You have been born barefoot, and a rising physique of proof suggests you need to have stayed that manner. The know-how and padding of the fashionable shoe shield your toes, however protection isn’t always what you want. Toes have been made to stretch, flex, roll, and bend, and letting them do what they developed to do can reduce impact injuries and supply a bunch of different advantages.
That mentioned, please don’t purchase a pair of those barely-there sneakers and begin strolling or operating the best way you at all times have. That will not work, and it might probably result in accidents. You want to ease into all issues barefoot-related, and to a point you want to relearn find out how to stroll and run. On this information, we have got recommendation on making the transition from padded sneakers to “barefoot sneakers” (also called minimalist sneakers or zero-drop sneakers), and we have rounded up our favorites. They’re as shut as you will get to attaining that barefoot sensation with out operating afoul of “No Shirt, No Footwear, No Service” indicators.
You’ll want to try our different buying guides, together with our Best Running Gear and Best Snow Gear roundups.
Up to date July 2024: We have added Lem’s Boulder boots, Vivobarefoot’s Tracker FG boot, and Xero’s scrambler mid sneakers. We have additionally up to date costs and hyperlinks all through.
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