Five Reasons Vibram’s Five Finger Shoes Will Rock Your Socks Off

“I’m not being seen in public with you if you’re wearing those – things.”
– A friend’s girlfriend to her boyfriend about his Vibram Five Finger Shoes.

So why would you wear them? My five favorite reasons:

1) They will make you run faster than Kenyans. Or at least, faster than you already run.

As hunter-gatherers for hundreds of thousands of years, evolution designed our bodies to walk and run without our Nikes. When we lack the one inch of foam under our feet, it forces the way you walk and run into a more efficient stride.

A few weeks ago, I bought the very last pair of Vibrams at a local running shop. I asked the shop keeper, “How could these hideous looking shoes be sold out in a fashion-conscious city like Halifax?” His answer? One of the local track and field stars has been winning twice as many races in his new VFFs (Vibram Five Finger Shoes), and his competitors are finally realizing it might have at least a little something to do with the shoes.

2) They feel awesome. They’re like you’re walking barefoot, but better. Remember that feeling when you were a young and you would run around barefoot? I know, felt great, right?

Okay, it’s innapropriate analogy time. Apologies in advance. Vibrams are like really great condoms.  Hear me out. Lets say you go out and have unprotected sex (ie. go for a walk in the park barefoot) and although it might feel pretty good (your feet in the grass…), you’d be risking STDs and pregnancy (ie. broken beer bottles or needles on the ground). So along comes these really great condoms (Vibrams) that might actually feel better than unprotected sex.  Amazing, right? So they look a little funny, so what. To then go back to wearing shoes that are uncomfortable, or worse, actually hurt your feet would be like, well, you can finish that analogy on your own. Point is, they feel pretty great to walk around in.

3) They’re good for your body. Without the padding of our trusty Reeboks, we don’t run with the same heel-strike pose that we’re used to and that causes so many running injuries. The scientific research to support running in these kind of “naked” shoes is growing quickly.

4) They’re a great conversation starter. In an average day of wearing them around town running errands, I’ll get at least ten people stop me and comment on them. Usually people love ‘em or hate ‘em, with opinions ranging from “When I look at your shoes, I vomit a little bit in my mouth” to “Dude – Awesome kicks” with little in between (Coincidentally, those two camps are roughly segregated into men and women). Which brings me to my next point.

5) They look ridiculous. You may take this as a point against, but think again. By wearing these shoes that some women have termed “hideously disgusting” (from a make-up model blonde the other day) you’re effectively saying that you don’t care what other people think. That you would rather feel good than impress people who’s opinions mean nothing. I mean, is our social conditioning, our fear of what other people think about us, so ingrained, so hard to shake off, that we would consider not wearing something that makes our feet feel awesome?

Finally, if you don’t take my word for it, have a look at what Wired Magazine and Tim Ferriss’ have to say about the science of Vibrams.

http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2009/07/barefoot/

http://www.wired.com/reviews/product/pr_vibram_fivefingers_kso

http://www.fourhourworkweek.com/blog/2009/05/07/vibram-five-fingers-shoes/#more-1575

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