Whole Body Barefoot: Transitioning Well to Minimal Footwear

If you aren't interested in barefoot shoes going into this book, you probably will be by the halfway point. However, what makes the book so good is the light Bowman sheds on the anatomy of the foot and its impact on the entire body. The issues surrounding the barefoot shoe movement—from the proposed benefits to the criticism—are handled with honesty, tact, and scientific knowledge. Both sides are right, according to the author, who breaks down the "whys" in easy to follow explanations. You won't look at your shoes—whatever you choose—in quite the same way again. Much more than just a discussion of the barefoot topic, Bowman offers a strategy for transitioning out of traditional footwear into barefoot shoes in a manner that supports and benefits the body, minimizing any health risk. But really, all this is just a launching point into her broader point, which is that our modern lifestyle is producing undesirable physiological changes that impact our health—and there is something we can do about it! With Bowman's foot and leg exercises, which are easily done almost anywhere in a minimal amount of time, we can begin to reverse the ill-effects of our sedentary, screen-oriented lifestyles and correct typical kinetic chain misalignments that affect us more profoundly than we may realize. Even an active person such as myself can derive great benefit from Bowman's perspective. I have been doing her exercises regularly for several months now, and unquestionably my quality of life has increased. I have shared the exercises with family (who pronounced them "life-changing") and incorporated some of them into my group fitness classes. I can tell when a participant has been doing them at home, because their flexibility and balance through the foot and leg increases noticeably over time. Thanks to this book, I now direct many people to Katy Bowman's "Nutritious Movement" blog. And several more of her books are on my TBR list!

Give an excelent guide to transition well from conventional shoes to minimal shoes. Well explained exercises with dose and images

Much neglected body party gets delighted with attention. Been using barefoot shoes for a few years, but these exercises really make my feet feel alive.

I had been curious about minimalist footwear for a few years, as a few good friends had gotten into it, while I wore increasingly stiff and "supportive" shoes in a negative spiral of increasing attempts to support painful feet which in turn made them weaker and more painful. Then I was shopping for shoes for my kids, and a friend encouraged minimalist footwear for them, and I got curious and got myself a pair and this book. Things I love about this book: 1) It is super readable (I read it in one night) and compelling and gives a clear, biomechanics-based explanation for why barefoot and minimalist shoes are good for us. 2) It is super realistic about needing to give our bodies time, exercise, and a gentle transition to minimalist footwear after wearing traditional stuff, heavy, "supportive" shoes our whole lives. 3) The adjustments to posture and the various foot and leg exercises were super helpful. Using some of the exercises here, and the patient and gradual transition that Katy prescribes, over time I've grown to love the feel of the ground under my feet when I wear my minimalist shoes, and my feet have gotten much stronger and more capable, and the foot pain I used to live with every day has vanished as my feet became stronger and more capable. Which in turn has led me down a rabbit hole of other ways of changing and expanding my movement which has done nothing but good things for my health and well being.

I picked this book up on a friend's recommendation, less so to prepare for minimal/no shoes (although I do love my FiveFingers and would like to wear them more) but to try to fix my flat feet. All I get from the podiatrist is "Yep, they're flat. Have some $500 orthotics". While those do the job, I'd like to be able to wear less shoe and not risk knee problems. The flat feet have already given me rough and crunchy cartilage under the kneecaps. It seems this book is the motivation and info I needed. For two weeks I've been doing Katy's recommended stretching and exercises. Equipment investment is minimal... just some various massage balls, a half-round foam roller, and some toe spreader socks (which feel amazing) to wear to bed. Paying attention to how one walks is the key. Feet straight ahead, femurs neutral, not letting them rotate inwards. Sure enough, this keeps my feet from flattening out. It felt pretty weird for a few days but I got used to it. The only annoyance I ran into was some numbness in the little toes and outer edge of my feet from the extra weight being placed on that area. But now two weeks in that's starting to fade and no other strange feelings have developed. It's even to the point now where walking the old way like I've been for 38 years feels weird. I even did a 10 mile hike with some good elevation changes last weekend, working on my new gait the whole time. I was in my boots and orthotics still so I could give things a little rest if needed. Next up, I'll be getting some zero-lift shoes so I can still have my orthotics for weight lifting just as a little backup until things get stronger. Otherwise it's gonna be FiveFingers unless I need toe protection, ski boots, or something like that.

I always thought about putting together some sort of instruction about how to transition to minimalist shoes. Of course, I never did, which is a good thing because someone way more qualified than me did and she did a much better job of it too! Katy Bowman’s Whole Body Barefoot is the perfect guide to make the transition. This is the second time Katy has caused me to break my “read it and pass it on” rule for books. Whole Body Barefoot is yet another tool that needs to be in my Wellness Practitioner tool bag. This book is a quick and fun read but most of all it has correctives and exercises you can incorporate right away. Other “programs” require extra time, equipment, or the need to set aside time in a specific location like a gym, but the one outlined in this book can be done immediately and practically anywhere. A perfect example of this is as soon as I read about interlacing your fingers with your toes to work on toe separation, I was able to actually do it right then and there. Don’t feel like reading? Fine, skip to the part of the book that just covers the correctives and get to work. As a writer, I am a fan of “get to the point.” I love that this option is available.

This book opened my eyes to body alignment and how we live/walk/cloth ourselves can have very real repercussions on our overall health. As a runner who was injured through incorrect running form, I'm now working with a physio to learn how to stand/walk/run correctly and gaining strength in my hips and lower back. Having already read this book, it's made it easier on my PT in understanding what I need to do to get my body in proper shape. I think our feet and our shoes are one key in body alignment. I've also read up on some Egoscue and Foundation training as well. While they all take very different approaches to body alignment, I think they also work well together in overall body alignment and strength. You can't stand/walk properly without proper body alignment (Egoscue) and you can't stay aligned without proper muscle strength and movement (Foundation). I'm sure there's more out there, but this is what I"ve discovered thus far. This book is a great read, though, and I'm glad I read it first. You can read the theory part in a few hours and the rest of the book is exercises.

This is a very informative book on the benefits of going barefoot or in minimal shoes. I'm a true fan of minimal foot wear but developed tendonitis in one foot a year ago. It was bad enough that I asked my doctor about it and he sent me to an orthopedic specialist, who recommended specific exercises to relieve the tendon, and also (gasp!) orthotics. I faithfully did the exercises but really didn't want to wear orthotics, so I opted for Chaco sandals, which have a good molded arch support. I wore them through the warm weather, and used the information in this book to strengthen the foot. It all worked and now I'm pain-free in minimal shoes. The book has a LOT of good information and Ms. Bowman is also a fan of minimal footwear. My problem with orthotics is that they certainly do alleviate pain in your arches, but the do nothing to solve the problem, they just manage the symptoms. I wanted to be pain-free barefoot. With the help of the information in this book, I achieved that goal.

Super Buch. Vier Sterne weil, das Buch ist teuer und Bowman wiederholt sich in kurz form zum Schluss (ein viertel des Buchs) und eine gute sechstel des Buchs sind Webseiten und Vorschläge für Barfuß Schuhe.

I was chatting with an acquaintance and expressed some difficulties I was having with plantar fasciitis. She mentioned she had experienced the same problems for over 30yrs before discovering Katy. She went on to explain more about alignment, stretching, strengthening and minimalist shoes. All information she had learned from this book. I’m self employed and often put up to 25k steps in a day. I need my feet to work! For 3yrs, I’ve struggled with excruciating pain due to my plantar fasciitis. I’ve spent a small fortune on supportive shoes and orthotics. None of them made a lasting impact. It’s only been 2mos since I started following Katy’s advice and I am now pain free. These concepts are with me for life. Thank you, Katy.

This book is really helping me transition from heeled shoes to minimal footwear. It's immensely practical, well informed from biomechanics and yet fun and not stuffy. The pictures are quite grainy but good enough to know what you need to do for the exercise.

Van gewone schoenen naar barefoot schoenen naar barefoot sandalen naar volledig barefoot. Bezig met de laatste stap en het boek geeft goede tips waarop te letten.

This book is smart, easy, enlightenning, just the perfect book for anyone who wants to go barefoot, or just for people who have had years of back knee feet pain without finding relief with any kind of therapy. I've been dealing with tendonitis for years and now I understand all the wrong movement and shoe choices that led me to chronic pain. Anyone who enters a doctors office or PT practice should be given this book.