Attention all girls who wish they could run but have been conditioned to hate it because of the aches in
your arches and shin splints, I have a magic word that will cure all of your pain and allow you to get the sexy lean muscles of a runner. The word is Vibrams. Vibram, a well-known sole making company, has released a shoe called Vibram FiveFingers, a minimalistic running shoe that mimics the bare foot, which provides many benefits for pain while running.
I am going to start off with saying that not only did I research the benefits of barefoot running; everything I claim has come from personal experience. The fact that I played competitive club volleyball for seven years has made it so that I am no stranger to working out—especially the incredible endorphin releasing cardio exercise that is running. Back then I would continuously get pain in my arches and shins, which would still inhibit my running abilities today had I not discovered these shoes.
According to WebMD, “Running barefoot causes less collision force to the feet than running in cushioned
shoes.” When running, a barefoot runner tends to land on the balls of the feet instead of the heels. “By running on the balls of the feet or the middle of the foot, runners avoid more forceful impacts, equivalent to two to three times of body weight, that shod heel-strikers repeatedly experience.” We are so conditioned to think that we need cushion in order to avoid injuries and pain, when in fact it is the exact opposite—we need less cushion. Runnersworld.com records Dr. Oz supporting this theory saying, “The shoes were designed to not give too much cushioning…but they allow you to run off the arches of your feet so you bounce.” Vibram provides a shoe that mimics the exact design of the bare foot but implements a minimal sole to protect from whichever terrain the runner prefers. The man in the R.E.I store put it perfectly: “Vibram has done research over a span of years to find the sole and shoe combination that would support your foot in just the right way that injuries and pain would be less of an occurrence, when they figured out that the best design for the support of your foot is your ACTUAL foot. Our feet were designed for the purpose of supporting our body while we walk, run, jog, etc—so why try to change that?
Even though I am an enthusiastic advocate, I am not going to lie. The first time I went into R.E.I and saw
these shoes, I thought they were probably the most horrendous looking article of clothing anyone could ever own. Despite my inhibitions about getting weird looks the minute I stepped into my gym, I sucked it up and decided to give them a try. After running for three weeks pain free, I decided to shop online to see if I could get shoes that were more feminine and weren’t so plain looking. To my surprise, there were TONS of Vibrams with colors such as purple, red, maroon, pink, black. Now I have to stop myself from ordering every pair I see!
Head over to www.vibramfivefingers.com and get a shoe that will not only be stylish, but healthier for your feet.