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The Minimalist Shoe and Barefoot Running Craze
Since Christopher McDougall released Born to Run, he single handedly began the minimalist shoe and barefoot running craze. The book claims that walking & running barefoot or in a minimal shoe, leads to a style of shorter strides and landing on the forefoot, which is the way humans were meant to walk and run. He suggests minimalist shoe and barefoot running over all minimizes injury.
How You Make the Shift to a Minimalist Shoe?
Certified personal trainers advise that unless you have spent your life barefoot, specific foot-strengthening exercises are needed. The muscles in your foot will become weak without training, no different than an arm with its cast just removed. A flimsy version of its self.
Think about how your connective tissue is going to feel without adequate adaptation. Start daily with minimalist barefoot shoe, walking 10 minutes on flat ground and be careful about your walking form sampling new terrains cautiously. Weekly add ten minutes maintaining effortless progress until you are up to an hour. As you move into frequent use of your minimalist shoe, your feet will naturally get stronger.
Get Into Your Minimalist Shoe Quicker!
Want to speed up the process, try practicing the following:
Pointing Toes: Aim at something in the room and point to it with your toe. Holding position for five seconds, then try to point toward your own face for five seconds. Repeating process ten times alternating feet.
Spreading Toes: Using a rubber band around your toes, taunt so that it drives your toes together if you let it. Try to spread your toes out and hold that position for a few seconds. Alternating feet, do two sets of ten reps.
Squeezing Toes: Fit a pen, cork, fingers, or something fitting dividing each toe and squeeze them together. For a few seconds hold the squeeze before releasing. Do ten squeezes, two sets with each foot.
Side Rolling: Stand and slightly bend your knees. Roll your weight onto the outer edges of your feet, practising that movement stepping forward, then stepping back to your starting spot. Roll back and forth. Practice fifteen reps.
Sand Grabber: This may not be available to everyone, but if you have access to sand, go for it. Walking barefoot, squeeze the sand with your feet. An old trick for grip building, sand grabbing is the same concept but applied to your feet.
