Despite the fact the sports industry has been telling us for years that cushioning is good, runners worldwide are now turning their backs on traditional running shoes in favour of barefoot technology.
There is gathering scientific and evolutionary evidence that barefoot running provides significant health and well being benefits and a careful progression programme can allow you to make the switch to total barefoot running.
To allow the foot to function as it was designed requires either walking completely barefoot – which in many instances is impractical – or wearing Vibram FiveFingers® which offers protection without altering the function of the 270 million year-old design of the foot.
Research has shown that running barefoot results in a 4% increase in efficiency. This is likely to be the result of the foot being allowed to function more effectively without a stiff sole and unforgiving arch supports.
Barefoot technology can also help to avoid injury. Increased awareness of foot position when in direct contact with the ground will decrease risk of ankle sprain as you are more aware of your surroundings.
The arches of the foot evolved for a reason- to store energy and return that energy to the gait cycle on the next step. Wearing shoes that “support” the arch prevent the arches from performing their function, while any change in heel height above that of the forefoot results in changes to the spinal curves. This compromises energy storage and recoil in these two key areas, impacting on efficiency and performance.
To view the full range and for more information visit: www.primallifestyle.com
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