A peek in my shoe closet

Strong, healthy feet are important.

As Katy Bowman says: Improving intrinsic muscle use in the foot can drastically impact a human’s physiology. Nerve health. Bone density. Osteoarthritis. Pelvic floor disorders. A child’s physical and mental development. A decrease in the 12 BILLION dollars spend annually on lower leg amputations. Diabetes. Metabolism. Balance. Fall risk.

Slowly switching over to (i.e. building up the strength for!)minimalist shoes will help. But what are they? And how are they different from "zero drop" shoes?

Zero Drop - no difference in height between the sole and the heel. Most shoes, even "flats" have a slight difference. And just because a shoe is zero drop doesn't mean it's minimalist.

Minimalist - as close as possible to barefoot. (Zero drop, very flexible sole, and a wide toe box.

Some examples:

Some shoes I bought in Poland years ago. I hardly ever wear them now. Obviously not minimalist and far from zero drop. They have a wide toe box though.

These shoes from Keen are also not zero drop, and with the thick, stiff sole, they are not minimalist. But they have a super wide toe box and I still love them.

These Simple Shoes aren't technically minimalist because the sole is still pretty thick and stiff. I made them zero drop by taking out the insole, which, as you see, has a slight rise.

My special occasion Tieks are pretty minimalist. Very flexible, zero drop. Unfortunately, if I'm honest with myself, they're really not wide enough for me. Sigh.

These are my brand new SoftStar boots. Zero drop, pretty flexible, super wide. Love them.

These Merrells are super minimalist.

And, one of my three pairs of Vibram FiveFingers, the ultimate minimalist. (Love them! Thought they're NOT for Chicago winters or lots of walking on concrete.)

You can see what a range of shoes I have in my own closet. I'm trying to wear increasingly minimal shoes and my feet feel better for it, but it's definitely a journey! So, save your heels for special occasions and take your time transitioning to minimalist.

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