Welcome to the Get Fit Guys quick and dirty tips to slim down and shape up.

My name is Ben Greenfield, and I'm the Get Fit guy.

I have a confession to make.

I'm actually pretty uncomfortable when I'm standing around at a party or a social gathering,

and I'm wearing shoes.

I don't really like shoes.

As a matter of fact, I avoid shoes and sometimes pants, too, when I'm working at home.

Yes, I'm that guy who sits around writing and recording podcasts in my boxers.

Now, in the episode The 411 on Barefoot Running, which I'll link to in the show notes for this episode

over at quick and dirty tips.com. You learned about the growing surge and the popularity of

barefoot running, the biomechanics of running, running with shoes versus running barefoot, and how to

make a gradual transition to barefoot running. And in this special two-part episode, this

weekend next, you're going to learn whether barefoot running is safe,

if barefoot running is better than running in shoes, what I think about the recent

vibram barefoot running five-finger shoe lawsuit, and whether kids should run barefoot.

Now, a recent article piqued my attention and inspired me to revisit the controversial topic

of barefoot running.

The article is called Barefoot Running Survey, evidence from the field,

and it delves into the fact that a growing group of runners are making the choice to try the minimal

or barefoot running styles of the pre-modern running shoe era, that is running like a caveman

would. And while there is some evidence of decreased impact forces and rotational torques on the foot, ankle, and knee,

when you do barefoot running, this survey highlights the fact that there's no clear data

...