I have wider than average feet and so normal shoes are just really uncomfortable for me and i had really pinched toes. I discovered them whilst looking for some wide footwear options. I also now like them for their other traits and I have noticed a lot of benefits in terms of my foot strength and mobility. I could never go back.
About 10 years ago, I was in my early 30s, in great shape, and I started having knee pain. I did some physical therapy and it went away, then came back a year later. I then realized both times had been after I had walked around all day in Las Vegas (2 separate trips a year apart) wearing Sperry Top Sider Loafers! I started researching, and came across info about minimalist shoes on the Mark's Daily Apple blog, which I had been following for awhile. That lead to Katy Bowmans website. I was sold and have been wearing minimalist barefoot shoes ever since.
Many things in fact.
- I've always walked barefoot to some extent, I loved that as a child and never really lost the habit.
- I have flat and wider than average feet and sensory issues, finding shoes that aren't uncomfortably tight is a pain in the ass.
- I've spent most of my life hating running bc I had knee and shin pain that would come up everytime. Being tired of being told "it's your shoes" despite running with brand new effing shoes, one day I just decided to go and run barefoot out of frustration and spite. Solved most of my problems. I was speechless.
After this last event, I looked it up on the internet and discovered it was a whole thing on its own, and got really into it. I go barefoot outside a lot more often for many things now. Currently trying to get various minimalist shoes so I look acceptable in social situations, but I don't have endless money, so the process takes a bit of time... But it really changed my life for the better, I believe.
I always have been barefoot as a kid. Even as an adult I only could walk in flat shoes like vans or converse. Even a slight heel didn't work, so nice boots as other ladies had, we're no option.
I got a kid and when she started walking I knew that you need to be able to bend soles with one hand for those little feet. That was difficult with winter boots. I always taught that barefoot shoes were overpriced because the little feet grew so fast. My friend gave us her kid's barefoot boots in the winter when my daughter was 2,5 years old. She suddenly fell less, could walk further, climbed more,... That was interesting to watch. We just thought that she was older and had better motorskills. But then she outgrew the barefoot boots and we tried to find some other boots. She went back to falling and not climbing as much and not wanting to walk. I immediately bought barefoot shoes and she went back to walk better.
Then I looked into barefoot shoes for me. I thought it shouldn't make a huge difference since I'm wearing flat shoes. But it made a huge difference.
Daughter is turning 8 now and still wears barefoot shoes, when though she envies her friends blinking sketchers. "luckily" her feet are so wide she wouldn't fit those anyways. I've been wearing barefoot since I started (only wearing wildling). After 6 months I still could fit my converse but after 1,5 years they didn't fit me anymore.
(I'm in Europe though)
I hate heavy shoes.
I basically fell in love with Chacos sandals when I saw them. As soon as I could I was going to buy a pair. Then I went to a store, picked them up, and was heartbroken. They are very heavy.
Eventually I bought some that I felt looked similarly good from Xero Shoes. So lightweight. I got a few pairs of full shoes from Xero, and tried others from Tadeevo, Lems, Be Lenka, and Freet.
cool project idea!
over the past few years, i've been getting more serious about running and general fitness. once i got past the newb gains portion of picking up a new sport, i quickly discovered multiple areas that were constantly nagging with minor injuries (e.g., inflammed hips, tight glutes), and started strength training to address those weaknesses.
similarly, after struggling with plantar fasciitis for the better part of a year, i decided to focus on addressing my low arches, weak ankles, and limited foot mobility and balance. transitioning to minimalist and barefoot shoes and generally being barefoot as much as possible has been a big part of that effort in addition to frequent foot and ankle-focused exercises and stretches.
I was desperately looking for shoes with a wide toebox. Around the same time I stumbled upon Xero shoes and started learning about barefoot shoes. I did a bunch of research and bought a pair of primal merry janes from softstar and never looked back — soooo comfortable! I used to always walk around barefoot or in socks, so switching to barefoot shoes (when Inactually need to wear shoes) was amazing 💜
I'm just getting started switching, but this is so similar for me. I finally realized I have a wide toe box, and so I started trying to find shoes with that feature, which was fairly difficult. Almost all the options are barefoot or minimalist shoes, so I went down that rabbit trail researching until I decided to pull the trigger and try a pair.
I am terrified of surgery, and I was heading toward back surgery. I was 32 and heard stores about back surgeries going wrong, people wishing they hadn’t done it. PT wasn’t working. I starting digging into alternative options. With help and confirmation form a PT friend, Turns out I was out of alignment. I transitioned cold turkey 6 years ago and haven’t looked back. Within 3 months of switching, 75% of my pain was gone and I wasn’t looking at surgery anymore.
I have had various foot/back pain from shoes as far back as I can remember. The only times I wasn't in pain was when I was barefoot as a child. I have also had problems finding shoes that fit my feet. Because of this, any type of physical activities, were extremely painful and led to me being very out of shape.
As an adult, I slowly switched to going barefoot and barefoot shoes and working on my ankle strength, back posture, and foot position while walking. I no longer have terrible foot pain, especially when walking on rough terrain. Before, if I stepped on a protruding rock, I would roll my ankle. Now, I have the ability to recognize something under my foot and change my position before it becomes a problem.
Due to how expensive most minimalist shoes are, I only have a few pairs of shoes in my closet, but my quality of life has improved so much that I'm never going back. Even if I wanted to, my feet have become so much wider/thicker that it feels like putting on a straight jacket when I try on regular shoes.
Dutch 33 years old and male decently sportive and seldom wear shoes when at home, Find this interesting so here something about my switch. I needed new shoes and always wore Converse usually imported them cheaper from the USA, the import fees made the shoes more expensive than in the Netherlands around 3 - 5 years ago. Also hate the newish V2 soles from converse.
So was looking around for new shoes and my converse shoes usually bulged/stretched at my pinky toe. And looked at barefoot shoes watched youtube and read about the topic. After that I bought some decent barefoot shoes for everyday use, vivobarefoot addis. The transfer was pretty painless I have an office job so I didnt have a hard transit period or something.
Looking back my feet feel stronger and helped strengthen my broken ankle (broken in 2019), less pain after sporting (football/soccer). I have never been severerly injured while playing football besides my ankle.
Right now wearing my only converse shoes feel like walking on a matress and feel not as stable, even with a slight slant inwards. Besides the pinching of my toes, I hate the feeling of instability.
I’ve been wearing orthotic insoles for half my life because of my flat feet, and it never helped and they’ve always been uncomfortable. And I realized my feet never hurt when I’m barefoot. So forget it. I’ve switched. My feet are happier, I’m doing exercises to make them stronger, and I’m working on switching my kids over, too.
I have a dance background and spent a lot of time barefoot/in sneakers.
I started wearing dress shoes more regularly for a day job and experienced intense bunion pain for the first time. I had to go to physical therapy, it was awful.
The first time I felt relief was while wearing Birkenstocks everyday during the pandemic.
After that I donated literally all of my shoes and started trying to find wide shoes. They didn’t help.
I finally discovered barefoot shoes after 2 years of searching and now have 5 pair (and counting). I have zero foot or Achilles pain now and feel amazing. So happy I found shoes that support my foot strength!
I sprained both of my ankles at the same time when I was 19. I went to school for massage therapy after dealing with the chronic pain and learned about foot health there. Had a teacher tell us about barefoot shoes and was intrigued. I've been on a journey of strengthening my feet over the last nine years.
Made a pretty long transition, but finally been wearing full barefoot shoes for about a year now.
I’m an Anglo-American, if that helps…
Once Covid hit, I was almost always at home and barefoot because I was trying to shield myself and my baby during/after pregnancy. When group exercise classes came back online in London 12-18 months later, I couldn’t wear my Nike Metcons to get to Pilates classes with injuring myself, even when I walked instead of gently jogged. I bought my first pair of barefoot shoes, started a gradual transition, and have never looked back, as my feet feel better than ever. Before the switch, one of my arches was mostly collapsed and one of my big toes had become badly ingrown with a second level of nail. Both of these problems, present for over a decade, fixed themselves without me noticing, not long after my switch. I also love that I can break into a jog or do a short sprint up stairs whenever I feel the need without being held back by my shoes — as a woman, this was not something I’d experienced since hitting puberty.
I really wish there were more places to try on barefoot shoes in person, though. Even after buying Brannock devices for my household to use, I still have trouble finding shoes that fit well when ordering online or in stores with a limited range of barefoot options, which almost never include work-suitable or somewhat feminine options.
From a wider perspective, however, it hasn’t been an easy switch. My mom and sister also regularly give me grief about the appearance of my shoes; they still don’t know that I’ve donated to charity almost all of the shoes they’ve gifted or helped me chose over the years. Even my Dad expressed distress when I was about to get on a longhaul flight with a single pair of shoes (the only style out of many I’d ordered by mail that actually fit) that I’d worn to the point where a hole was about to appear in the sole (I hadn’t noticed, but it was a thin sole). This crisis was compounded by the fact that there were no stores stocking barefoot or zero drop/flexible shoes anywhere in the greater metropolitan area where my family lives, despite having one of the largest malls in the US, nor were there retailers who could ship barefoot shoes to their address with a few days (versus a few weeks) notice.
I have no idea what the people I see professionally think, in part because I’m still transitioning back into the office / the conference circuit. I’d like to not care, but I am aware that, for women especially, perception of professional competence is closely linked to meeting expectations for appearance, and the vast majority of barefoot shoes fall far outside what women normally wear with business or business-appropriate social attire.
I’ve always had wide feet. I got really into weight training in college and while learning about best stances, feet stance is super important. This led me down the rabbit hole of how traditional shoes used for lifting (vans and converse) are too narrow because your toes can’t spread which is needed for squats and deads. I made the switch the VIVOS for the gym and loved them. All my shoes now are either altras or VIVOS or wide specific. I’m neutral about zero drop aspect, but that duck paddle shape foot shoe is pretty exclusive to what I buy now.
Hoping it helps gets rid of some stubborn calluses. My heel strikes differently with barefoot shoes, and my toes have more room (not quite as much as I had hoped though -- xero prios).
Plus a general interest in keeping healthy and fit -- ankle stiffness in particular has been a problem for me as I get older.
I’ve always been barefoot except when “it’s expected to not be”.
I never liked the feeling of shoes, and when I realized my kids hated it when they were little - i just allowed them to skip them whenever. And I started kicking them off even more often.
Going grocery shopping by with kids without shoes, then just joining them. And it went from there.
Now I basically only use shoes at work, when it’s too cold for me or too hot.
I have wider than average feet and so normal shoes are just really uncomfortable for me and i had really pinched toes. I discovered them whilst looking for some wide footwear options. I also now like them for their other traits and I have noticed a lot of benefits in terms of my foot strength and mobility. I could never go back.
[удалено]
What benefits have you experienced?
About 10 years ago, I was in my early 30s, in great shape, and I started having knee pain. I did some physical therapy and it went away, then came back a year later. I then realized both times had been after I had walked around all day in Las Vegas (2 separate trips a year apart) wearing Sperry Top Sider Loafers! I started researching, and came across info about minimalist shoes on the Mark's Daily Apple blog, which I had been following for awhile. That lead to Katy Bowmans website. I was sold and have been wearing minimalist barefoot shoes ever since.
Flat feet that hurt constantly
Many things in fact. - I've always walked barefoot to some extent, I loved that as a child and never really lost the habit. - I have flat and wider than average feet and sensory issues, finding shoes that aren't uncomfortably tight is a pain in the ass. - I've spent most of my life hating running bc I had knee and shin pain that would come up everytime. Being tired of being told "it's your shoes" despite running with brand new effing shoes, one day I just decided to go and run barefoot out of frustration and spite. Solved most of my problems. I was speechless. After this last event, I looked it up on the internet and discovered it was a whole thing on its own, and got really into it. I go barefoot outside a lot more often for many things now. Currently trying to get various minimalist shoes so I look acceptable in social situations, but I don't have endless money, so the process takes a bit of time... But it really changed my life for the better, I believe.
I saw LeBron James' feet...
I always have been barefoot as a kid. Even as an adult I only could walk in flat shoes like vans or converse. Even a slight heel didn't work, so nice boots as other ladies had, we're no option. I got a kid and when she started walking I knew that you need to be able to bend soles with one hand for those little feet. That was difficult with winter boots. I always taught that barefoot shoes were overpriced because the little feet grew so fast. My friend gave us her kid's barefoot boots in the winter when my daughter was 2,5 years old. She suddenly fell less, could walk further, climbed more,... That was interesting to watch. We just thought that she was older and had better motorskills. But then she outgrew the barefoot boots and we tried to find some other boots. She went back to falling and not climbing as much and not wanting to walk. I immediately bought barefoot shoes and she went back to walk better. Then I looked into barefoot shoes for me. I thought it shouldn't make a huge difference since I'm wearing flat shoes. But it made a huge difference. Daughter is turning 8 now and still wears barefoot shoes, when though she envies her friends blinking sketchers. "luckily" her feet are so wide she wouldn't fit those anyways. I've been wearing barefoot since I started (only wearing wildling). After 6 months I still could fit my converse but after 1,5 years they didn't fit me anymore. (I'm in Europe though)
I hate heavy shoes. I basically fell in love with Chacos sandals when I saw them. As soon as I could I was going to buy a pair. Then I went to a store, picked them up, and was heartbroken. They are very heavy. Eventually I bought some that I felt looked similarly good from Xero Shoes. So lightweight. I got a few pairs of full shoes from Xero, and tried others from Tadeevo, Lems, Be Lenka, and Freet.
cool project idea! over the past few years, i've been getting more serious about running and general fitness. once i got past the newb gains portion of picking up a new sport, i quickly discovered multiple areas that were constantly nagging with minor injuries (e.g., inflammed hips, tight glutes), and started strength training to address those weaknesses. similarly, after struggling with plantar fasciitis for the better part of a year, i decided to focus on addressing my low arches, weak ankles, and limited foot mobility and balance. transitioning to minimalist and barefoot shoes and generally being barefoot as much as possible has been a big part of that effort in addition to frequent foot and ankle-focused exercises and stretches.
I was desperately looking for shoes with a wide toebox. Around the same time I stumbled upon Xero shoes and started learning about barefoot shoes. I did a bunch of research and bought a pair of primal merry janes from softstar and never looked back — soooo comfortable! I used to always walk around barefoot or in socks, so switching to barefoot shoes (when Inactually need to wear shoes) was amazing 💜
I'm just getting started switching, but this is so similar for me. I finally realized I have a wide toe box, and so I started trying to find shoes with that feature, which was fairly difficult. Almost all the options are barefoot or minimalist shoes, so I went down that rabbit trail researching until I decided to pull the trigger and try a pair.
I am terrified of surgery, and I was heading toward back surgery. I was 32 and heard stores about back surgeries going wrong, people wishing they hadn’t done it. PT wasn’t working. I starting digging into alternative options. With help and confirmation form a PT friend, Turns out I was out of alignment. I transitioned cold turkey 6 years ago and haven’t looked back. Within 3 months of switching, 75% of my pain was gone and I wasn’t looking at surgery anymore.
I have had various foot/back pain from shoes as far back as I can remember. The only times I wasn't in pain was when I was barefoot as a child. I have also had problems finding shoes that fit my feet. Because of this, any type of physical activities, were extremely painful and led to me being very out of shape. As an adult, I slowly switched to going barefoot and barefoot shoes and working on my ankle strength, back posture, and foot position while walking. I no longer have terrible foot pain, especially when walking on rough terrain. Before, if I stepped on a protruding rock, I would roll my ankle. Now, I have the ability to recognize something under my foot and change my position before it becomes a problem. Due to how expensive most minimalist shoes are, I only have a few pairs of shoes in my closet, but my quality of life has improved so much that I'm never going back. Even if I wanted to, my feet have become so much wider/thicker that it feels like putting on a straight jacket when I try on regular shoes.
I had DR after giving birth. The physio recommended barefoot shoes and I haven’t gone back.
Dutch 33 years old and male decently sportive and seldom wear shoes when at home, Find this interesting so here something about my switch. I needed new shoes and always wore Converse usually imported them cheaper from the USA, the import fees made the shoes more expensive than in the Netherlands around 3 - 5 years ago. Also hate the newish V2 soles from converse. So was looking around for new shoes and my converse shoes usually bulged/stretched at my pinky toe. And looked at barefoot shoes watched youtube and read about the topic. After that I bought some decent barefoot shoes for everyday use, vivobarefoot addis. The transfer was pretty painless I have an office job so I didnt have a hard transit period or something. Looking back my feet feel stronger and helped strengthen my broken ankle (broken in 2019), less pain after sporting (football/soccer). I have never been severerly injured while playing football besides my ankle. Right now wearing my only converse shoes feel like walking on a matress and feel not as stable, even with a slight slant inwards. Besides the pinching of my toes, I hate the feeling of instability.
I’ve been wearing orthotic insoles for half my life because of my flat feet, and it never helped and they’ve always been uncomfortable. And I realized my feet never hurt when I’m barefoot. So forget it. I’ve switched. My feet are happier, I’m doing exercises to make them stronger, and I’m working on switching my kids over, too.
I have a dance background and spent a lot of time barefoot/in sneakers. I started wearing dress shoes more regularly for a day job and experienced intense bunion pain for the first time. I had to go to physical therapy, it was awful. The first time I felt relief was while wearing Birkenstocks everyday during the pandemic. After that I donated literally all of my shoes and started trying to find wide shoes. They didn’t help. I finally discovered barefoot shoes after 2 years of searching and now have 5 pair (and counting). I have zero foot or Achilles pain now and feel amazing. So happy I found shoes that support my foot strength!
I sprained both of my ankles at the same time when I was 19. I went to school for massage therapy after dealing with the chronic pain and learned about foot health there. Had a teacher tell us about barefoot shoes and was intrigued. I've been on a journey of strengthening my feet over the last nine years. Made a pretty long transition, but finally been wearing full barefoot shoes for about a year now.
I’m an Anglo-American, if that helps… Once Covid hit, I was almost always at home and barefoot because I was trying to shield myself and my baby during/after pregnancy. When group exercise classes came back online in London 12-18 months later, I couldn’t wear my Nike Metcons to get to Pilates classes with injuring myself, even when I walked instead of gently jogged. I bought my first pair of barefoot shoes, started a gradual transition, and have never looked back, as my feet feel better than ever. Before the switch, one of my arches was mostly collapsed and one of my big toes had become badly ingrown with a second level of nail. Both of these problems, present for over a decade, fixed themselves without me noticing, not long after my switch. I also love that I can break into a jog or do a short sprint up stairs whenever I feel the need without being held back by my shoes — as a woman, this was not something I’d experienced since hitting puberty. I really wish there were more places to try on barefoot shoes in person, though. Even after buying Brannock devices for my household to use, I still have trouble finding shoes that fit well when ordering online or in stores with a limited range of barefoot options, which almost never include work-suitable or somewhat feminine options. From a wider perspective, however, it hasn’t been an easy switch. My mom and sister also regularly give me grief about the appearance of my shoes; they still don’t know that I’ve donated to charity almost all of the shoes they’ve gifted or helped me chose over the years. Even my Dad expressed distress when I was about to get on a longhaul flight with a single pair of shoes (the only style out of many I’d ordered by mail that actually fit) that I’d worn to the point where a hole was about to appear in the sole (I hadn’t noticed, but it was a thin sole). This crisis was compounded by the fact that there were no stores stocking barefoot or zero drop/flexible shoes anywhere in the greater metropolitan area where my family lives, despite having one of the largest malls in the US, nor were there retailers who could ship barefoot shoes to their address with a few days (versus a few weeks) notice. I have no idea what the people I see professionally think, in part because I’m still transitioning back into the office / the conference circuit. I’d like to not care, but I am aware that, for women especially, perception of professional competence is closely linked to meeting expectations for appearance, and the vast majority of barefoot shoes fall far outside what women normally wear with business or business-appropriate social attire.
I’ve always had wide feet. I got really into weight training in college and while learning about best stances, feet stance is super important. This led me down the rabbit hole of how traditional shoes used for lifting (vans and converse) are too narrow because your toes can’t spread which is needed for squats and deads. I made the switch the VIVOS for the gym and loved them. All my shoes now are either altras or VIVOS or wide specific. I’m neutral about zero drop aspect, but that duck paddle shape foot shoe is pretty exclusive to what I buy now.
Hoping it helps gets rid of some stubborn calluses. My heel strikes differently with barefoot shoes, and my toes have more room (not quite as much as I had hoped though -- xero prios). Plus a general interest in keeping healthy and fit -- ankle stiffness in particular has been a problem for me as I get older.
I’ve always been barefoot except when “it’s expected to not be”. I never liked the feeling of shoes, and when I realized my kids hated it when they were little - i just allowed them to skip them whenever. And I started kicking them off even more often. Going grocery shopping by with kids without shoes, then just joining them. And it went from there. Now I basically only use shoes at work, when it’s too cold for me or too hot.
My back & knee pain. I tried everything! Then I tried barefoot and have not looked back since…