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.
This Is The One Programing Car Keys Trick Every Person Should Know 5611432.xyz
15 Of The Top Repair Double Glazed Windows Bloggers You Must Follow window
repair (bronxrican.com)
5 Killer Quora Answers On Best Online Shopping Websites Uk best Online Shopping websites uk
10 Things That Your Family Teach You About Car Accident Lawsuit law
15 Up-And-Coming Bean Coffee Machine Bloggers You Need To
Watch Beans coffee Machine
10 Facts About Cock That Can Instantly Put You In The Best Mood
Daughter
You’ll Be Unable To Guess Does Amazon Ship To Uk’s Tricks does Amazon ship To uk (wolvesbaneuo.Com)
The Little Known Benefits Of Windows Repair sash
10 Reasons Why People Hate Custom Sectional Sofa 4452346.xyz
Ten Things Everybody Is Uncertain About Motor Vehicle Lawsuit motor Vehicle accident lawsuit
20 Up-And-Comers To Follow In The 10kg Load Washing
Machine Industry 023456789.xyz
You’ll Never Guess This Amazon Online Grocery
Shopping Uk’s Secrets amazon online grocery shopping uk
Five Killer Quora Answers On Replacement Double Glazing Units Near Me
Near
10 Inspirational Images Of Sectional Couches For Sale curved sectional
couch (Clinton)
Five Killer Quora Answers To Window Repairs Near Me Window Repairs Near Me (http://Www.Bgg-Eikokudo.Net)
The Most Hilarious Complaints We’ve Been Hearing About Best CSGO Opening Site Counter-Strike Cases
(https://Adcllc.Org/2016/06/29/New-Site-Test/2024/07/04/13-Things-About-Best-Csgo-Opening-Site-You-May-Never-Have-Known)
See What Repair Upvc Windows Tricks The Celebs Are Using repair upvc Windows
The 10 Most Scariest Things About Uk Online Shopping Sites For
Electronics Uk Online Shopping Sites For Electronics
5 Killer Quora Answers To Double Glazed Window
Repairs Near Me double glazed Window repairs near me (h-tec.co.Kr)
Ten Taboos About Best Online Shopping Sites Clothes You Shouldn’t Share
On Twitter online shopping Sites for clothes (https://mixcat.net/)
Why Is Best Drug For Anxiety Disorder So Famous?
causes of generalized Anxiety disorder
10 Facts About Hiring Truck Accident Attorney That Insists On Putting
You In The Best Mood truck accident Attorneys
The Worst Advice We’ve Ever Heard About Dangerous Drugs dangerous drugs law firm
See What Veterans Disability Lawsuit Tricks The Celebs Are
Utilizing Veterans disability lawsuit
Check Out: How Audi Replacement Key Is Gaining Ground,
And How To Respond Audikey
What Is Misted Double Glazing Repairs And Why Is Everyone
Talking About It? Jere Alas
You’ll Never Guess This Upvc Window Repairs Near Me’s Benefits upvc window repairs
What’s The Current Job Market For Double Glazing Near
Me Professionals? double glazing near Me
The Most Advanced Guide To Upvc Window Repairs upvc window
repairs near me, https://www.parkerlebnis.De,
10 Times You’ll Have To Be Aware Of Personal
Injury Compensation personal injury lawyers
10 Basics Regarding Treadmills That Fold Flat You Didn’t Learn At School zackfoxworth.top
Five Killer Quora Answers On Double Glazing Window Repairs Near
Me double glazing window repairs (Dawn)
17 Signs You’re Working With Car Locksmiths Near Me
Elsy Crays
Guide To Online Shopping Uk Discount: The Intermediate Guide In Online Shopping Uk Discount
online Shopping uk discount
15 Twitter Accounts That Are The Best To Learn More About
Mini Freezer Table Top 3222914.xyz
You’ll Never Guess This Cerebral Palsy Lawyers’s Tricks Cerebral Palsy
Double Glazing Fitters Near Me: 10 Things I’d Loved To Know In The Past double glazing unit
10 Things That Everyone Is Misinformed About The Word “Motor Vehicle Lawsuit” Motor Vehicle Accident Lawsuit
You’ll Never Guess This Does Amazon Ship To Uk’s Benefits does amazon ship To Uk
See What Replacement Window Seals Tricks The Celebs Are Utilizing replacement window seals (truck4x4.ru)
What’s The Current Job Market For Uk Women’s Online Shopping Websites Professionals?
uk Women’s online Shopping Websites
How To Choose The Right Double Glazing Windows High
Wycombe Online new windows high Wycombe (https://repolis.bg.polsl.pl/dlibra/login?refUrl=aHR0cHM6Ly9jYW1lcmFkYi5yZXZpZXcvd2lraS9Jc19Eb29yX0ZpdHRlcl9IaWdoX1d5Y29tYmVfYXNfY3J1Y2lhbF9hc19ldmVyeW9uZV9TYXlz)
The Reason Why You’re Not Succeeding At
Sectional Sofa 4452346
11 “Faux Pas” That Actually Are Okay To Use With Your Medical Malpractice Litigation Medical Malpractice Lawsuits
15 Latest Trends And Trends In Drip Filter Coffee
Machine 3222914.xyz
5 Killer Quora Answers To Uk Online Grocery Shopping Sites
uk online grocery shopping Sites
20 Myths About Best Headphones: Busted http://www.3222914.xyz
The 9 Things Your Parents Taught You About Hiring Truck Accident Attorneys truck Accident attorney
Ten Things You Learned At Preschool To Help You Get A Handle On Foldable Pram Foldable Stroller
Guide To Online Shopping Sites In United Kingdom: The Intermediate
Guide Towards Online Shopping Sites In United Kingdom online
shopping sites in united kingdom; Hayley,