As with any sort of shoes, sizing varies by manufacturer, but obviously barefoot shoes don’t have the same snug feel as standard shoes due to the minimal materials and wide toe box. Unlike regular footwear, barefoot shoemakers want the toes to be free to splay as they would if you weren’t wearing shoes at all. It looks like there’s a foam layer on the outsole, which would go against the main idea of barefoot. This is just a design feature. There’s a very thin layer of BareFoam on the inside, which wraps around the outside to give a familiar look to the shoe. On the inside, there’s a removal insole which you can keep in or take out depending on the feel you want.

Our chief editor Jason has been wearing the Motus Strength JJFs for around a month and he swears by them. He said, “ The Motus Strength barefoot trainers are without a doubt the highest-quality barefoot trainer I’ve seen. For strength training, especially squats, deadlifts, or any exercise that requires you to stand – they are perfect. Giving you a completely flat sole, allowing you to have improved stability and the opportunity to really strengthen those small muscles in your feet.“ Starting at the bottom, this shoe comes with a 3mm power footbed and 1.5mm of lug depth to give you high performance when training. Certainly not. And not all barefoot shoes look like foot-gloves either, although that style of shoe features on this list. Anyone can benefit from wearing barefoot shoes, and there are many styles geared towards city living as well as outdoor fitness pursuits. How does the sizing work for barefoot shoes? Once you get used to wearing barefoot sandals for running or for walking or hiking or anything else, it’s pretty addicting. In fact, both my wife Lena and I have the same story. We started wearing the Xero Shoes that we made and then, after a couple of weeks, had some reason to put on some other pair of sandals like Chaco or Teva or Keen or just even a pair of running shoes and just put them on, and went, “Oh yeah, I cannot do this.” We were so enjoying the fun and the freedom that we had from wearing our sandals. We were born with heels that are meant to be on the ground. As we said above, almost all traditional shoes have a raised heel whether it looks like it or not. When we elevate our heels, our heel cords start to shorten which can lead to many issues down the road, not to mention the increased risk of injury.

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I learned about barefoot shoes from Daniel Vitalis on his ReWild Yourself podcast. I like Daniel and I really trust his opinion when it comes to gear. He's really put it to the test. History of injuries: If you have a history of foot, ankle, or lower leg injuries, you may need additional support that barefoot shoes might not provide. Am I saying you’re absolutely going to strengthen your feet? No, we don’t have some specific bit of science that goes along with that, but think about it logically. Traditional shoes do not let your foot bend. It’s like being in a cast. Minimalist sandals let your foot do whatever it wants because there’s nothing getting in the way. Which do you think might let your foot work more naturally, especially if you’re doing things that require foot strength? That’s all I’m going to say about that. And there you have it! You can keep your feet toasty warm and still maintain full range of motion and barefoot comfort throughout the cold season. And while you’re at it, throw in some of the foot exercises below! The only issue I had with these shoes is that it can take a little bit of time to get them on. When I first started wearing them it could be a little frustrating trying to get my toes into the right places, especially when I was in a hurry to get out the door. After about a month though my toes started finding the right spot all on their own.

By strengthening feet and lower legs, barefoot shoes may help prevent common running injuries like plantar fasciitis or shin splints. This is all from the improvement of natural running patterns and alignments. Speaking of those particular products or any shoe, something else you don’t get with sandals – smell. Or, marital problems. We know people who have practically gotten divorced over the smell of their spouse’s FiveFingers or running shoes. When your foot is encased in something that can get moist and dark and hot, that’s where bacteria grow. That leads to odor and other problems as well. In a pair of sandals where your feet are free, you don’t have that issue.

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I'll definitely use these whenever I need a leather dress shoe, which hopefully isn't too often these days. Are barefoot shoes and sandals good for you? The simple answer is this: there’s no really good science that unequivocally says yes or no. I’m the first one to admit it and I’m the first one that if the science comes out saying that everything that I’m telling you is completely nonsense, I’ll be shouting that from the rooftops. The flexibility offered by a true minimalist footwear. We decided after a while to improve on that product and make something specifically for barefoot shoes. We developed what we call FeelTrue rubber, comes in a couple of different colors, comes in a bunch of different sizes, and is already foot-shaped to begin with. It already has ankle holes punched into it so that the only thing you need to do is take hole punch that we give you and punch a hole where it fits for your unique foot shape. You’re going to do that in between your first and second toe just in front of the webbing. Then again, grab the laces, lace them up. Dozens of different ways of lacing them.