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Read this if: you’ve ever suffered pain in your feet, ankles, knees or back that isn’t related to a hereditary problem, and you’re looking for a smart new solution that could help

What you could gain: stronger legs, stronger and healthier feet, improved running skills and endurance, and a toned body

What will it cost? RRP £94.99

Most of us experience foot, leg and back pain over the course of our lives, and unless you’re suffering from a hereditary problem, the culprit is usually pretty easy to identify – often it’s our shoes that are to blame. Sadly a lot of footwear doesn’t provide the right kind of support for our bodies, and by sacrificing comfort on an everyday basis you could be doing more damage than you realise.

In his 2009 study “Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen”, Christopher McDougal revealed a Northern Mexican tribe who can routinely run eight marathons without rest – and most of the time, they’re either barefoot or in a special kind of sandal with no heel. And McDougal is not alone in believing that going barefoot is in fact the healthiest way to go if you want to protect your feet, legs and back for the long term – Harvard University agrees with him (read more at http://barefootrunning.fas.harvard.edu/)

Of course, it’s all great in theory and is probably easier to put into practice when you’re running through the desert, but it isn’t exactly practical for the weekly shop at Tesco. So what’s the next best thing?

Tim Ferriss gave this quite a lot of thought in his New York Times best-selling book, “The 4-Hour Body: An Uncommon Guide to Rapid Fat-Loss, Incredible Sex, and Becoming Superhuman”, in which he highlighted the postural problems that he’d caused himself by wearing the wrong sort of shoes. Luckily Tim found a solution through a friend of his who tipped him off about a company making a strange looking pair of shoes called “FiveFingers”.

These admittedly slightly odd-looking trainers hail from Italy, and are already receiving rave reviews throughout the world. But what makes them so special?

Most shoes cause postural problems by elevating the heel, which forces you to stand on tiptoes. This forces your hips forward and so the upper body is no longer in balance. To compensate, your head moves forward so that the weight of the upper body is carried evenly over the hips. This creates two problems – the tilt of your hips creates an exaggerated arch in your lower back which can cause lower back pain, while the tilt of your head puts strain on your neck which causes upper back pain.

And the problems don’t stop there – most shoes artificially constrict the toes, especially in the case of high heels. This may be more of a problem than you think. The big toe is meant to stabilize the foot and when it can’t do that, the foot rolls in toward the centre causing all kinds of problems for your feet, ankles, calves and back. Suddenly those Jimmy Choos aren’t looking quite so appealing…

Its ok, I hear you cry – I don’t wear high heels! Unfortunately trainers aren’t that much better. Because your foot has so much support in trainers, your natural stabilizing muscles become weak. This makes injury more likely, as with weakened stabilizing muscles you’re more likely to roll your ankle.

So what makes Vibram FiveFingers shoes different? The patented design is as close as you can get to that holy grail of going barefoot whilst still wearing a shoe. Most importantly, the individual toe pockets allow you to actually use your toes as they were intended, which can do wonders for your balance and posture. They have a high performance rubber sole which helps to protect your feet and ensures you keep your grip over all sorts of terrain. They are also made from a thin, quick-drying, stretchy polyamide fabric which fits low on your foot for ultimate comfort.

You don’t have to take my word for it though – check out these comments from Paul Charteris, a New Zealand runner and blogger who claims the following changes since he has been using Vibrams FiveFingers:

– increased muscularity over the entire foot
– increased foot width (my toes poke out the sides of my shoes now)
– greater spacing between toes
– greater neuromuscular control of my toes (i.e. I am starting to be able to independently wiggle them).
– higher arches

And for the rest of the body…

- massive improvements in calf muscle strength and muscularity
– huge gains in running form (no longer a heel striker) and a more relaxed and softer foot mid stride
– Big gains in uphill running ability (able to engage more calf muscle strength)
I have to admit, they’re a pretty unusual-looking shoe. But with all of those health benefits to offer, what’s the odd strange look in the park in comparison? And with their popularity growing fast, it won’t be long before Vibram FiveFingers become the must-have running accessory – so why not snap some up before you get left behind?

Want to find out more?

You can buy Vibram FiveFingers shoes and accessories at the following websites:

http://www.vibrams.co.uk/

Buy the book “Born to run“

Buy the book “ The 4-Hour Body: An uncommon guide to rapid fat-loss, incredible sex and becoming superhuman: The Secrets and Science of Rapid Body Transformation”: