I've got a job with a company where the footwear is mandatory. I bought one of this "barefoot shoes", but after wearing it for 8 hours (today was my first day), my feet are very uncomfortable. They are wet, smell, hurts etc. For the last 10-12 years i didn't wear any shoes except occasionally flip-flops (may be once in a month for less than an hour), and a few times a year dress shoes (2-4 hours). What would be the faster way to get use to it and not damage my feet (at least badly) and not lose the ability to walk barefoot on any surface? Any suggestions?
I Don't Think There Is Any Simple Answer To Your Question Except Patience....... I Have Been Barefoot Continuously For 10 Years And 8 Months And Most Certainly My Feet Have Spread.......Guess When The Time Comes to Don Shoes They Will Have To Be A Very Wide Fitting.......Did This Happen To You...???... Cheers Glen.
Ever thought of making shoes? I've done it, but these look so cool, and would surely be accepted in some places!
They are mostly aqua shoes, made of neoprene, i have some for snorkeling, stop you hurting your feet on coral etc..They can actually make your feet sore if worn a lot out of water..Make my feet sweat!
Welcome to the work world, or should I say welcome back to it. This is where our barefoot and flip flop lifestyle ends for most of us, as we must now play by the employer's rules. I do know that some call centers let you wear flip flops to work as you don't deal with the public, just over the phone. I could never work in a place like that, I'm way too restless and want to be out and about. I'm your neighbor (Tucson), so I know how sweaty shoes can become here in AZ. There is no magic bullet to get used to shoes. I've tried many of these minimalist footwear, water shoes, backless clogs etc and all I ended up with was painful, sweaty and cracked heels from wearing these kinds of shoes. I work at two part time jobs where I'm on my feet all day and after trial and error I found that wearing shoes and socks works best in the long run. The shoes you wore are definitely not for standing on a hard surface all day. Currently I wear a low cut style Converse "Chuck Taylor" sneaker, I still get sweaty feet, but my feet aren't in pain after a few hours. I've tried a brand called Havaianas, they make a closed toe shoe from a sole of a flip flop that you can wear barefoot. Your feet will still sweat, but they are comfortable enough to wear all day. The only trouble was in that they loosened and kept falling off my heels after a short while. I do work independently, so I have pushed the envelope and have worn sandals while working, have had some positive comments, mostly from the ladies. Women seem to have it a bit better when it comes to sandals as I've seem many wear them if they work in an office setting here during the warmer months.
you just wear them. they'll never be as comfortable as barefoot, but after a few days of wearing shoes you'll barely notice anyway. you still should be able to walk barefoot on any surface you can now, unless you decide to start wearing shoes at all times instead of just at work.
L.L. Bean had beach shoes that were great. Leave the laces loose and they slip on and off easily. My job is not a place I would go without shoes. These are the middle ground.
I don't see a whole lot of choices, other than to try out different types of shoes to see what fits the best. Trial and error, maybe try something with thin soles. You can probably retain the toughness of your feet by dedicating some barefoot time to them after hours. Walk on rough, challenging surfaces like gravel or tarmac to force chafing. This forces the skin to renew itself. Though the fact is that in terms of both comfort and toughness build-up, there's no substitute for 24/7 barefoot. My condolences for yielding to the rat race.
What's really feels wrong when I have to were shoes is driving, I get used to that instant feedback from sense of touch where my foot is on the peddles and with shoes on its blocked feels all clumsy and have to bend at the ankle to press peddles moving toes is useless as shoe does not bend.
