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.
10 Healthy Online Shopping Uk Electronics Habits Byer Cot for camping
What Is Repair Upvc Windows And How To Use What Is Repair Upvc Windows And How To
Use Upvc Windows Repair
15 Best Twitter Accounts To Learn More About Boat Accident Legal Vimeo
15 Bizarre Hobbies That’ll Make You More Effective At Repair Misted Double Glazing Near
Me window repair, telegra.ph,
What Is Vibrating Panty Uk? History Of Vibrating Panty Uk http://www.topsadulttoys.uk
Where Can You Find The Best Mobile Car Diagnostics Information? Communication
See What Glass Repair Leeds Tricks The Celebs Are Using glass repair leeds (Beth)
Where Can You Get The Most Effective Prada
Handbags Black Information? prada bag men (Steffen)
What Do You Need To Know To Be All Set To Double Glazed Window Repair
window repairs Near me
Everything You Need To Learn About Carlocksmith car locksmith prices uk [http://www.cheaperseeker.com]
5 Laws That Will Help The Asbestos Attorney Industry Asbestos Claim
15 Top Pinterest Boards Of All Time About Double Glazing Repairs Near Me double glazing near me (Elvia)
9 . What Your Parents Teach You About Marc Jacobs Bag – Black
Marc Jacobs bag – Black
5 Killer Quora Answers On Mesothelioma Attorneys Mesothelioma Lawsuits
20 Questions You Need To ASK ABOUT Double Glazing Repair Cost
Before Buying It repairer
How To Explain Double Glazing Unit Repair To A Five-Year-Old double Glazing Repairs
A Handbook For Audi Replacement Key Cost From Start To Finish Audi Lost Key; Womans-Days.Ru,
15 Terms That Everyone Is In The Double Glazed Units Near Me Industry Should Know misty
It’s Time To Expand Your Michael Kors Bag On Sale Options Michael Kors Bags Brown
15 Top Repairs To Double Glazing Bloggers You
Must Follow window doctor near me
Five Things You’re Not Sure About About Double
Glazing Windows Near Me double Gkazing
15 Repair A Window Bloggers You Should Follow fitted
What’s The Job Market For CS GO Cases Sites Professionals?
Cs Go
The 15 Things Your Boss Wishes You’d Known About Double Glazing Repairs Near Me Double glazing near me
New And Innovative Concepts That Are Happening With Uk Online Phone Shopping Sites Traditional runner Rug
There Are A Few Reasons That People Can Succeed At The Double Glazing Repair Industry double glazing repairs
– Elyse –
Where Can You Find The Best Does Amazon Ship To Uk Information? Durable Shower Arm
Top Pornstars Kayleigh Wanless Tools To Streamline Your Everyday Lifethe
Only Top Pornstars Kayleigh Wanless Trick That Every Person Must Learn Top Pornstars Kayleigh Wanless
What’s The Current Job Market For Car Key Lockout
Service Professionals? key lockout service
The Most Prevalent Issues In Accident Attorney albuquerque accident attorney
(Wilson)
A Guide To Car Boot Lock Repair From Start To Finish Car Door Lock Repair Cost Uk
What Do You Need To Know To Be Ready To Auto Locksmith Local auto Locksmiths
How You Can Use A Weekly Auto Locksmith Project Can Change Your Life Local Auto Locksmiths
The Most Popular Glazing Repairs Near Me That Gurus Use 3 Things double glazing repairs near me
20 Things Only The Most Devoted Window Seal Replacement Fans Are Aware
Of installers
This Week’s Top Stories About Leeds Windows And Doors Leeds Windows And
Doors Leeds glazing
24-Hours To Improve Shopping Online Site Clothes small grow tent
5 Killer Quora Answers To Double Glazing Repairs Leeds double glazing repairs leeds
The 10 Most Dismal Door Fitter Leeds Fails Of All Time Could Have Been Prevented new Glazing leeds
11 Ways To Completely Redesign Your Replacement Windows Leeds Upvc window handle repair leeds
10 Things That Your Family Teach You About
Designer Handbags White designer handbags white
The 10 Most Scariest Things About 10 Kg Washing Machine 10 kg Washing machine
12 Facts About Nissan Juke Key Fob Replacement To Bring You Up To Speed The Cooler.
Cooler Nissan Car Key Replacement (Kok-Durham-2.Federatedjournals.Com)
You’ll Never Guess This Automotive Locksmith Near Me’s Tricks automotive locksmith
Guide To Online Clothes Shopping Near Me: The Intermediate Guide
For Online Clothes Shopping Near Me online clothes shopping near me
Who Is Prada Handbags And Why You Should Be Concerned Prada Bags uk
15 Of The Best Documentaries On Michael Kors Handbags
Pink Michael Kors Handbag brown
5 Killer Quora Answers To Best Backlinks Software backlink management software
Three Greatest Moments In 18-Wheeler Accident Lawyer History Milliken 18 wheeler accident Attorney
Why No One Cares About Mesothelioma Attorney Asbestos-related cancer attorney