Flat Shoe Society
When I workout with Kettlebells, I prefer to be barefoot. Since I have a home gym — in our still Pandemic living room — there’s no danger of me tripping on something dangerous, or of being around others who may want to do me more inadvertent harm than just stepping on my toes. Self-stubbed toes on Kettlebells remains the only real danger.
Going for the barefoot feel out in the real, dangerous, world can be a challenge if you don’t have the right sort of shoe. Sure, you could use flip-flops, or something similar, but if you want to generally cover your feet for a good outside walk, or run, you need something a little more robust.
I have two types of flat-soled shoes I like to use: Chuck Taylor Converse All Stars, and Merrell Vapor Gloves. I’ve been wearing Chucks for 40 years — today, you can buy 80 different fashion versions of them online, but they’re all still flat shoes — and I’ve been wearing various iterations of the Merrell Vapor Glove for longer than four years.
Chucks give you a softer, if fuller, feeling of toe coverage and sole protection, while the Merrells really let your toes grip the ground beneath you. Chucks give you a little height lift, while Merrells will bring you way down to earth. I do prefer the look, feel, and vulgarity of a Merrell shoe. Flat shoes are my daily diviner.
If you’re just starting out with exploring flat shoes, buy the Chucks first, and then move your way up to the hardcore Merrells. Flat shoes don’t have an arch, so build your own arch with exercise, if you can, but don’t use shoe inserts with flat shoes because the whole idea of flat shoes is going as barefoot as you’re gonna be in order to strengthen the entire foot. There are many flat shoe brands to choose from, just make sure the shoe is truly flat, or made for “barefoot running.”
If I had to go to a proper public gym to workout with my Bells, I would certainly choose the Merrells. They give me a great bite, and I am confident wearing them because I know where the ground stands beneath me. However, the Merrell Vapor Gloves really have no sort of cushion anywhere, so if you’re a heel stomper when you walk, you’re going to end up with a sore back if you wear, and then just walk with, Merrells on your feet as you traverse concrete sidewalks and travel along asphalt passways.
I’m an old stomper from Nebraska. When I first moved to Washington, D.C. in the 1980s, with my first set of roommates, in a rickety old townhouse on Independence Avenue SE on Capitol Hill, I rather quickly learned how to change my gait. Every time I stomped up the stairs, or trounced across the wooden second floor, my roomies would batter me with blessings to, “please stop walking on your heels!”
And so, I learned!
I learned how to silently slide across a floor, and not make a sound. I am now a Ninja Walker. I can saunter up to anyone, any time, and not be heard, or detected — and it isn’t sneaky or creeping, it’s just the way I walk now. It took me a long time to relearn how to walk the right way, but now that I’ve mastered the method, the added functionality is much more widely appreciated. If you want to learn how to walk right, watch a Ballerina walk in the real world, not dance on a stage. Then you’ll know what you’re missing.
If you are not used to wearing flat shoes, take the slow road at the start. Don’t wear a flat shoe all day if you’re not used to them yet. Your calves will be in for a mighty workout as they alone propel you forward because you don’t have the common tilt of many athletic shoes to flow you forward with a toe box angled upward. Yes, there’s a big difference between walking in flat shoes, and walking in walking shoes -- walking shoes are not always flat shoes -- and walking in basketball shoes, or even walking in running shoes.
Over time, flat shoes will strengthen your toes, and help build up your arches. You may not be quite as tall in flats, but the benefits of getting the lowdown for your feet far outweighs the loss of ego in your temporary return to the dirty dime.
Flat shoes mean barefoot benefits!
