Going Barefoot in the Philippines

Vibram Five Finger shoes are commonly referred to by their hard core fans as VFF’s.

In the past couple of years I saw this unusual pair of shoes appear in the blogs of my favorite writers, Tim Ferriss, Leo Babauta, Colin Wright and Julien Smith.

VFF’s are shoes that mimic the barefoot experience. According to studies I read in the Four Hour Body, the human foot is perfectly designed for mobility but our practice of wearing shoes had compressed alignment of our toes to fit the shape of our shoes.

Visit this post for the pictures.

I wanted to get myself a pair of VFF’s because I read about how it helps people strengthen their feet, correct their posture problems and works well for flat footed folk like myself.

The only reason I didn’t want to get a pair is because I have a thing against spending more than two thousand pesos (approximately $50) for a pair of shoes. I don’t recall my parents ever buying me an expensive pair of shoes so always postponed buying shoes of this budget level. But that’s for a different story. Moving on,

There’s also the fact that VFF’s attract attention and people will ask you about them a lot.

I thought about buying Merrell’s or Adidas’s more subtle barefoot shoes but I never got the color that I want or they don’t have my size on stock or the price was way above my budget.

I got an email from VFF Philippines that they have a 50% off sale at the SMX convention center so I went and see if I could get a pair that I’d like.

I initially wanted the classic but it felt like it might slip off if I ran at my top speed. I have the tendency to use my stuff for things they weren’t designed for. My current pairs of shoes are not designed for running and outdoor activities so I had to get a new pair.

The initial experience was strange because it felt like I was walking barefoot. If the floor was cold my feet felt cold. If I was walking on hot concrete, I felt the hot concrete at the soles of my feet. I also noticed how I felt like my feet are getting a workout because they are moving differently.

I settled on the sprint design because it I liked the available colors.

I spent 30 minutes looking at my feet trying trying to pick the one I liked.

The sales rep told me that he had been using his pair everyday for two years and it still looked fine.

I also felt like I would be getting more pairs in the future.

Have you tried the Vibram Five Fingers? Tell me about your experience in the comments below.

Written on April 12th, 2013 by Kevin Olega