Global Sports: Vibram Five Fingers Are An Innovation In Shoes

Tuesday, November 2, 2010

Vibram Five Fingers Are An Innovation In Shoes

By Jean Morgan

Vibram Five Fingers shoes give you the ability to experience being barefoot while still wearing shoes. Do you remember those days in childhood when you would run joyously through the open fields without any shoes, how the grass would come up through your toes, and you felt at one with the world? We evolved without shoes, expanding to every corner of the Earth without shoes, yet today, almost everyone wears shoes all the time. A lot of people these days are figuring out that maybe nature had it right and a there is a growing trend toward barefoot running. Running barefoot through the city might seem crazy, but with Five Finger shoes you can experience being barefoot while still protecting your feet.

The human foot is a technological marvel with 20 muscles, 26 bones, 33 joints, and hundreds of sensory receptors, ligaments and tendons. In the typical running or fitness shoe, the human foot is not getting the exercise it needs to be healthy. In modern shoes, the foot tends to become weak through nonuse of most of its working parts. While in many cases, the foot needs the added protection of stiff shoes or boots, it still needs to be stimulated and exercised in the manner in which it evolved.

Five Finger shoes look a little funny if you have never seen them or thought about barefoot shoes. They look like a foot with a little toe pocket for each toe to increase strength and agility. The souls are contoured to allow natural movements of the foot. This all gives feet the flexibility and sensitive connection to the ground that you would experience while being barefoot.

There is a trend toward barefoot running, and Five Fingers has a whole line of shoes suitable for running. Barefoot runners run lightly compared to running in traditional running shoes. Barefoot, runners land on the outer part of the midfoot and roll inward. In running shoes, runners run heel to toe which can often cause injuries and pain.

Many activities can be done in barefoot shoes including water sports and hiking. Hikers love the added connection to the natural environment that barefoot shoes allow them to enjoy. And surfers, fisherman, and kayakers like the added flexibility of feeling barefoot with the traction of a shoe.

While yoga is usually preformed barefoot, Five Fingers shoes allow yoga to be done anytime and anywhere. It adds traction on slippery mats and protects the foot when doing yoga without a mat on the go or outdoors.

Cardio, lifting and stretching are great with barefoot shoes because these shoes give additional flexibility, added comfort, sense of control, lower center of gravity, and greater balance. The ankles, feet and lower leg will also enjoy greater muscle stimulation.

If you are thinking about going shoeless, or transitioning to Vibram Five Fingers shoes, remember to consult a doctor if you have ever suffered a foot or leg injury. Going barefoot stimulates the foot in an entirely new way for most people and it is important to transition slowly. In most cases, modern people's feet are really weak so the body needs plenty of time to adjust and build up strength.

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