Hello Empyreans!
Happy Monday!
I hope everyone had a safe and awesome 4th of July Weekend!
What to Look for in a Great Workout Shoe
Over the years, clients have been asking me, "What are the best shoes to get for working out?".
Now, I am not a shoe expert of any sort but I am definitely a barefoot training enthusiast. I am a strong believer of the positive effects that come from developing strong, healthy feet and how it can significantly improve your mood, balance, core stability, and spacial awareness.
With that being said, I usually respond with these 3 attributes that you should look for in a great workout shoe.
1. Your Shoe Should Be as Lightweight as Possible
There is no reason why you should be lugging around extra weight around your ankles and feet. This will only activate your hips more to lift the knees up higher to pick up heavier feet. Just by wearing a heavier shoe can lead to overactive hips, which, over time, can eventually lead to chronic lower back pain.
Invest in a shoe that is almost weightless. You're shoe should be an outer protective shell of your feet, not extra weight to carry. You wouldn't wear weighted gloves in the winter time right? Same concept. Less weight, less work.
2. Find a Flexible Shoe
Your foot is not straight and stiff. It can move in all different directions. Your feet are almost as mobile as your hands. When were barefoot, the toes can bend and splay, the ankles can rotate, and we can point our feet in any direction (depending on your flexibility).
Find a shoe that can give you that same barefoot mobility with the protection your foot needs from the surrounding environment. Your feet want to move the way that it naturally does, don't deprive them from it.
A great flexible shoe can fold in half and twist. If it can fold in half and twist, you got yourself a nice, flexible shoe.
3. Find a Shoe That Can Breathe
Your feet have over 250,000 sweat glands!
Why enclose them in a heavy, tight, suffocating coffin, day in and day out?!
Studies have shown that when our feet hurt, we tend to be more unhappy and lazy (because we want to sit down!).
Ever had a foot massage? Probably one of the greatest things ever! You experience a sense of relaxation and calmness.
I am a strong believer of how close the feet and the mind are. When our feet are happy, our mind is happy and in order for them to be happy, you need to let them breathe.
Find a shoe that is well ventilated to provide fresh oxygen for the foot to breathe and stay cool during your workouts. Cases of Athlete's foot could be significantly decreased if we wear a well ventilated shoe during training sessions.
Its the moisture that get trapped inside of the shoe that causes fungus buildup and odor. This goes for socks too! Wear a ventilated sock to reduce the chances of moisture buildup.
Also, find a shoe that has a wide toe box so that your toes have room to splay and room for your feet to flatten. There is no reason why your feet should be squished and narrow inside of a shoe. That's just mean!
Happy Feet, Happy You!
Take care of your feet! After all, they are the only body part that you need to get anything done, right?!
Take care of your feet and relieve stress by massaging the bottom of your feet with your thumbs every night to release all of the tension and tightness that gets built from a long day of work. You will have better sleep and blood flow to the feet the following day.
Treat yourself to a pedicure now and then! I've had 4 in my life and WOW!. They really are the best! You'll leave feeling clean, energized, and more relaxed!
My Top 3 Picks for The Best Workout Shoe
3. 2015 Nike Free 3.0
Very wide toe box and overall a great everyday walking shoe. The rounded up tip is great for walking since you can "roll off" every step.
Very breathable shoe. The sock like shell encourages users to wear the shoe without socks, keeping them super minimal. The first generation of these shoes were my first minimal shoe I ever bought and I still use them till this day. Very wide toe box and overall a great, everyday walking shoe. The rounded up tip is great for walking since you can "roll off" every step.
2. New Balance Minimums Zero
New Balance makes different models of this minimalist shoes that are better geared for trail running and other outdoor activities!
A very lightweight shoe. Less flexibility than the Nike Frees but has a lower ride to ground. The soles of the shoe are made by Vibram, the creators of the Five Finger Shoes. The traction from the Vibram soles are incredible. New Balance makes different models of this minimalist shoes that are better geared for trail running and other outdoor activities! Look at that ventilation too!
1. Vivo Barefoot Stealth
The shoe is practically weightless, I can roll it like sushi, its super-ventilated, has a puncture resistant sole, a very wide toe box, and provides great traction for everyday use, especially the gym.
Coming from a barefoot training enthusiast, these are the best shoes you can put on your feet to give you the closest thing to being barefoot. The shoe is practically weightless, I can roll it like sushi, its super-ventilated, has a puncture resistant sole, a very wide toe box, and provides great traction for everyday use, especially the gym. You don't even need to wear socks with them and remove the bottom padding to give you an even closer barefoot ride!
I've ran 3 5k's completely barefoot and I really don't like running much with shoes on but when I do run with shoes on, I choose my Vivos every time. You can only purchase these bad boys online at:
vivobarefoot.com
Highly recommend them!
Always Dedicated to Your Success,
Carl and Justin
