About six months ago, shortly after Danielle got me hooked on Tim Ferriss’ book The Four Hour Work Week, I discovered one of his video posts about some crazy shoes. These wonky five-toed shoes are totally unique in both their look and their purpose. You can wear them running, climbing, biking, swimming or just walking around town as long as you’re comfortable with getting a few curious looks.

However cool these shoes may be, they’re actually surprisingly difficult to get a hold of. Luckily, there is a shoe store up in Harbor Springs called Heart and Sole and they had them on a specialty rack. They’re currently going for about 80 bucks, but they are a great value! They are super comfortable once you get your feet in them, which takes a little technique.

As far as ergonomic benefits, they are great for several different aspects of your feet and ankles. They spread your toes apart which helps to counteract the curvature you normally get with more confining shoes. This also helps a little with your balance. When running, you put more force on the ball of your feet rather than your heel thus helping with your arch support and building certain ankle muscles. In my case, I have extremely flat feet and get really bad shin splints so these shoes have become an ideal preventative measure.

The one downside to the shoes is how often you’ll need to wash them, especially if you end up running in them. I would suggest 1 wash for every three uses and DON’T forget to let them air dry as opposed to sticking them in the dryer. I also used a little baking soda which tends to kill any extra odors.

You can find Vibram 5 Toed Shoes at BackWoods, which offers free shipping.

Tim Ferris Post on Vibram Shoes

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