Why did I fall in love with minimalist shoes? Minimalist shoes have thin soles and are flexible.
(Image of cushioned vs minimalist shoes)
In the past, I used to wear cushioned shoes before switching to the minimalist shoes. The reason behind it was because my body posture was affected from wearing the cushioned shoes resulting in a shooting pain up the nerve of my leg called sciatica.
(Image of sciatica)
After I made a switch to the minimalist shoes, it took approximately two years to work out and relearn. The pain I had guided me to recognize what I needed to modify to get myself in alignment. I have noticed the injuries reduced drastically. It enabled me to enjoy walking, hiking, jogging, or running again. My dog is happy having opportunities to go out together. I am all up for sharing some basic information that might benefit some of you.
“History of Shoes”
(Image of the timeline of shoes)
For many centuries, humans wore shoes that had been made with thin, leather based soles until the Industrial Revolution. It is possible that the human DNA has been built on being barefooted and wearing minimalist shoes. As the minimalist shoes community currently is growing, the appearance design and functional engineering of minimalist shoes are still improving. Here are some examples of the body forms.
“Standing Form”
(Image of body leaning back vs forward)
My standing form does impact how my body responds. So, I lean forward slightly to reduce weight pressure on my legs and heels, and it naturally aligns my upper body to stand upright.
“Walking Form”
(Image of foot position: inward vs outward) (Image of foot position: wide vs narrow walking)
My walking form took a while to adjust into a proper form by pushing my feet inward slightly, rather than outward, while keeping my body weight slightly forward — including keeping my feet closer to each other than farther apart. After correcting it, my shooting pains were reduced. I was able to go out on nice, long walks with my dog.
“Running Form” (Image of foot strike of heel vs outer ball)
In the past, it was generally taught for us to run with cushioned shoes that led to the heel strike running form. Based on my personal observation of elite runners, they tend to run with the outer ball of their foot first touching the ground. It made me investigate through reading and observing the proper running form which has benefitted me. I encourage anyone to do the same because it made a positive impact on my love for running. I have changed my foot form and saw a positive change.
"Minimalist Shoe Benefits" As for some of you, it may be a good idea to consider the minimalist shoes as one of options in improving your body posture as well in hope of reducing those nagging pains. Naturally, it will require some time to allow your body to “re-learn” the new change. Let’s go and love walking, hiking, jogging, or running once again.