2 Weeks of Minimalist Living

I recently went to Germany for a couple of weeks and purposely only packed minimalist shoes...this meant 2 weeks without foot coffins. :)

The first few days were a little tough as I normally would generally wear regular shoes the odd time even though I much prefer the minimalist ones. Shoes with any sort of a heel to toe drop make me feel like I'm falling forward these days. After a couple of days in minimalist shoes I could feel my ankles and calves getting a little stiff, especially in the morning after just getting out of bed (I have a bunk bed in Germany, so climbing down the ladder first thing is always great fun). Soon the stiffness went again though and I was really comfortable. I went for the odd run with my other half, too, and felt good.

The shoes I had brought were a wild mix of Vivobarefoot (Neo Trail and Evo II) and VFF (Bikilas and Classics). I also had a pair of flip flops in the apartment. I tried to go barefoot around the apartment as much as possible and also shocked a few people when I took my Neo Trails off and went barefoot while on a walk around a lake with my parents. It was cold, but a hat works wonders! If the head is warm the feet aren't too bad either. :)

Love the Neo Trails as a winter shoe as they are comfortable, have a lovely wide toe box and are water repellent. Keeps the feet happy and dry. The Evo's are good enough for that too, but in snow the lugs on the Neo Trails are an added advantage.

Back in Ireland with the lovely weather we have here (a mix of snow, sleet, rain, wind...pure horrible) I decided to wear regular shoes for the first time in over 2 weeks again while grocery shopping....not a good idea...I felt like my toes were squashed, something (I think it was the arch support...) was pressing into the sole of my feet and I felt like I was walking tilted forward. I was so glad when I got back home and was able to whip off the shoes. Been back to minimalist shoes and barefoot since.

One of the things I will have to do is find trousers that are shorter than what I used to buy as I tend to walk on the back of them in minimalist shoes or barefoot. Some can be rolled up alright, some I might get shortened and some will just have to go. Same goes for shoes...I think I will do a clear out of foot coffins. Some I never want to wear again, my feet cringe just looking at them ;o).

Take care all!