sgogeta4 Posted October 5, 2012 Share Posted October 5, 2012 I have a diverse set of interests and lately what's been on my mind is athletic shoes, specifically minimalist shoes. I'm curious to see what kind of shoes people wear for casual or general athletic use and how you are finding your shoes. If anyone has any questions regarding barefoot or minimalist activities, I would be glad to share what I've learned over the past few years. As a side note, I also have very random interests in sock "technology", finding the perfect daypack (commuting backpack), general medicine, and technology - and love discussing any of these topics lol.As for myself, I'm an overpronator with terrible flat feet. I've tried several orthotics and stability shoes over the years without much luck in finding a comfortable shoe that I could wear all day. But then a few years back, Vibrams released an interesting (and what many people consider ugly) pair of shoes called Five Fingers. Naturally, as a soon-to-be doctor, I started investigating the topic. The science sounded plausible - we evolved to walk barefoot, so why not try it out. I read all the horror stories of injuries and found many interesting studies. I found a lot of information, especially from a Harvard study by an evolutionary biologist. If anyone is interested:Running Barefoot: HomeSo back to present day, I've worn through my pair of Vibrams KomodoSport shoes. They've served me well for over a year now and I've just purchased two new shoes, the Mizuno Wave Musha 4 and Vibrams KomodoSport LS. The first one is a running shoe from a well known Japanese running shoe company, the latter would be more of a cross trainer from a company well known for quality shoe soles. I plan to use the first as my daily all purpose walking/running shoe (especially on the streets) and the latter for casual walking in the park, gym (circuit training, crossfit, P90X, etc.), rock climbing (though only because I left my rock climbing shoes back in Canada), and badminton. I'm an avid supporter of minimalist shoes and while I do realize that it's not for everyone, I would highly recommend it for people who are active and like to strengthen their overall fitness. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mw86 Posted October 6, 2012 Share Posted October 6, 2012 Very interesting read. I suffer from foot pain in many shoes too and i seem to have very thin souls to my feet and tend to have discomfort if i land my foot down too hard. I am new to all of this but Ill be following what you post. I enjoyed reading of your endeavors on footwear. Sent from my Paranoid Samsung Galaxy S3 on Sprint using Tapatalk 2 Jelly Bean flavor included Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Founder Brian Posted October 6, 2012 Founder Share Posted October 6, 2012 Since both of us are in the medical field, you know how grueling rounds can be that last 12+ hours, especially surgery (my current rotation). Did you find any good gel shoes when you went through it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sgogeta4 Posted October 6, 2012 Author Share Posted October 6, 2012 The only problem I've had with minimalist shoes is that wearing regular shoes feel weird after! Haven't found a solid pair of dress shoes that I can wear all day. For dress shoes, I currently use Mephistos shoes (I got them on sale for 30% off though). They're pricey but pretty good. The most common types of shoes I've seen others wear are Crocs, New Balance walking shoes, or clogs (Dankso makes excellent clogs, they're known for their "standing" shoes vs. walking shoes vs. running shoes). I generally wear my runners or cross trainers (Vibrams) with my scrubs. Shoe covers prevent the staring lol.Minimalist shoes definitely take some time to get used to and I don't recommend going many hours in them if you've never worn them before. When I first got them, the first week I wore them only for a few (<4) hours a day outdoors to do light exercise like jogging, skipping rope, or walking around. Now I can wear them for 12 hours. You'll definitely strengthen the soles of your feet if you wear them a bit everyday and it's changed my gait for the better. You learn quickly not to put too much pressure on your heel, and walk more on your toes and the ball of your feet, which should strengthen them. Just be careful not to stub your toes, since they are like sandals and do not offer much protection. If you're interested, go to the store to try different pairs out and keep an eye out on price. I tried the Bikila and it didn't fit me well due to being too tight around the midfoot (it was on sale for $35 in store), while the KomodoSport felt much better despite being on regular price. Actually since I was just looking for a pair, if you go to Groupon, there is a $50 for $100 at City Sports. First time purchasers can sign up at the cashier and get 5% off (if you're a student, 10% off) the $110 full price. I also got a bonus $15 off Groupon for first time Groupon buyer, so ended up paying $35 for a $110 shoe! The link is below:http://www.groupon.com/deals/city-sports-1As a side note, I also got my runners from the same store along with a T shirt (both on clearance). The other promo was if you get 2 sale/clearance items, you get an additional 20% off both items. I got the runners for around $55 and the T shirt for $15. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carlabrown Posted November 5, 2012 Share Posted November 5, 2012 According to me some shoes may give us a little pain but some may provide us the comfort like Vans and converse they are just amazing in what type and design they made..They are so light weight that it makes us feel very comfortable and handy... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mw86 Posted November 14, 2012 Share Posted November 14, 2012 Just got a pair of Timberland Eurohiker's and they are very comfortable. For all day use they are pretty good. Paranoid Galaxy S3 on Tapatalk 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CoYoKo Posted November 15, 2012 Share Posted November 15, 2012 For sports i use regular indoor tiempo nikes. with my gel soles though. had several generations and they seem to fit me perfectly well Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sgogeta4 Posted November 23, 2012 Author Share Posted November 23, 2012 Finally, bought that new pair of Vibrams Komodosport LS! Boo ya! Going to sleep now lol. Will post up more details later. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.