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.
The 10 Scariest Things About Double Glazing Repairs Near Me double Glazing repairs near me
10 Top Books On CSGO Case Opening Battle case fracture – Bennett,
10 Healthy Will CSGO Case Prices Go Down Habits
Revolution Case
10 Things People Get Wrong About The Word “Avon Glimmersticks.”
glimmerstick eyeliner
Why Michael Kors Handbags Pink Still Matters In 2023 michael kors bags uk Sale
10 Things We Do Not Like About Dangerous Drugs Attorney chardon dangerous drugs lawsuit
7 Tips To Make The Most Of Your Motor Vehicle Lawyer motor vehicle accident lawyers
A Step-By-Step Guide For Choosing Your Avon Ultimate Welcome Kit avon
The Comprehensive Guide To Shopping Online Sites Vimeo.Com
How On This Humor Successfully In Your Communications 무료슬롯
14 Questions You Might Be Uneasy To Ask Charity Shop Online Clothes Uk
Yosemite Ceiling Light Decor (Jessika)
10 Things You’ve Learned In Kindergarden They’ll Help You Understand Counterstrike Global Offensive case operation bravo – Van
–
4 Dirty Little Tips On The Personal Injury Litigation Industry personal injury law firm (Hilda)
5 Conspiracy Theories About Motor Vehicle Attorneys You Should Avoid san Jose motor Vehicle accident lawsuit
See What Replacement Key Bmw Tricks The Celebs Are Using key bmw (Anne)
4 Dirty Little Secrets About Best 18-Wheeler Accident Lawyer Industry Best 18-Wheeler Accident Lawyer Industry 18 wheeler accident
See What Manhattan Birth Injury Attorneys Tricks The Celebs Are Making Use
Of manhattan birth injury attorneys, tarot-horoskop.com,
Guide To Spare Car Key Cut: The Intermediate Guide In Spare
Car Key Cut spare car Key Cut
Is Tech Making Treadmills For Sale Better Or Worse?
Health and Fitness
Are Motorcycle Accident Settlement The Best There Ever Was?
Motorcycle Accident lawsuits
Why People Don’t Care About Motor Vehicle Compensation auto
Five Killer Quora Answers On Uk Online Shoe Shopping Websites uk Online shoe shopping Websites
(freerepublic.com)
Guide To Online Shopping Sites In United Kingdom: The Intermediate Guide The Steps To
Online Shopping Sites In United Kingdom Online shopping sites in united kingdom
14 Questions You’re Refused To Ask Starlight Princess 1000 Demo Slot slot demo starlight princess Mania
10 Private Psychiatrist Dublin Tricks All Experts Recommend uk
What Is Injury Settlement And Why Is Everyone Speakin’ About It?
floresville injury law Firm
Guide To Upvc Repairs Near Me: The Intermediate Guide To Upvc Repairs Near Me upvc repairs Near Me
The 10 Most Scariest Things About Designer Handbags Black designer handbags black (Toni)
What’s Everyone Talking About How To Ship To Ireland From Uk Right
Now vimeo.Com
Where Are You Going To Find Adult Video Be 1 Year
From Right Now? yiffy
The 10 Scariest Things About Situs Alternatif Gotogel situs alternatif gotogel
The Best Repair Misted Double Glazing Near Me Tips For Changing Your Life
double glazed window suppliers Near me
5 Killer Quora Answers To Designer Handbags Sale Designer Handbags Sale
The Most Hilarious Complaints We’ve Heard About Michael Kors Bag Sale ladies
3 Reasons Commonly Cited For Why Your France Online Shopping
Sites Clothes Isn’t Working (And How To Fix It)
Arttoframes Metal Frame Collection
The Top Reasons Why People Succeed At The Double Glazed Window Near Me Industry Double Glaze Units
10 Untrue Answers To Common Avon New Book Questions Do You
Know The Correct Answers? Book Online
9 Lessons Your Parents Teach You About Amazon Online Shopping Clothes Uk Amazon Online Shopping Clothes Uk
What Is The Reason Adding A Key Word To Your Life’s Routine Will Make The Difference
truck accident law Firms
The 10 Most Scariest Things About Mesothelioma Attorney Mesothelioma mesothelioma attorney mesothelioma
15 Things You’ve Never Known About Auto Accident Lawyer lawyers Auto accidents
10 Beautiful Images Of Boat Accident Law buena Vista boat accident lawsuit
This Week’s Most Remarkable Stories About Prada Handbag For Man Prada Handbag For Man uk
15 Best 12kg Washing Machine Bloggers You Need To Follow Best 12kg Washing machine
The Most Popular Glazing Repairs Near Me Gurus Are Doing Three Things Double Glazing repairs near me
Can Cheap Online Shopping Sites Uk Be The Next Supreme Ruler Of The World?
Paper Clipboard One Size
Why Do So Many People Want To Know About Upvc Windows Luton? Window repairs service
A Provocative Rant About Upvc Windows And Doors upvc Windows repairs
20 Fun Informational Facts About Online Part Time Jobs Work From Home work from home jobs for mums (Dorine)
Why Birth Injury Case Is Everywhere This Year birth Injury law firms