• Skip to main content
  • Skip to header right navigation
  • Skip to after header navigation
  • Skip to site footer
The Healthy Home Economist

The Healthy Home Economist

embrace your right to a lifetime of health

Get Plus
  • Home
  • About
  • My Books
  • Shopping List
  • Archives
  • Log in
  • Get Plus
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Get Plus
  • Log in
  • Home
  • About
  • Subscribe
  • Archives
  • My Books
  • Shopping List
  • Recipes
  • Healthy Living
  • Natural Remedies
  • Green Living
  • Videos
  • Natural Remedies
  • Health
  • Green Living
  • Recipes
  • Videos
  • Subscribe
Healthy Home Economist / Archives / Fitness / Are Barefoot Running Shoes Hype?

Are Barefoot Running Shoes Hype?

by Sarah Pope / Affiliate Links ✔

My New Barefoot Runners

I finally bought myself a pair of barefoot running shoes yesterday after thinking about it for literally about 2 years!

Aren’t they purrrdy?  

So what took me so long?  It’s not like this is such a big decision after all.

Paula Jager, the Fitness Editor for this blog, wrote a post not too long ago about barefoot running and the benefits of shoes designed to mimic how we walk and run naturally.

Here’s a snippet of what she wrote:

  • The big fat cushiony heel support found in modern day running shoes goes against our natural gait and can result in a shortened Achilles tendon and calf muscle
  • It takes more energy to run with the extra weight of the shoes
  • Worst of all, they are designed to make you land with your heel while we are designed (by nature) to land on our forefoot. The repetitive strain of slamming on your heel results in undue shock and potential joint injury. By landing on the ball or forefoot with light steps allows our arch to act like the natural spring that it is.
  • By wearing all that fake support our muscles, tendons and ligaments have weakened. And that’s not only the ones found in our feet but also in our hips and legs. This will also decrease coordination, agility and balance.

Well said Paula!  I find the reasons for barefoot running to be rather compelling too which is why I’ve been considering these new types of shoes for quite sometime.

My holdup with getting my first pair of barefoot runners was actually my husband who doesn’t at all like the look of the Vibrams Five Fingers models which were some of the first barefoot runners on the market.

Vibram Five Fingers

“They look really weird”  he would say whenever I brought up the possibility of buying a pair for myself.

I figured the problem was just that it was a new fashion trend and he would eventually get used to it, so I just waited.

And waited.

And waited some more!

No chance.  After all my waiting, he still hated the look of those shoes and so did all 3 of my kids!

“Don’t get those Mom, they look like frog feet” my boys would tell me.

As luck would have it, something else happened in recent months to change the deal in my favor.

Barefoot runners were introduced to the market that look more like a regular sneaker.   Hurray!

When these new barefoot runners first came out, I was ready to bite, but they were a bit too expensive for my taste.  I can’t justify spending $100+ for a pair of sneakers when it comes right down to it.

It just seemed excessive to me.

But yesterday, I found a pair that were an excellent price and they were snazzy and cute looking to boot.

So I snapped them up as we have a bunch of outdoor hiking type of activities coming up this summer and I need a really good pair of shoes anyway as my sneakers are pretty beat.

My question to all of you is, are these shoes really worth it?  Did I succumb to marketing hype by buying a pair or will I be nothing but thrilled in the coming weeks as I wear them for my outdoor excursions?

Please chime in as I would really like to get your opinion.  And, if you think my new sneaks are ugly (or cute), feel free to mention that too!

Sarah, The Healthy Home Economist

Picture Credit

FacebookPinEmailPrint
Category: Fitness
Sarah Pope

Sarah Pope MGA has been a Health and Nutrition Educator since 2002. She is a summa cum laude graduate in Economics from Furman University and holds a Master’s degree from the University of Pennsylvania.

She is the author of three books: the bestseller Get Your Fats Straight, Traditional Remedies for Modern Families, and Living Green in an Artificial World.

Her four eBooks Good Diet…Bad Diet, Real Food Fermentation, Ketonomics, and Ancestrally Inspired Dairy-Free Recipes are available for complimentary download via Healthy Home Plus.

Her mission is dedicated to helping families effectively incorporate the principles of ancestral diets within the modern household. She is a sought after lecturer around the world for conferences, summits, and podcasts.

Sarah was awarded Activist of the Year in 2010 at the International Wise Traditions Conference, subsequently serving on the Board of Directors of the nutrition nonprofit the Weston A. Price Foundation for seven years.

Her work has been covered by numerous independent and major media including USA Today, ABC, and NBC among many others.

You May Also Like

natural birth

The Best Exercise for Natural Birth (VIDEO)

Fall Fitness Challenge Week 4 (Why I Eat Primal)

25 health tips

Top 25 Fitness, Nutrition + Lifestyle Tips for the New Year

menopausal woman first day of deadlifting

My Weight-Lifting Routine and Results after One Year (strength, bone mass and stress reduction)

soccer team bans butter

Butter Banning World Cup Team Gets the Boot

Pre and Post Workout Nutrition for Your Body Type

Pre and Post Workout Nutrition for Your Body Type

Going to the Doctor a Little Too Often?

Get a free chapter of my book Traditional Remedies for Modern Families + my newsletter and learn how to put Nature’s best remedies to work for you today!

We send no more than one email per week. You will never be spammed or your email sold, ever.
Loading

Reader Interactions

Comments (101)

  1. agirlwhomakes

    Oct 12, 2017 at 3:53 am

    i have seen those feet shape shoes they are very comfortable and best for gym i think,

    Reply
  2. Wayne

    May 20, 2013 at 9:55 pm

    I just bought a pair of Merrill, True Glove barefoot running shoes, they feel great but are taking a bit of getting used to. Thanks Sarah for showing these to us! I might even get a pair of the five fingers to try out, I think they’d feel great while rock climbing.

    Reply
  3. evilpeekey

    Sep 27, 2012 at 8:15 pm

    I just bought a pair of Vibrams, but my stubby little toes are too short to fit in the individual toe pockets. In fact, my second and third toes on each foot are webbed and are in serious pain with shoes on. I guess these shoes aren’t for everyone.

    Reply
  4. evilpeekey

    Sep 27, 2012 at 8:15 pm

    I just bought a pair of Vibrams, but my stubby little toes are too short to fit in the individual toe pockets. In fact, my second and third toes on each foot are webbed and are in serious pain with shoes on. I guess these shoes aren’t for everyone.

    Reply
  5. Elaine

    Sep 6, 2012 at 4:59 am

    I have just been looking at these shoes this week, coincidence. Some reviews say to get a site smaller than your regular size can someone comment/advise. I would want a pair like Sarah’s.

    Reply
  6. mimi

    Sep 4, 2012 at 3:59 pm

    I have a problem, have had surgery on one foot, having problems with the other foot, planter f. problems. Have the orthodic inserts, whole 9 yds, still problems, what would this type of shoe do for me?

    Reply
  7. Cynthia Calisch

    Sep 1, 2012 at 12:07 pm

    Here I am coming late to the party…I have owned the Five fingers for several years now and while I love walking in them they are not my “go-to” shoes. However, they are the ONLY shoes I will wear on a boat! My first time using them on a 35′ trawler I found myself walking all over the sides and running up and down the ladders carrying lines (ropes) or food or other such things. I was totally confident walking on deck and had no fear of slipping, even in a rain storm. So for that reason alone, I found them invaluable. And, I even got really good at putting them on. Can’t wait to read the follow up story of your shoes, Sarah.

    Reply
« Older Comments

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Sidebar

Mother Nature’s Medicine Cabinet

5 Secrets to a Strong Immune System

Loading

The Healthy Home Economist

Since 2002, Sarah has been a Health and Nutrition Educator dedicated to helping families effectively incorporate the principles of ancestral diets within the modern household. Read More

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Check Out My Books

Mother Nature’s Medicine Cabinet

5 Secrets to a Strong Immune System

Loading

Contact the Healthy Home Economist. The information on this website has not been evaluated by the FDA and is not intended to diagnose, treat, prevent, or cure any disease. By accessing or using this website, you agree to abide by the Terms of Service, Full Disclaimer, Privacy Policy, Affiliate Disclosure, and Comment Policy.

Copyright © 2009–2023 · The Healthy Home Economist · All Rights Reserved · Powered by BizBudding Inc.

Share this ArticleLike this article? Email it to a friend!

Email sent!