You had been born barefoot, and a rising physique of evidence suggests you must have stayed that method. The expertise and padding of the fashionable shoe shield your toes, however protection isn’t always what you want. Feet had been made to stretch, flex, roll, and bend, and letting them do what they advanced to do can reduce impact injuries and supply a number of different advantages.
That stated, please don’t purchase a pair of those barely-there footwear and begin strolling or working the way in which you all the time have. That will not work, and it will probably result in accidents. You have to ease into all issues barefoot associated, and to some extent, you could relearn methods to stroll and run. In this information, we have recommendation on making the transition from padded footwear to “barefoot shoes” (also referred to as minimalist or zero-drop footwear), and we have rounded up our favorites. They’re as shut as you will get to reaching that barefoot sensation with out working afoul of “No shirt, no shoes, no service” indicators.
Be positive to take a look at our different buying guides, together with our Best Running Gear and Best Snow Gear roundups.
Updated June 2022: We’ve added the Xero Aqua Cloud water sandals and up to date costs and hyperlinks all through.
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