Take a Walk in my Shoes...If You Dare

     I just started wearing barefoot shoes. No, not the weird toe shoes, those won't happen for me, I can't even deal with toe socks. However, I was doing a hike in Boulder with my dog, and decided it was time to introduce her to cold, running river water, and had to take off my shoes, then struggle to dry my feet to put my shoes back on. This all was simply too much for me. I looked up amphibious shoes online and happened upon the Vivobarefoot Ultra, considered a barefoot shoes because of it's incredibly thin sole, zero heel drop, and flexibility. I was a little put off by it, I won't lie. My lady feet are very sensitive and I didn't know how I would do with them, also my hips and legs ache and twitch at night, so I didn't want to piss them off.
    But, I was still excited to try them out, especially with my lofty summer goal of a hike every Monday. IF this pair of shoes was as multifunctional as they said in the description, I would possibly never have to change my shoes for anything! They came, I tried them on, love. There is a inner sole that fits glove tight and makes my hikes feel so secure, and with the ability to grip my toes, I can climb up and down much steeper rock facings than I have ever been able to before. Without the inner sole, they are like full incasement sandals (which I adore), when I stomp around in puddles or rivers, I know my feet are safe and will dry in no time. I liked them so much, that I ended up getting their Freud II for my work shoes and everyday wear, considering the Ultras look a little too silly for my everyday wear.
     With exercising full function of my feet, I no longer have any foot pain, even when I am standing (or sprinting) on concrete all day for work. My hikes are more productive, I can go longer, I can explore more, I feel safer climbing now. But, the absolute best part of it, is how connected I feel to the Earth. Walking mindfully and with purpose has helped me feel grounded, even inside, even with shoes on, I feel the dips of the grass, the stones underfoot, the full incline and decline of hills, it's pretty amazing.
     Bonus perk: I haven't had leg twitches and hip pains at night since I fully transitioned to barefoot shoes. It could be coincidence, or it could be that I am learning my body better and treating it better.

     Now, this was not just a blind experiment, I did a ridiculous amount of research on how to transition correctly so that I wouldn't hurt myself. There are many sites suggesting splitting your day into sections, planning what sections are 'regular' shoe time and what sections are barefoot shoe times, gradually increasing the ratio of barefoot to 'regular' shoe time in order to build tolerance. I had intended to do that, but I had been spending so much time truly barefoot, that my feet loved the barefoot shoes and transitioned quickly. Being truly barefoot had intensified my sensitivity in my feet and made them a little tender already, so the barefoot shoes felt like a vacation! When I tried switching between regular shoes and barefoot one, the regular shoes made my feet hurt and calves tight, so I forewent even playing that game. It took about a week before my legs felt normal again, and my feet were a little tender, but it went smoothly because I listened to my body.

                                          These are my Freud IIs in pink.