Welcome to the GIFT-Fit Guy's quick and dirty tips to slim down and shape up.

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

In my last episode, which you can listen to by searching for Get-Fit Guy episode number 192 at Quick and Dirty Tips.com,

you learned about the latest research on barefoot running,

whether the Vbram Five Fingers lawsuit was a good thing, and got good resources for barefoot running.

In this episode, you're going to learn why barefoot running might be better than wearing shoes,

when you should actually wear shoes, and whether kids should wear minimalist shoes or do barefoot running.

So, let's start here. Is barefoot running any better than running in shoes?

Well, there are definitely three advantages to switching to minimalist footwear or barefoot running.

This is because when you switch to a minimalist approach, you, one, take shorter strides.

And running with shorter strides and a higher foot strike frequency

naturally reduces the impact forces on your foot, which you tend not to worry about quite so much

when you're wearing shoes. Fortunately, shorter strides also mean less impact higher up in your

ankles, knees, and hips. Likely, due to these shorter strides,

barefoot running has also been shown to lower heart rate

and the rate of perceived exertion

while increasing running efficiency.

Number two, you land with a slightly flatter foot.

When you're running barefoot, your toes are not quite

as pointed towards the sky, and you don't strike

with your heel as much.

This means that your heels and ankles undergo far less pressure and impact, and sometimes your knees and hips too.

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