running without shoes...

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amv88
amv88 Posts: 9
in Fitness and Exercise
I hear is better for you? is that true?

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  • KatWood
    KatWood Posts: 1,135 Member
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    I've heard this too. I'm curious...

    Apparently they make special 'socks' that you can wear outside to protect your feet when you don't wear shoes.
  • 8turboturtle8
    8turboturtle8 Posts: 239 Member
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    I saw some on in my Biggest Loser Bootcamp with some weird socks and no shoes...I wonder if it was those....
  • miqisha
    miqisha Posts: 1,534 Member
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    I actually have never heard that before....find it kinda hard to beleive...would love to see if anyone knows for sure if this is true

    I would still wear my shoes though, the risk of getting something stuck in your feet, or being cut by something sharp...I would prefer to stay in my shoes
  • Iceprincessk25
    Iceprincessk25 Posts: 1,888 Member
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    There's a HUGE movement of people who run without shoes. They feel that humans were not meant to wear shoes and that it's better for our body to run barefoot.


    Both sides say one another is bad.
  • natalia221
    natalia221 Posts: 19
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    I could imagine it is good for you in the sense we were born without shoes so it is more "natural".

    With my ankles and arches I couldn't imagine running without shoes. Only on the beach.
  • bennettv
    bennettv Posts: 152 Member
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    There are actually "barefoot shoes". They're called Vibram Five Fingers. http://www.vibramfivefingers.com/ I tried on a pair last week. I really like the idea of it -- I hate wearing shoes. The sales person said they take some getting used to, but it's what she wears almost all the time now. I also saw someone wearing them hiking up a mountain in Phoenix. I had to ask how he liked them. He loves them and credits the shoes to his feet being so much stronger and stable than before. It's like he's developed monkey-like features with his feet.
  • jennylynn84
    jennylynn84 Posts: 659
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    Ahhh! I wouldn't.

    I've seriously had to go to the doctor about how bad my feet, and calves hurt because for the longest time I wore shoes with very little support (marched all over campus during my college days wearing just flip-flops). It actually causes my calves to strain themselves (when my feet pronate) and the inside of my calf about three inches above my ankle is sensitive to the touch. So now I ALWAYS try to wear shoes with support if I plan on being on my feet a lot.

    I guess going without shoes is okay for some people, but I would personally worry about fallen arches and stress fractures. I mean, I'm sure that originally, yes, man was built to go without shoes, but evolution over time changes things like that. Originally there was a use for our appendix.

    Just my two cents.
  • HOSED49
    HOSED49 Posts: 665 Member
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    The principle behind it is that if you run, your body would prevent you from striking your heel as you run which in theory causes more damage to your joints. There are also shoes called Vibram 5 fingers wchich are basically rubber socks that you put on like a shoe, each toe has its own little rubber shell. Pose running is very big on this running style as they alledge that you will run more efficiently and be lesss likely to sustain long term injury. They do not enforce the barefoot running but merely suggest a lower profile shoe or the Vibrams to help you run more efficiently and safer. I ran on the tradmill the other day in just socks, which made me become a midsole striker instead of my traditional military type heel strike. My calves were pretty sore the next day but that because of the running style change. I have been practicing this technique over the last few weeks and have seen a tremendous improvement in my running abilities(hate to run). Just food for thought...hope this helps.

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