Everything you need to know about Barefoot Shoes / Minnemals

Welcome to 2024. Your still kicking butt at your New Year's Resolutions and by now hopefully you've seen enough people wearing or talking about their new-found love of wearing their Barefoot Shoes.

I mean, we all know that one person who is a little out there, right? The one who jumps at all the new trends and doesn't mind telling everyone in their circles or on their social media about it?

Well, wearing barefoot style shoes (or minimalist shoes) isn't just a fad folks. It's the real deal.

But is it for you? What is the purpose of making the switch from your Nike's?

Let's start by defining what makes a shoe into a Barefoot Shoe:

1. A wider Toe Box.
This allows for adequate space for your little piggies to actually move. To grip the earth under your body instead of just be along for the ride. In turn, this forces more engagement and strength of the small intrinsic musculature compared to letting them get sleepy in your standard shoes.

2. A thin and flexible sole.
Not to get too nerdy here, but our feet are embedded with hundreds of thousands of mechanoreceptors. These little fellas tell our brain a LOT of information about the ground we're stepping on. But if we wear a thick and rigid sole, we're letting our brain go about the world blind to the environment.

3. Zero heel to toe drop.
This is the measurement of the space between our heel to the ground compared to the measurement of our toes to the ground. The opposite of this would be a fashionable pair of Saint Laurent or Dior high heels. For that matter, even your standard pair of sneakers has an average of an 8mm heel to toe drop. By going to a zero heel to toe drop, we allow our ankle joint (and up the chain) to unload and act as it's designed to.

So what's the point of wearing a pair of barefoot shoes?

Well, if you didn't get the gist by now from the definition of terms above - these make your foot stronger with every stepand allow you to FEEL more.
This benefit extends up the chain even higher than the foot though! If we're not properly loading the foot dynamically, we pass that ground force reaction up the chain into the knees, the hips, and the low back. So by creating a more stable foundation we will effectively be able to create a more dynamic system.

I'm sure you have a thousand more questions on who can wear barefoot shoes and how to get the best use out of them for your specific case. Definitely reach out if you're interested in learning more!
But for those of you who's only question is "where the heck do I buy an awesome pair of these?!"
Well, we've got you covered with possibly the BEST (and most fashionable) choice on the market.

Of all the pairs of Barefoot Style Shoes that I've ever worn or seen, Minnemals is by far the best out there in function, fit, and style. I wear them literally anywhere. The gym, the clinic, church, the grocery store, and even on the occasional run around the block.

Good news for you is that you can get yourself a pair for 10% off using the code "MVMNT10"!

Speaking of New Year's Resolutions..

Are you sticking to your workout plan?! We're so darn proud of you!

Often we find that people struggle to continue with their programming due to lacking the right equipment and rather trying to rig something together all helter-skelter at home. Sure, nothing will compare to the extent of equipment at the gym, but why not invest in the best possible stuff at home?! After all, with all the savings you're stacking up from not paying that hefty gym membership you deserve to lock down the basics for your home gym.

Check out our Amazon Storefront with all of our favorite bands, weights, rigs, mobility tools, and so much more! These are brands we trust and even own ourselves!