Barefoot

Walking in barefoot shoes is something I quite enjoy. I believe in this way of walking and find it to be very comfortable, despite what the apparences may be. You may or may not have heard of this barefoot "movement". In any case, here's a quick summary.

Research has been done on the differences between shod and barefoot running and it was found that shod runners experience much more impact in their legs when hitting the gound due to a different foot position. Some see this as proof that the shoe industry doesn't care about your safety and is selling useless products that don't help the wearer in any way. They advocate for a return to "the roots", to barefoot running/walking or the wear of "barefoot shoes", minimalist shoes with very thin soles that don't contain any cushioning and a wide toebox.

I personally agree with the idea that cushioned shoes are useless and a waste of your money. This is why I would recommend anyone to try out barefoot shoes. As of writing this (2023-11-22), I've been using this type of shoes daily for more than a year and I don't regret making the switch. (Of course, everything I write here about barefoot shoes applies to simply being barefoot as well.)

Your stride is indeed very much different in barefoot shoes than in conventional shoes. However, everyone has a different opinion on what is the best way of walking. Some say it's landing on the midfoot. Some say it's landing on the forefoot. Some truely insane individuals prefer landing on the heel. I personally lean more towards landing on the forefoot, as I feel like this puts the least pressure on my knees.

I feel obliged to say that if you want to learn more about barefoot walking, Youtube videos are for the most part not helpful. Apart from the fact that you won't learn how it feels to walk barefoot through a video, most of those videos simply talk about the topics I've written in the second paragraph but manage to make it last more than ten minutes, are made by hipsters or "anti-tech" people using expensive ring lights, or are simply a review of yet another shoe that manages to mimic the barefoot feeling — but better.

There are upsides and downsides to all of this. You'll be able to find a plethora of "upsides" online, so here's my personal list of downsides.

• It can be uncomfortable at first. Not because it's supposed to, but because you may have some trouble changing your way of walking for a while. And landing repeatedly on your heel in barefoot shoes isn't very comfortable. If it consistently feels uncomfortable, you may want to think about your stride more carefully. It isn't normal to feel "pain". Tiredness, yes. Pain, never.
• You will walk in a weird way. Yes, people landing on their forefoot isn't something you see everyday so if you're a man, it does give a kind of "effeminate" vibe. You can mitigate this a bit by modifying your posture, but not much can be done.
• You will get weird looks. This only applies if you're using one of those "fivefingers" shoes or ones that look like socks. I happen to have a pair of the latter category and some people have asked me about it. I even once had a guy come to me with pure intentions asking if I needed some money to buy shoes.
• You musn't underestimate hot sunny days. If you do, you will feel what chihuahuas feel when their owner takes them for a walk in summer. I've had once of twice some (modest) blisters from having burned my feet on the black, hot concrete. Fret not, as common sense is relatively easy to get ahold of.

Now, onto a list of downsides I've read or been told about followed by my opinion or experience with them.

• Using barefoot shoes during bad/cold weather: I don't really believe rain to be an issue unless you hate having your feet wet. You must be careful when the remperature drops however. I've been through only one winter so far (as of 2023), and while I didn't stop using barefoot shoes, I do have to say that your feet can get quite cold. If you do want to use them in winter, be extra careful so as not to get frostbites. (I'm serious. look up "frostbite" in your search engine if you feel invincible, it'll knock some sense back into you.) With that said, you'll notice that if you walk a lot, your feet usually warm up by themselves. I remember myself walking on snow, probably under 0°C, and feeling my feet boiling hot. But generally, I would not recommend going out on freezing days, and even more so if it's wet.
• Reduced foot protection: Yes, I am (not) aware that one day, I may step on a rusty nail and it'll hurt. But, at least where I live, there is not as much glass or needles per square meter as I've been told. Streets are surprisingly clean, and I haven't felt any sharp pain in my feet since I've started this "insane thing". But YMMV. I've also worn barefoot shoes to go on hikes in the alps and it was very enjoyable.
  HOWEVER, you really need to pay extra attention to the health of your feet. I have one day tried to walk an unusually long distance to me (15km, but it was almost exclusively on concrete, shut up) and I found out the hard way that I had an embodied nail. This shit got infected and what followed were 7 months of trouble. Could I have avoided this? Absolutely, and this is why I don't take going barefoot as the cause of my problems. But don't be like me. Listen to your feet (however weird this sounds). If something's funny, fix it before anything else.
• Impossibility to go to some public places: I've never been refused entry. It may drastically change depending on where you live though, don't quote me on that.

If you still want to test out barefoot shoes after this, then I can only encourage you. And if you happen to like it, then that's great! I personally don't have any real use for my old pair of conventional shoes apart for going to interviews. I don't know what problems you'll face yourself with your shoes, but chances are they probably won't outweigh the feeling of knowing you have strong feet. At least it's not the case for me. I'm a simple person.