My barefoot walking began from running. I thought running was one of the few exercises I could enjoy by myself. I did some research on what kind of shoes to buy based foot type/how the foot naturally moves during a walk. I got my Gel Cumulus 11 from running room. I started running maybe twice or thrice a week.
I was really getting into it and decided to buy a book about running. Born to run was the perfect book. It was about several races and a journey in extreme long distance running. The book mentions some evolutionary concepts on why we were born to run and without much padding. Some thoughts about barefoot walking/running emerged from reading the book. Naturally the foot is suppose to move the way it wants to move and over time learn to adjust. To me the energies of walking barefoot is another way to get closer to the spirit of the earth. The energies from the ground travels up the nerve sensors connected by our foot. In my opinion the stronger our feet are, the stronger our knees, back, spines, neck, and head will become.
I remember hearing about vibram five fingers from two friends a while back and after some convincing from the book I decided to give it a try. I looked up where to get them on yelp and I proceeded to go to Wheatgrass Store in Kaimuki. The place is very friendly. After struggling to get my toes in the fingers, I made my purchase of the Sprint model. I went overboard in the first two days of trying it. I did two days of 7 hours of walking. The top of my foot hurt like hell. It was not the muscle but the bone. The third day, I took it easy wearing well padded shoes and I notice the difference in foot strength right away. I was walking like 3 times faster from the foot strength I gained the last two days. After wearing these for a month, I enjoy walking barefoot in these but I have a few complaints. 1. The foot gets sweaty after a while and I have to wash it each day I wear it. Toesocks are an option but mines fit snug so I will have to buy a size up if I buy socks for it. I'm thinking it will get hotter with toesocks. 2. I have to look out for glass and gravel because the roads/sidewalks are terrible in Hawaii. 3. I cannot wear these everywhere. I feel it is a little too informal for a nice restaurant or even work.
Due to reasons 2 and 3 I looked up alternative options to having the barefoot feel. I found on tennis and running forums a new shoe called terra plana aquas. These aquas fit smaller then the normal shoe but it fits well because it is wide. The blue pair I got corresponded with me going green. Straight from the site: The Aqua navy is 100% Vegan! Navy upper made with Abrasion PU and Eco Nylon. The dark grey and red upper is made with Nubuck and Nufoam. The soles are Latex Rubber. I feel very light on my feet and they feel awesome. The shoes work well in the rain. The moisure dries fast and there is plenty of ventilation. I've had them for a week. The only drawback to these shoes are the price. Other then that, one step closer to going green.
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