One of the main points in what I've learned is that traditional shoes, even comfortable ones or those made for sports, are terrible for your alignment. Read the books for the full story, but essentially, we evolved to walk upright on our feet. We did not evolve to walk in shoes, particularly ones that rigidly enclose the foot and raise the heel above the toes. So while in our modern world, we might feel we need shoes for protection (which is debatable, in truth - there seems to be a growing movement of barefooters from what I can see online), we don't need the cushioning, rigidity or heel, and in fact these can be detrimental to our foot development, foot health, body alignment and movement patterns.
Enter minimalist, zero-drop (no heel) shoes, or 'barefoot' shoes. As the name suggests, these have no heel at all and a lot less 'protection' for your foot. They allow a great deal more foot movement than traditional shoes and thin-soled versions allow you to feel the ground a lot more - hence the 'barefoot' feeling.
I've never been a huge fan of high heeled shoes because I've always found them uncomfortable and I am all about comfort. That said, until I started this journey, I wouldn't have considered my running shoes heeled. But they definitely are. And my Doc Martens are even worse!
So the first thing I did was go out and buy some Vivobarefoot shoes. They have a super thin, super flexible sole, and lots of space for my toes to move around and spread out. They are, hands down, the most comfortable shoes I've ever owned. I had no idea that walking with no cushioning whatsoever would feel so fantastic. Even on concrete. They also have excellent grip, which I appreciate on the sometimes slick streets.
I've been wearing these for the last few months, pretty much constantly because every time I put on one of my old sets of footwear I notice right away how uncomfortable they seem in comparison. There's really no going back. Even my Sketchers, which I used to think were fabulous, are now confining. My Docs feel too high and rigid. It's crazy.
Anyway. Another of the main points is that walking is really, really important for our health (and alignment). I recently read a blog about a woman who went for a walk every day for a year and blogged about it and how great it was. You can read it here:
Walk the Year. While I don't want to competely copy her, I think walking each day sounds like an excellent goal and I am making it part of my journey, starting today.
Today, after walking my son to school, I walked out to the nearby greenbelt and followed a few unpaved tracks until I started to get really hungry, so I headed home.
I've read that walking is supposed to be calming, but most of my day-to-day walking really isn't. It's rushed, hurrying somewhere and I constantly get irritated by the oblivious people around me. I get sidewalk rage regularly. Basically, I don't really associate walking with a calming experience, rather a stressful one. I don't stroll, I power-walk, winding around human and other obstacles while pushing my daughter in her stroller, often with my son on his scooter nearby.
So this walk wasn't like that. It was in more natural surroundings, rather than between buildings. It was more relaxed, not rushed. I wasn't going anywhere specific, so I had no need to get there any faster. It was... calming.
I tried to focus on my alignment but that was difficult on the unpaved sections especially where I had trouble pushing the stroller. I think I might need to start practicing with the baby carrier to gain some endurance. Carrying the baby should make me stronger in general and help my shoulder alignment because I will be able to let my arms swing naturally rather than always hold them out in front of me to push the stroller.
Off to do some general corrective exercises... bye!
