Posts Tagged ‘minimalistic footwear’
Minimalist Footwear Review: Kigo Edge
Over the last couple of weeks, I’ve had the opportunity to try out a pair of Edge minimalist shoes by Kigo. Since I’m predominantly a barefooter, I haven’t really worn them for extended periods, other than a couple of times at the office, when I kept them on all day to purposely get a good feel for them. After this trial period, here are my impressions…
My Take on Minimalist Footwear
From left to right: Hand-made Huaraches, Vibram FiveFingers Sprint, Vivo Barefoot Runners.
In recent years, there has been quite a bit of development of the so-called “minimalist footwear”. While the definition of minimalist footwear tends to vary from user to user and from manufacturer to manufacturer, basically, any type of footwear that is designed to simulate, as close as possible, the experience of going barefooted by still providing an acceptable amount of insulation and protection from the environment (at least part, usually the soles) can fall into the category of “minimalist”.
Shoddies simply don’t care…
I recently had a very interesting, and somewhat disturbing exchange with a friend of my partner’s, who happens to be a nurse and has also been training for a running competition. While I have always known this person has never been supportive of my barefooting lifestyle, I never thought she would be so closed to new information.
My first jog completely barefoot
Well, it’s been exactly a month since I started power walking and jogging and today I managed to do my first ever jog fully barefoot (so far, I’d been wearing either my Vibram FiveFingers Sprints or my Nike Free runners).
The day has been beautiful here in Toronto. We reached temperatures of 14°C, the sun is shining and there is a nice breeze. When I went for my workout, the temperature was about 8°C, so I decided I was going to wear my gym shorts, a t-shirt and a spring jacket – I thought I was going to get a bit chilly but I was perfectly fine throughout the whole time.
Out of Hibernation
I’ve been struggling with my weight over the last few years so, after turning 40 last year and a wakeup call from my doctor, I’ve decided to take charge. Knowing how beneficial barefoot running has proven to be, I thought I ought to give it a try myself. Of course, I’m no runner and I’m overweight, so I need to be sensible about the whole thing and start from the beginning: walking – power walking, that is.
Last week, I approached fellow barefooter Ryan Graham to get some pointers and he gave me some sound advice and info on how to get started. I got out for my first power walk last Wednesday and it really felt good! I’ve been getting out every second day since and I’m hoping to get out there on a daily basis, starting next week.
