Whole Body Barefoot: Transitioning Well to Minimal Footwear Paperback – Illustrated, April 5, 2015

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!

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.

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 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.