Minimalist shoes, heard of it?
Thats actually another name for shoes such as Vibram FiveFingers and Terra Plana’s Vivo Barefoot.

came upon it while I was reading the newspaper article – Just like running barefoot by Jeanette Wang.
With all the technology about customizing shoes according to pressure scans, who would have known that running “close” to barefoot is actually a solution?

Some extracts from the article:

“.. The goal is to run properly, with a bio mechanically efficient running stride,” he said. “Bare feet are the most efficient way of arriving at that goal.

“Without the cushioning of modern shoes, runners are forced to land on their forefoot instead of the heel. It is how kids run; it is how we were born to run.

Heel-striking, said Harvard University professor Daniel Lieberman, causes potentially-damaging impact, as it concentrates two or three times one’s body weight to a coin-sized surface. He led a study which found that 75 per cent of all shoe-wearing runners heel-strike, while most bare-footed runners land on the sides or balls of their feet.

Running barefoot also strengthens the plantar fascia muscles that run along the sole of the foot, and reduces the chances of shin splints, said Robert Gotlin, director of orthopaedic and sports rehabilitation at Beth Israel Medical Centre in New York City.

Injuries, though, are possible with barefoot running. Here is how to ease into it safely:

• Take off your shoes. “When you feel the ground and try to heel-strike, it will hurt and you will stop, preventing an overuse injury,” said Sandler.
• Pick a hard surface. “The harder the better,” said Sandler. “It’s easier to feel the ground, and to learn to run incredibly light.”
• Listen to your body. “Whatever you’re doing, if it feels uncomfortable, change it. Stop if it’s painful,” said McDougall. “When you become fatigued and your form starts falling apart, that’s your body telling you to pack it in today.”
• Take your time. Sandler started by running just 100m barefoot and took three months to build up to 10km. “If you’ve been a heel-striker all your life, you have to transition slowly to build strength in the calf and foot muscles,” Dr Lieberman said.

Read articles before about running on hard grounds would cause damage to the knee cap, running on grass and sand are too unpredictable.
So what is the real solution if one chooses jogging of a form of exercise? Guess nobody know…
But one thing I do agree with the article,
“Listen to your body.”

Thanks for coming by~

Be Bless
Love,
Amanda