PatchFitness

What shoes do you recommend? I get that questions a lot. My answer is the less shoe the better. And it doesn't take long to see, you can't get much less than a pair of Vibram FiveFingers.

Since 1962 Vibram has been making soles for various types of shoes. From hiking and military to casual and rock climbing shoes, you can find Vibram soles everywhere you look. But it wasn't until 2007 that Vibram decided to make their very own first shoe. Well, sort of.

The toe-sock like footwear was dubbed "FiveFingers" for obvious reasons and was marketed less of a shoe and more of a barefoot alternative. It was an immediate hit with barefoot runners and other fitness aficionados. Soon word spread and everyone from weekend warriors to avid couch potatoes were wearing them. Why?

Well, the typical human foot is an anatomical marvel of evolution with 26 bones, 33 joints, 20 muscles, and hundreds of sensory receptors, tendons and ligaments. Like the rest of the body, to keep our feet healthy, they need to be stimulated and exercised. That’s why I recommend wearing FiveFingers for exercise, play, and for fun. Stimulating the muscles in your feet and lower legs will not only make you stronger and healthier, it improves your balance, agility and proprioception.

Simply put, the design and flexibility of the split toe sole stretches and strengthens the muscles in your foot and lower leg to allow for a better foot strike and overall better postural alignment. This in return reduces stress, tension, inflammation, swelling, and/or pain throughout your entire body. Amazingly simple, yet astoundingly successful.

But what if your feet pronate or supinate or you have fallen arches? What's suppose to support your foot?

Answer: YOUR FOOT! For too long our feet have been casted in hard leather and thick rubber soles with arch and heel support. Our shoes have been doing the work that the muscles in our feet were designed to do. It's time to turn our feet from the fancy prancy sissy state they're currently in back into the feet our ancestors used to run eight hours on, barefoot, through the wild to hunt down antelope (click here for the video and a link to Tim Ferriss's post on FiveFingers). It's time to de-evolve!

Currently FiveFingers are sold in four different styles with two more due to come out in the near future. They all adhere to the barefoot alternative lifestyle approach, but differ slightly on their design depending on whom the entailed wearer is. I'll briefly cover each but if you really want the hot spot for Vibram FiveFingers and all the most current news, info, and more visit www.birthdayshoes.com.

Okay, so first up on the roster is the Classic. This is Vibram's bread and butter and simplest design of them all. They have a large open top (think convertible) to slip your foot in and out of and can be worn for just about anything. Next are the Sprints which are similar to the Classics only with a velcro strap over the top to securely hold the sole to the foot. These were designed with the runner in mind. Well shortly after the Sprint came out people started to complain of dirt, twigs, and small rocks getting lodged in between the soft mesh cover and their foot. Enter the KSOs, which stands for Keep Stuff Out. Basically a hard top version of the Classics with the velcro strap of the Sprints. Next came the Flows. Similar to the KSOs, but with a neoprene top instead of just mesh. This allows the Flows to be worn either through the water or in cold temperatures. Coming soon are the Treks (pictured above), which are a thicker beefier version of the KSOs, meant for hiking. Don't worry though they still retain a great deal of flexibility in sole and toes. Plus they come with Kangaroo leather tops. Ooh, lala. And finally, we have the Mocs ad the Performa. Basically the same model, the Mocs are for men and the Performa for women. These are the flimsiest (I mean this as a good thing) model Virbram makes. Made purely of Kangaroo leather with only a little tread on the bottom, these FiveFingers are meant to be worn indoors only.

Final Thoughts

Well there you have it. A simple idea made into an amazing product. Just think about what you do when your feet hurt. You take your shoes off. Not a giant leap in logic, right?

So if you have any foot, back, or any pain for that matter, want to help train your body to perform at it's highest level, or just want a new way to meet people (see 5 Fun Conversation Starters) you have to get a pair of these. Check out the Activotee Store for all available models and check back regularly for reviews on new upcoming models.

Injinji is an African term which describes when a drumming circle reaches a climax, the peak in the performance, when all of the participants are at one with the rhythm, when everyone hits a stride and there is unison among all. The unison in this case are all your toes working together with the muscles in your foot and lower leg to propel you forward while strengthening your foot and posture simultaneously. Enter the Injinji toe socks!

Injinjis weren't the first toe socks to hit the market, but they sure were the hardest hitting. What separates them from other toe socks is their combination of high quality materials, resistance to breakdown, and funky styling (see their Performance EcoMade CoolMax Mini-Crew Socks to the right).

Now I've only had the privilege of wearing the Performance Series, but know others who swear the rest of their line of products hold up to the same standards. But if rainbow colored, mini-crews aren't your thing don't worry, Injinji has you covered. They offer toe socks in all different materials, colors, and sizes. Currently Injinji sells the following models:

• Performance: Available in micro, mini-crew, and comfort styles, these socks contour to every curve of your foot while keeping you cool and blister free.
• EcoMade: Same qualities as the Performance series, but a stands out more with it's rainbow print (pictured above). The other benefit while wearing these, you get to help save the world. These things are made out of recycled plastic water bottles. Don't ask me how, it's just that awesome!
• Outdoor: Uses NuWool to keep your little piggies extra toasty.
• Liner: Designed to be worn as a first layer sock. I can see these coming in handy for snow days or in the unfortunate event that you work in an ultraconservative office were cool things like rainbow colored toe socks are frowned upon.
• Travel: These calf high socks use a Nylon/Lycra blend to compress the lower leg which helps improve circulation and reduce swelling and muscle fatigue. Add to this silver blended into the material to help prevent odor and you have one of the most high tech socks ever, only second to NASA.
• Yoga: Injinji's newest sock keeps all the good of their Eco Series's NuBamboo, naturally organic, antibacterial, and sustainable fiber blend and adds grip beads which makes for a slip resistant sole. And for the truly die hard, goji berry munching yogis there's the toe-less model.
• Performance Series Compression(Coming Soon): Using all that Injinji has learned this new breed of super sock promises to increase circulation, guard against blistering, promote proper toe alignment, accelerate muscle recovery, reduce delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS), and do all the running for you. Okay, so I might be exaggerating that last part, but the rest is entirely true.

So if your serious about getting every little last ounce of human performance possible out of yourself while having fun and making a fashion statement at the same time, you have to check these out. All the styles, colors, and sizes discussed above can be found at the Activotee Store.