Want Better Posture, Go Barefoot

If you want better posture and a healthier, stronger back and knees, you should start traveling everywhere barefoot. Of course, this isn’t possible in all situations though, say for example, work. So then what are your options? There are plenty actually, and I’ve gathered up some info below.

Vivo Barefoot and Dopie
Terra Plana sells two types of shoes that are designed to feel like the wearer isn’t wearing shoes at all; the Vivo Barefoot and the Dopie.

Vivo Barefoot
The Vivo Barefoot shoes simulate the feeling of walking barefoot and they’re made so that you can actually feel the difference between asphalt, gravel and grass. They’re also highly recommended by Reflexologists and Alexander technique therapists. Whatever those are. These shoes range in the area of $120 to $150.

Dopie
The Dopie is a sort of flip-flop type of footwear. It looks like a foot sole that folds between the toes. Wearing these shoes is supposed to help your posture, strengthen foot muscles, and since they’re built tough, you don’t have to throw them away after a few months like normal flip-flops. You can pick these up for $55.

MBT
MBT Shoes
MBT (Masai Barefoot Technology) Shoes are produced by the company, Swiss Masai and are described as physiological footwear. These shoes are designed to alleviate foot complaints, improve training, and increase performance as well as improving fitness levels and overall health. How they do all this, I have no idea.

The in-shoe distribution in the shoes (which you can see in the photo above) is what does the trick. It creates a natural instability that stimulates and exercises the body’s supporting muscle system, which actually makes a lot of sense if you imagine walking in them. These shoes seem to range from $200 to $300, from what I can find.

Vibrams FiveFingers
Vibram Fivefinger
These are the shoes that peaked my interest and motivated me to write this story in the first place. I work with someone who wears these and he tells me they’re great. I admit, they’re really weird looking though, but I kinda like that. The FiveFingers were created by the company, Vibram and are described by them as second-skin that offers a gecko-like grip over a variety of different terrain. The FiveFingers are designed to create a natural walking motion and should reduce the impact on your knees, hips and lower back. You can find these from $70 to $90.

So there you have it. There are five different types of shoes listed above and each brand actually contains different models within each type depending on your activities, such as casual and sport so you should have plenty of options to choose from. After researching all of these shoes, I wish I could afford ’em all, but I think my first purchase will be the weird looking FiveFingers, cuz they look fun and comfortable to wear. I bet I’ll get a lot of questions too.

8 thoughts on “Want Better Posture, Go Barefoot”

  1. Try some Sanuk loafers. insist that all their products are sandals. They are far and away the most comfortable footwear I’ve ever worn. The sole is a foam that forms to the shape of your foot after about 5 days of wearing them. I usually fold the heel portion of the canvas upper down so they’re slip-ins, works great, and they never fall off because they form so perfectly to your feet.

  2. Timothy Ritchie

    I wear beach socks that you can pick up at Target or most sporting goods stores for less than $10.They are the absolutely best things just like walking barefoot without the splinters.Cheap little things and the ones I have are black so people don’t even notice them.I put a pair of inserts in them to give me a little bit of cushion and my feet thing their in heaven.

  3. @ Mirco and Timothy – Thanks for the great ideas. I’ll definitely try ’em out.

    By they way, I just bought the Vibram FiveFingers yesterday and I really like ’em. I still kinda need to get used to them though.

  4. I started running in the five fingers last year after reading about some of the benefits of running barefoot. I LOVE them, and wear them all the time now. I have way less injuries, too.

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