From Modern shoe’s to Barefoot running.
A reflection from my experience of transitioning from modern shoe’s to barefoot shoe’s and the impact it had on my health and lifestyle.
Lacing up.
I started a new job that involved being on my feet a lot and needed a shoe to keep me nice and comfy. So, I bought a pair of Puma, memory foam shoes. They were fashionable and looked like they would do the job.
3 months in, my feet hurt every time I walked longer than 10 minutes and the shoes looked as if I'd had them for years.
I've had many other experiences with shoes similar to this and I didn't understand how there didn't seem to be a shoe that was good for my feet. Alongside this, I had long-standing back and knee pain and it seemed there was nothing I could do to stop this.
I had heard about barefoot shoes and I was willing to try something new. So after rummaging around on the internet I found the Vivo Barefoot Primus Lite 2. I was surprised at how light-weight they were, great looking shoes and very different from anything I'd worn before.
Warming up to barefoot shoe’s.
The first few weeks of walking were unusual. The more I walked, the more I felt I needed to change the way I walked in barefoot shoes compared to modern shoes. Initially, I realised I was hitting the ground quite hard with my heels which caused discomfort. Still, the overall satisfaction of the shoe due to appearance, function and uniqueness overruled the short-lived discomfort.
After seeing my new barefoot shoes, a friend recommended a brilliant book called Born to Run. (read it!)
In short, I took away from the book that the human body was designed to run barefoot. Our feet are perfectly designed to give us a running stride that compares to no other animal on earth, and to have this unique running stride would feel almost effortless.
I then couldn't understand how I couldn't even walk in barefoot shoes without it causing discomfort, but my ancestors could chase down any animal across the savanna with nothing on their feet.
This led me to try running, something I'd never really done, so was not expecting the experience to go well. But I had high hopes that I would have the ability to run in a fluid, almost effortless motion with my barefoot shoes. I also wanted an activity to call upon as a release from life and a way to get fit.
My first run.
Easily the worst experience of exercise I'd ever had. My ankles were extremely weak. My calves were burning like I'd never felt before. I had pain where I didn't know I could have pain. I ran for less than a mile but felt like I'd run 10. My whole body ached, not just my feet. I was mentally hurting from being so unfit and from the sudden awareness that my body wasn't working as it should be.
This negative feeling however was short-lived because I realised that if my body was designed to run, then I already had everything I needed to be able to run how my ancestors did. All I have to do was be persistent, work with my body and use the fountain of knowledge that is the internet.
I discovered that the modern shoes that I had been wearing throughout my life, had thrown my body out of alignment. Wearing shoes with a toe drop caused my knees to overcompensate and put too much pressure on the knee joint (lots of pain). Also, my hips over-rotated, causing pressure and pain in my lower back. This combined with sitting for long periods weakened and restricted the largest and most influential joint in my body, the hips. Having hips that don't work properly is a bit like driving a car with only second and third gear. Needs help to get started, once you get going it's alright but you can't use it to its full potential.
Training.
I then started to consistently run every week in my barefoot shoes and began focusing on how I could realign my body. Here are the key steps I took to realign my body that seriously improved my running, as well as how my body moved on a daily basis.
A calf stretch fit for Achilles himself:
The cause of my serious calf pain when running was because they were tight and weak. Running was strengthening my calves but I couldn't find the right stretch to release the pain. I played around and came up with the perfect stretch.
Stand up on your tiptoes about hip-width apart then crouch down while staying on your tiptoes. Now focus on relaxing your heels down to the ground. Lean your weight forward to keep your heels off the floor and you should feel a gorgeous stretch through your calf and Achilles tendon. Stay in this position for as long as is comfortable before easing out.
2. A balance beam:
Okay so, to create my balance beam, I found a thick wooden branch about a metre in length and placed this on some stable blocks to hold it off the ground.
At first, it was awkward and I was terrible and balancing on it, but I found it fun just to try and stay on. I then progressed to maintain my balance long enough to move around the beam, do squats, walk from one end to the other and just play around. I'd put some headphones on and lose myself on the beam for 10 minutes. Once I got better I started brushing my teeth on the beam and my latest challenge is to complete a Rubix cube without falling off.
I found that using a balance beam aided my ankle, knee and hip mobility, as well as built strength.
3. Toe socks and toe separators:
I would recommend getting both of these as they helped with overall foot health and mobility.
Toe separators aided my toes spreading out which helped fill my barefoot shoes. Having a wider toe area helped with my general balance and I felt steadier on my feet.
Wearing toe socks also helped because normal socks were squishing my toes back together and causing them to ache, whereas toe socks allowed my toes to remain spread out. They aren't the most appealing option for socks but for me it's about function, not fashion.
4. Yin yoga:
This reeaally helped my hips and knees more than I can describe to you in words.
Yin yoga is a very relaxed form of yoga and requires little to no effort at all. You sit or lie in poses for up to five minutes which allows the muscles to fully relax and releases the deeper muscle fibres which is where a lot of tension and tightness can be held.
Regularly practising yin yoga opened up my hips joints, allowing me to move through each running stride with less resistance and have a better foot placement when striking the ground (landing with the ball of my foot first, rather than my heel). This in turn improved my running technique and reduced hip and knee pain significantly.
5. Get to know your body.
I spent a lot of time watching youtube videos and all things running and fitness-related and there is so much of my knowledge and understand that I owe to this.
There is one thing that I didn't learn from the internet and that's to listen to your own body. And I mean really listen. Find out exactly where you have tight or weak muscles and work to stretch and strengthen them.
The more efficient your body is at functioning on a daily basis, the better your life will be. Your feet are the foundations that your body rests upon so look after them and they will look after you.
Reconnecting with my body.
It was through this process that I realised that running had completely changed the way I see and use my body. I realised that every movement I did with one area of my body had a knock-on effect to another. I started breathing differently by getting my diaphragm and belly to draw in air, rather than expanding through my rib cage. This allowed my upper torso to stay more relaxed, which meant my opposing arms and legs could glide through each stride to keep my weight perfectly in the centre of my body.
Doing this then showed me that there was a sweet spot where I needed to place my foot as I landed, which kept my balance through the stride allowing for a better take off. I then stopped wearing headphones when running so I could hear the sounds my feet made as they hit the floor. I noticed the lighter and softer the sound, the better the overall feel of the movement.
This was all possible because I could feel the ground I was running on. The barefoot shoes had given me a sixth sense. I could feel the mud compress down and my toes spread wider to grip. I could feel my weight needing to shift as my foot landed on an uneven surface. I could even feel small stones massaging my feet as I ran across gravel. I felt completely connected to my body and the world around me.
Barefoot running now.
Transitioning to barefoot shoes has made me appreciate my feet and how much they do for me. I can see the value of looking after them by using them how they are supposed to be used. So much so I got rid of all my modern shoes and now only wear barefoot shoes. I have one pair for running and everyday, one pair for work and one pair for outdoors-ing. Barefoot shoes have also helped me to understand how we have evolved as a species and how using our bodies was such a fundamental part of our living, that it makes sense to continue this even in the modern day.
Running is now becoming a fundamental part of my lifestyle and is such a joy to do, I even use it as a means of travel. I wouldn't say that my running stride is almost effortless, but there has been a serious improvement in my enjoyment of the activity along with my running pace and distance. This was simply by changing the motion of my body through each stride, which wouldn't have been possible without the barefoot shoes. Wearing modern shoes was liking putting earplugs in, whereas with the barefoot shoes I could listen to and work with my body. It's like every part of my body knows exactly where it's going and it loving every moment.
In summary, trying barefoot shoes has changed my life. I am learning how to use my body to its full potential, and running has changed from something I do until my body gives up, too something I do for as far as my lungs can take me.
Peace out.