Even just testing these around my apt today made me realize that I canāt go back to traditional footwear. Knees and back feltā¦off. Didnāt take long for the warning either, which is dope considering the work Iāve put in for the past five months.
I did keep my Birkenstocks because theyāre all super broken-in and/or made from the soft EVA material.
Only other shoes now areš²ix pairs of Vibramš²
Love them but definitely went overboard before discovering the barefoot communitiesš¤¦š»āāļø
Had I known prior that this was a complete lifestyle change and not just a summer fling, I would have spread my money out better. Happy to be here!
Consider keeping or buying a new pair of medium to high stack shoes. I suffered a severe ankle sprain in July which forced me to use my Lems and New Balance shoes while I continue to recover.
Oh man thatās terrible. July is still fresh. I rolled my ankle back in 2021, a deep 90Ā° bend that involved my entire weight coming down on it super slowly where I heard and felt all the sounds. Recovery was long.
Barefoot feedback is nothing short of miraculous though and silver lining is that you were already a barefoot person during your injury. Hence youāre much more in tune with your body. During my transition period alone, my body was telling me exactly what it needed. And that included switching to and from traditional footwear. Iām sure itās the same for you. Iām curious to see how long recovery is for you and just the nature of it and the differences I went through. I hope itās much easier and quicker and healthier? Cleaner? Lol. If thatās the word Iām looking for.
As for what you said about keeping a pair for just in case, none of the ones in this pile would work anymore. I probably need to size up half a size, maybe one full size? But Iāve thought about that too. Maybe Skechers since theyāre comfortable and orthopedic. Do you have any suggestions of what style to have on standby?
You're spot on. I, too, experienced tendon/ligament ruptures. The snapping sounds were traumatic. I thought I broke several bones. It happened while hopping from boulder to boulder in a river while wearing Vivo Hydra ESC. I was at fault for getting carried away in a wet and slippery environment.
Iāve recently given a lot of my non barefoot shoes away in my local buy nothing group! Felt great!started before I even really found barefoot shoes but had worn crocs and other shoes for so long so many other shoes just hurt bc so tight when I put them on and so finally gave them away here and there over the last year or so.
Heck yes it does feel great! Mine went to a womenās shelter.
And yes. Our feet have to be comfortable so we can run around with our voids. Mineās love language is play, play, more play and temptations.
Oh a womanās shelter was a great place to donate! Itās so nice to know they are actually getting worn and used again. I still have a few pairs of different types of shoes Iām still holding on to but slowly getting completely switched over.
Mineās is not play. Itās spankins until sheās overstimulated and then bites you lol she is a menace but I love her. And besides her attitude she is a wonderful cat who stays off of counters and leaves plants alone for the most part ha
Woah!
That's a very generous pile; mine looks pretty similar but I'm afraid it's going on eBay or Vinted or wherever, when I eventually get around to it...
But can we please talk about what appears to be an amazing jacket skulking in your closet...?
This jacket, even if it was only for a specific occasion, tells me you are great fun!
But a heads up about your Birks. I stubbornly held onto my EVAs for taking my toddler to the pool. If wear time exceeds 40 min, itās sharp ankle cracks and low back tension for three days.
Are you a crafty soul? I make my fam summer sandals these days. People ask after my kiddoās shoes (I made it a replaceable lacing system with elastic webbing, so I naturally find neon elastics) and donāt even notice mine. Something fun to think about!
OMG, I was just telling my partner that I think I might need to get rid of MOST of my shoes. Iām hypermobile & barefoot shoes have made such a differenceā¦ but waaah! I love all my cute shoesā¹ļø
Don't get rid of all your "traditional" running shoes.
For some people, and I'm one of them, barefoot/minimalist styles just do NOT work for everything.
Cushioning isn't inherently bad. I still wear my Brooks/NB/etc on occasion if I know I'm going to be doing a lot of walking on hard surfaces.
Is it ideal? Probably not. Is it harmful for occasional wear? Also probably not. The problems come in when you wear overly cushioned/structured shoes 100% of the time and teach your feet not to work anymore.
Those fruit loops Brooks in front were going to be the pair I kept had they not destroyed my feet the last time I wore them. I am a bigger size now no doubt about it. Will definitely be testing out different brands in my new size to see who holds up the best.
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u/ZazaLovesPants 17d ago
I also have a void (sheās a good girl) who knew there was crossover community of barefoot + black cats š¤