Mark Sisson: The Rationale And Benefits of Barefoot/Minimalist Shoe Lifestyle, And How To Do It Right

I’m catching up with Mark Sisson today about one very important facet of ancestral living—minimalist footwear.

This episode will give you all the information you need to know about the barefoot lifestyle and how it helps us become more integrated into proprioception (how we orient ourselves in the world relative to everything around us). You’ll also learn all about Mark’s latest passion project and how his search for the perfect (but still stylish) minimalist footwear led him to Peluva.

Once you learn how most modern shoes make it possible for us to bypass the sensory input at the bottoms of our feet that informs our brains and the benefits of wearing minimalist footwear, you won’t ever go back to conventional shoes again.

TIMESTAMPS:

Our feet have 10,000 nerves there to sense the ground under our feet to help orient ourselves in the world. When we wear padded shoes, we lose that sensitivity. [02:36]

The invention of the high-tech running shoe did not reduce the number of injuries. [04:45]

Peluva shoes are minimalist shoes with five toes but with more cushion and circulation in the foot. [10:38]

We need the feedback from those 10,000 nerves to keep our balance and it is nullified when you put on those protective padded shoes.  The foot impact lessens but the injuries then go to hip and knees.  [12:00]

When we walk, we are supposed to walk heel to toe but when we run it is different with the lead on the midfoot. [13:17]

The Peluvas are not designed to be a running shoe. [16:25]

These shoes have cushioning you don’t see in other five-toed shoes. [20:03]

One of the key tenets of any minimalist shoes is they have zero drop which means there is little difference between the heel height and the forefoot. [26:34]

Why can Brad jump high in the Peluva shoes than in regular basketball shoes? [32:14]

Why should a regular person, not an athlete, wear these shoes? Because they are the most comfortable shoes you’ll ever wear. 

You have to acclimate your feet to begin wearing these shoes. It’s hard to get the toes in the first time! [39:58]

Mark thinks it would be ideal for everyone to go barefoot, but in the absence of that, wear Peluvas. [48:18]

There are still people who advocate for a maximal shoe with maximal support and cushioning. [52:03]

LINKS:

Brad Kearns.com

Brad’s Shopping page

PrimalEndrance.fit

Peluva.com

Move Your DNA

Abebe Bikila

The Primal Blueprint

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