Switching from conventional shoes to barefoot shoes is like starting a new sport – you’ll need a bit of training before you’re good

It’s recommended to start with half an hour a day in barefoot shoes if you walk a lot. Personally, I think it’s best to walk barefoot outside. That way, you quickly learn to walk “properly”. Because yes – when you’ve grown up wearing conventional shoes, you don’t walk “properly.” The body assumes a different posture when there’s an elevation (padding) under the heel and when the toes’ original function can’t be used because they don’t have enough space – this is why most grown-ups can’t move their toes freely as small kids can. So when you want to switch to barefoot shoes as an adult, you actually have to learn to walk anew, because the body has a sort of muscle memory that means when we put on shoes, we automatically take long steps and land hard on the edge of the heel, because there’s padding in the elevated heel and we need to mobilize the toes to walk correct. Maybe you even do this when you walk around barefoot/sock-footed at home, too? It’s quite hard on the heel, and you easily get a lot of calluses on the edge of the heel. By walking naturally, as in barefoot shoes, when you’re trained for it, the body assumes a more natural posture, and you don’t overburden the feet and the whole body anymore.

If you have a sedentary job like office work, you can easily wear barefoot shoes all day. Then when you want to go for a nice evening walk, it’s smart to put on “the old” shoes, as the feet need to gradually get used to barefoot shoes. You can compare conventional shoes to crutches or plaster casts. If you’ve broken a leg, you can’t expect to go for a run the day after the cast is removed. It requires acclimatization and training. It’s the same principle with barefoot shoes – you have to acclimatize and train muscles, tendons, and joints.

“But I need support for my feet!”

We probably all know someone who walks unevenly in their shoes – I did a lot when I was a child, and therefore my mother always insisted on buying shoes with arch support for me, so I wouldn’t ruin shoes and body. What the arch support actually did was make my muscles and tendons lazy, so I needed more arch support. Super bad cycle. After I started wearing barefoot shoes and training my feet, I no longer walk unevenly in my shoes! It almost works like a miracle cure, but it’s just my foot muscles that I’ve trained to do what they should be able to do.

The same goes for all other muscles in the feet and ankles, well in the entire body – they need to be trained! So most people don’t even need a rigid heel counter or arch support – the feet will manage on their own, as long as they have space and opportunity for it.

When you wear shoes that are too narrow/pointy at the toes (like most conventional shoes are), there’s also a greater risk of developing bunions – you know, that evil little toe party crasher! It’s like your pinky- or big toe decided it wanted to dance to its own beat and brought along a bony friend for company – the painful knots that often come on the side of the foot. They need to be prevented/counteracted with shoes that have proper space for the toes. It’s the same principle with corns, fallen arches, hammer toes, etc. In all cases, the feet need the most natural position possible to prevent these conditions.