Perfect Poise, Perfect Life
Bring your body into balance and revolutionise your life
By Noel Kingsley
Publisher Hodder Mobius
AVAILABLE HERE

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Let your body WORK.

When it comes to footwear, there is a lot to consider apart from the design and aesthetic appearance. For many of us, we're interested in what a new shoe will do for our attractiveness, sex appeal, our credibility as a sports person, our apparent wealth and social standing, our fashion image. Some (or many) will even accept an ill-fitting shoe, or one with killer heels, just to be that one notch higher in the trend department, despite what it will do for our health. For an enlightened few, it's the comfort, the practicality and the benefit to health, along with a few of the above considerations that will sway our purchase.

In my blog on 'How long is your stride?' I mentioned MBTs and the associated benefits of encouraging a shorter stride, but my reservation about these shoes was to do with the height of heel and sole, raising you high off the ground. There is no way you can really feel grounded when you're jacked up so high, despite the other suggested benefits. I was also concerned that we have to learn a complete new way of walking that only applies to when we're wearing MBTs. What happens when we take them off? What happens when we walk barefoot?

Another consideration is to do with arch supports and whether to use them or not. We may be recommended to use orthotics by a podiatrist or other foot specialist as these can help correct malfunctioning feet and an incorrect way of walking. They certainly can do a lot in this way and they can feel extremely comfortable once we've got used to the high instep that supports our foot. Many shoes these days are manufactured with a built instep providing this support without the need for inserts. However there are inherent dangers with such shoes. Having worn for many years one proprietary brand that has a built in instep, I can speak from personal experience when I say they can cause the musculature in your legs and feet to do even less work than they should and cause our foot arch to drop and bring about flat feet.

Any 'crutch' may offer relief but they prop up our body in an unnatural way and we begin to rely on them. This can apply to wearing spectacles; although they can reduce eye strain, they also encourage our eye to 'mal-focus' to accommodate the prescribed lens. Back supports or girdles can cause the musculature of our torso to cease supporting us efficiently so we become even weaker in our back. These artificial aids may seem like a good idea in many ways, relieving symptoms, supporting a collapsing back etc, but we need to be aware of potential downsides. Any 'crutch' of sorts, will encourage our body to do less of what it's supposed to do; we lean on it. It's just not that healthy for us in the long term. Admittedly, there will be many situations where they can be a real saviour; for instance if we've been told that the only alternative is surgery unless we use a support to relieve the pressure on our body. In all such cases it's important that we follow the advice of the doctor and specialists; I am not a specialist to advise one way or another and particularly not in a blog! However, there are other cases where symptoms and conditions are not extreme, and I believe that we should not enter into using 'contraptions' to support us when our body is best designed to do it itself, as to do so can be very harmful. Many people who have turned to the Alexander Technique have found such an improvement in the way their body functions that they have not only avoided surgery but they also now have no need of artificial supports.

Vivo Barefoot
So in my quest to always take the natural approach to any situation wherever possible, I have been experimenting with a different type of footwear that does not offer any support at all. Indeed they are completely flat, with no heel or arch whatever. To wear them is the closest thing to walking barefoot that you'll ever experience, and indeed they are called Vivo Barefoot . Made with an extremely thin and flexible sole which is puncture resistant, and being without any arch support they encourage our feet to work the way they should. Indeed when first wearing them, it feels like our feet are getting a real workout as the joints, tendons and ligaments are all encouraged to work, rather than being confined within a solid shoe that restricts movement. Wearing these shoes can help strengthen our musculature and improve foot performance rather than weakening it.

When wearing Vivo Barefoots we can feel every stone and pebble on the ground, and although this can be a little unusual at first, we soon get used to it and begin to enjoy the closer contact with the earth, the grounding and the natural feel. They soon feel really comfortable and I must say, I'm reluctant to take them off. I think they're great. There is an added bonus; as there are so many pressure points in the soles of our feet, we get a mini-massage on uneven ground; it's like a reflexology session with every step. Our stride may become slightly shorter too as we adjust to avoid an unnecessarily high impact of our heel on the ground but this is positive as it helps with our overall balance. They come in men's and women's and a range of colours and styles. Check out a few press articles.

Naturally if we've got problems with our manner of walking, our gait, feet or posture, then it would be advisable to attend to these issues specifically. Sessions in the Alexander Technique can do wonders for helping our body to function better and this would be a far more preferable approach in my view, to using shoes with corrective arch supports or orthotics, unless our need is critical. A natural approach is the best option, whenever possible.

Posted by Noël on July 2, 2007 8:07 AM | Permalink