Why Barefoot Shoes Aren't The Full Solution - An Interview with Katy Bowman, Biomechanist
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- Опубліковано 13 жов 2024
- Rethinking footwear is an important step if you want happy, healthy feet. But it's not the only step. Biomechanist Katy Bowman shares the nuance that is missing from the current foot and shoe conversation and fills in all the gaps.
Did this interview raise more questions for you? Are you ready to start digging into exercises to future proof your feet and body? Here are a few resources to get you on your way:
The books Whole Body Barefoot & Rethink Your Position by Katy Bowman:
www.nutritious...
5 Fundamental Foot Exercises:
anyasreviews.c...
Why Barefoot Shoes Might be (Part of) the Solution To Your Foot Pain
anyasreviews.c...
Wide Toe Box Shoes That Aren't Barefoot - If you need to choose alternatives at this stage in your life
anyasreviews.c...
I already wear minimal shoes, for a long time now. It just takes time to adjust.
Ahhh killer duo! Starting video now and PUMPED.
What an insightful talk. Thank you for sharing this invaluable info. This work is changing lives like mine. My late twin brother and I grew up walking tippy toed and this brought a myriad of other movement and sensory issues (in addition to bullying.) your work and insight abound natural movement and footwear has helped me grieve and become more active. I love how you confront this notion that we should always be wearing the most minimalist shoes no matter how much pain or injury we feel. I too alternate from minimalist shoes like RealFoot and Xero to Altra Escalante Racer in order to be gentle with myself. On a side note, I learned this gentler approach from learning about the Plum village tradition of engaged Buddhism (created by Thich Nhat Hanh and his monastics.)
Loved the in depth conversation and great timing to listen as I recently broke my 5th metatarsal and can attest that we need to hold dearly our ability to move and walk in both feet 👣
I’ve been transitioning to minimal
Shoes these past 3 years and have seen improvements and some set backs and agree it’s a delicate balance to find the right solution.
❤😮What a woman, Katy Bowman 😮❤
Thank you for giving me an opportunity to find out about her.🙏🙏
2 people I greatly respect! Thank you for this thoughtful conversation! 🙂💙👣
So excited for this video! Can't watch it right now but I know I'm going to love it. Katy's book is on my to read list.
I read Michael Easter's book The Comfort Crisis and have added daily rucking into my life and have found this to be really beneficial. His be the 2% mindset really resonates for me. (Only 2% of people use stairs when a lift or escalator is available)
Thank you for talking about the foot pad issue! My preference has always been for Converse or barefoot indoors and out. However, years of continued contact with hardwood floors I ended up with a callus that turned into an IPK. Not all podiatrists treat IPK’s appropriately, and unless they’re removed completely they will come back.
I’m hoping I can find a thin barefoot shoe that will protect my feet indoors since my feet “remember” these old injuries unless I’m on a textured rug/mat.
Thanks for your work- your website is an indispensable resource for me.
Great conversation, but it seems Anya asked a question (that i really wanted an answer to) which Katy misunderstood. And that is, when someone walks, and says their feet hurt, someone might say, 'Your gait is wrong, so change the way you walk." But how do we know what it is about how we are walking that is wrong? How do i know whether it's my posture, or my impact, or my foot placement, or my stride, etc? Some of these i can guess, but with posture, for instance, can i overcorrect? How do i know if my posture is right? Is there a model i should be following to figure this all out?
BTW, at the moment, i am in the process of transitioning out of 5 years of Hokas, all of which fixed some of my foot pain, but created new pains at the same time (depending on the slope and level of "correction" of the shoe. After my last Hokas wore out, i tried on my old pair of Merrell Rants. They don't make them anymore, but they are similar to a Chuck Taylor, only with a wider toe box, and a more flexible sole. Being in closer contact with the ground again, and (i think) being able to bend my foot more when i walk, corrected some of the pain i had with the Hokas. And i really liked feeling more natural when i walked. That's how i started looking into all this.
I don't think i'm ready for a full-on barefoot shoe, as my skin is sensitive to impact, but i'm trying to prep for another pair similar to the Merells, but am also trying to figure out what type of prep is best. Oh, and i'm a guy, never wore heels, and usually chose wider toe boxes on "regular" shoes, including dress shoes, athletic and casual.
Thanks again for posting this conversation!
Hi there! I think you might enjoy this Walking 101 article that I cowrote with the gait specialists from Gait Happens:
anyasreviews.com/how-to-walk-correctly-guide-to-natural-gait/
It covers the fundamentals and gives you a set of easy exercises/cues that support healthy gait.
You're right that Katy didn't get into gait mechanics, but I do believe that was intentional on her part. What she described as a piece meal approach to gait is how she thinks it is best tackled - focus on just one area at a time. And that the body work you do when you're not walking - calf stretch, foot exercises, deep hip strengtheners, etc all serve you when you walk. Make sure the individual parts are mobile and stable and you're walking will naturally improve.
Ughh. 2 broken/injured ankles now. Desperately need to figure out what kind of shoes to wear. I was mostly wearing kuru and those were great but thinking I need to go more minimalist now.
#1.None restricted toe-box. #2. Ergonomic & Anatomical Last= Shaped like a normal human healthy foot, With emphasis on additional space midway of the shoe increasing as it goes around-and towards the toe-box area. bio-mechanically correct(no spring toe= Toolbox area turned upward{Totally flattened to the ground, same elevation from the tip of the toe area,to the ball of the heel).#3 construction and design and function encapsulates these 3-elements.(no turned up toes‼️, no‼️elevated heels, &-generously spaced forefoot and tobox area.(footwear that’s designed for a normal human healthy foot should not be specialty shoes.) but what happened in reality is for many centuries. Companies have controlled😡🤬🤯 the market.(but it’s a new day now.🤓😃😳 this is the Age of Enlightenment. As the days of the dinosaur has come and gone(Likewise over the horizon, and just a few more years) pointed toes and heels. Footwear will end up in a glass cage in the Smithsonian.
I am a self-professed shoe freak, a former shoe model, formerly size 6, shoe sales rep for large company and now someone who's feet are rebelling against anything short of a thong. I've always had very sensitive feet, shoes always had to be comfy. I need bunion surgery which makes it all worse but have no one to help thru recuperation right now. Recently started on the journey of finding better footwear so I'm new here. Looking forward to it. 👍
Many content creators are like oil slicks: they go broad instead of deep. Not so Anya.