki/Whats_the_Good_and_Bad_About_Locksmith_Auto,
How Affordable SEO Services For Small Business Became The
Hottest Trend In 2023 Affordable seo agency (telegra.ph)
5 American Fridge Freezer Uk Tips You Must Know About For 2023 american integrated fridge freezer
24-Hours To Improve Upvc Repairs upvc windows Repair near me
You’ll Never Guess This Replacing Bmw Key’s Tricks Replacing bmw Key
15 Gifts For The Mesothelioma Lawyer Lover In Your Life mesothelioma attorneys
The Most Successful Double Glazed Window Repair Gurus Are Doing
Three Things Window repairs near Me
It’s The Complete Cheat Sheet For Leeds Windows And Doors glazed
Guide To Link Alternatif Gotogel: The Intermediate Guide On Link Alternatif Gotogel Link alternatif gotogel
Who Is Audi Car Key Replacement And Why You Should Care
audi key replacement Cost
See What Double Glazing Units Near Me Tricks The
Celebs Are Utilizing double glazing units near me (http://www.congreso-hidalgo.gob.Mx)
14 Cartoons About Personal Lawsuit Attorney That’ll
Brighten Your Day top personal injury lawyers in philadelphia –
Johnette,
11 Creative Methods To Write About Replacement Windows Leeds fit
The 3 Biggest Disasters In Double Glazing Near Me History Unit
What’s The Current Job Market For Lightest Electric
Wheelchair Uk Professionals? lightest electric wheelchair uk, justesen-katz.federatedjournals.com,
Litchfield park asbestos lawsuit is a collection of
minerals that are found naturally. They are resistant to rust, durable and fire retardant.
They were once used extensively in construction, but have been eliminated
because of their connection to health problems.
11 Creative Ways To Write About Repairing Double Glazing double Glazing repairs
Who Is Responsible For A Side By Side Fridge Freezer Under Counter Uk Budget?
12 Ways To Spend Your Money standard size for side by side refrigerator (pediascape.science)
What’s The Current Job Market For Link Daftar Gotogel Professionals Like?
link daftar gotogel
Why Do So Many People Would Like To Learn More About Car
Opener Service? car opening Service
The Reason Why Best Clitoral Toy Is Everyone’s Passion In 2023
Clit Vibrator Toy