I don’t remember what got me looking for these “barefoot” (or “minimalist”) shoes in the first place, but I do know I went from knowing nothing to “I’d better get some” in record time.

And I don’t mean those weird “toe shoes” that look like slightly more complicated gloves for the feet. Those things wigged me out, honestly, though they’re also considered barefoot shoes. They kinda make me laugh, too, because I’ve got fat fingers (at the moment) and fat toes, so I could just imagine how tricky it would be to fit my toes in those little holes just right in a hurry when I have a hard time with rubber gloves (hee hee).

from Flickr.com

No, these look for the most part like regular shoes, though the treads on the bottom and the wider toe area give them away.

I got my first pair a couple of days ago and tried them on. No weird lumps or cushioning, no pinching, no aches when I was done. I walked around in my house fine, then out in the uneven, lumpy driveway and grass to see how uneven terrain would work or jagged rocks. No problems.

And I think I’ve found my shoes for the rest of time now. At least for multi-use and the like. My fat feet and fallen arches are gonna thank me if this weekend’s success is any indication, at least, in between wearing my other shoes.

Got the yellow Joomra minimalist trail running shoes first, because I flat out wanted yellow shoes for some reason. This pattern’s coming soon (yay!).

I hate buying shoes, generally. I mean, I like finding something fun to wear or whatever, or finding the multi-purpose shoe that will do me some good for some time to come. But heavens, they’re just getting more and more complex and more expensive as the years go on, and even at higher prices don’t seem to last as long as they used to.

Getting tired of spending upwards of $100 a pair of cross-trainers or running shoes, only for them to be done for before two years are up. I’ve had shoes that cost me that much and lasted a good 4 or 5 years, but that was a while back.

I figure I’ll give these a shot when I get back to working out properly. From what I’ve read, I gotta kind of ease myself into working out in minimalist shoes all the time, so I’ll be weaning my feet off the cross-trainers I’ve been using for the machine.

I hate having to buy inserts for my shoes all the time, and hopefully these barefoot/minimalist shoes will help strengthen my feet (weight loss will naturally help, too) and remove some pain from my week. Now that I have to work outside the house, I gotta wear shoes most days, and after a few hours in them, areas of my foot I didn’t think would be bothered suddenly pinch or get sore. Weird how it works, because even after walking around and trying shoes on as long as I can before buying, the issues crop up much later, which doesn’t help.

So, when I get my elliptical fixed (just had to find the crank puller and the manual), I’ll be trying some easy workouts with the barefoot shoes. I can just imagine doing major inclines will be far easier with these barefoot shoes and the traction on them. The fallen-arches inserts I’ve had to use wiggle a bit and I end up with a sliding foot (slightly) inside the shoe during inclines, which makes me nervous and my feet clench.

Not a good way to do things.

And besides, with the crazy colors I’ve got, it’s just another way for me to be me at work or anywhere else. I love the variety of colors and tones, and I’m sure I can still be crazy and fun when around students and others, and not worry about tripping on nothing so often and injuring my ankles through accidental rolling when encountering a hole or rock or whatever (klutzy me). Times like that, the inflexibility makes it so much worse. And hopefully, they last quite some time and are very much worth it, even as I lose weight and my foot shape changes.

That’s the big thing. When I was losing weight before, I seemed to lose it in my feet first (or at least, most obviously). Of all the places, the fat left my feet first! And that messed with the cushioning and fit of my shoes. Hope these shoes are the answer as I try to get back to exercise and keep on going. I don’t wanna end up with shin splints or ankle injuries because of ill-fitting shoes again.

Hopefully, it goes so well. I just can’t believe it took me this long to see them available.