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How to pick the best barefoot running sandals?
Like the idea of barefoot running, but want a bit of protection from what you could step on, or IN?For thousands of years, humans have run in sandals, and you can, too.Perhaps the most famous sandal-wearing runners are the Tarahumara Indians of the Copper Canyon in Mexico. They were the stars of the book, Born To Run, by Chris McDougall and they're known for running hundreds of miles in their huarache sandals.A good barefoot sandal will be flexible enough to let your feet move naturally, thin enough to let you FEEL the ground, add just enough protection, and be long-lasting.That's what our bare-feet-inspired sandals do. Check them out here and see why people enjoy Xero Shoes for everything from a casual walk to running ultra marathons. The content of this post does not constitute and is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Always seek the advice of a physician or other qualified health provider with any questions or concerns you may have about your health or a medical condition.
Is there a Xero Shoes conspiracy?
Some people think that our mission at Xero Shoes is to rid the world of all other sandals, flip flops, and running shoes and replace them with our lightweight performance recreation footwear.Well, Joel Ellis has stumbled onto something about our true plans that's far more sinister, infinitely more insidious, and perhaps even bordering on illegal.Oh, and he also gives a quick review of our new Umara Z-Trail sandal, which you can find here for men, and here for women.Will you fall prey to our nefarious plan to Z-ify your bare feet?OR, worse, have you already become Z-ified? If so, let's see the proof.;-)The content of this post does not constitute and is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Always seek the advice of a physician or other qualified health provider with any questions or concerns you may have about your health or a medical condition.
Watch GOSHEN for FREE here
The filmmakers of GOSHEN, an award winning documentary highlighting the benefits of the Tarahumara running tribe's "barefoot sandals" are offering FREE VIEWING of the full film for two days only -- Saturday and Sunday, October 10-11.Watch GOSHEN here, or rent it for free for Saturday/Sunday by going to www.GoshenFilm.com/buy-dvd.html and use the coupon code GOSHENXERO. Remember this free offer is only valid on October 10-11, 2015.(The preview will show, below, until Saturday, when the ACTUAL film will be available.)GET THE DVD TODAY!
Sandals for Barefoot Running? KWGN Investigates.
Vicky Evans from KWGN came out to our new office to check out Xero Shoes.What did she think? Watch the video and find out... While Vicky emphasized barefoot running, people enjoy Xero Shoes for, well, anything you can imagine doing in a sandal... and things you would NEVER do in a flip flop: A walk on the beach A hike in the woods A workout in the gym Keeping that "grounded" feeling you get after a yoga class Paddle boarding Approaching a climb We've even had people run 100+ mile ultramarathons in Xero Shoes!Check 'em out here
Can Xero Shoes find the love of your life?
Google alerted us to this Xero Shoes-based "Missed Connection". Can you help them un-miss?I can't wait until we have our first Xero Shoes inspired romance!
Barefoot Sandals are for more than running
The two most popular comments I hear from people seeing Xero Shoes barefoot sandals for the first time are:"You can't really run in those, can you?"and"I'm not a runner so I can't use those."Make up your mind people! ;-)So, some people equate barefoot-inspired sandals with running, and others can't fathom doing an ultramarathon without giant maximalist shoes with tons of padding and "motion control."It's true that Xero Shoes were inspired by the huaraches sandals worn by the Tarahumara of Mexico, who make their sandals from scraps of tire and leather laces (they're stiff and heavy, btw). And the Tarahumara are known for running long distances in their sandals. And it's true that the early adopters of Xero Shoes were barefoot runners. And it's true that we've had hundreds, if not thousands, of emails from customers all around the world who've run everything from 5k - 100 mile races in Xeros.But that doesn't mean you have to run in them. Lena, my wife, co-founder of Xero Shoes, and our COO... she's a hiker, not a runner. But she mostly wears her Xero Shoes as her daily footwear.I'm a competitive sprinter, and wear my sandals for daily wear -- I haven't had a "normal" pair of shoes on my feet for 5 years -- and for all my drills and warm-ups on the track (for sprinting, I'm in a pair of spikes, which you need for traction and maximum speed).I like to ask people, "Do you enjoy being barefoot?" And if they say Yes, I say, "Well these sandals give you the closest thing to that fun, free barefoot feeling, but with a layer of protection."And with that combo, our customers have done practically everything you can think of in Xero Shoes -- walking, hiking, sky diving, paddle boarding, biking, kayaking, hanging out on the beach, a night on the town, even 100k ultramarathons through the jungles of Costa Rica.Here's a pic of Michelle, an awesome YogaSlacker (that's people who can do yoga poses on a slack line), showing what she can do in Xeros!Put on your Xero Shoes and go everywhere, do everything... naturally!
Minimalist sandals are our life!
When Lena and I started Xero Shoes in November 2009, we thought, "Oh, this'll be a nice little hobby business." We never anticipated it growing as much as it has, or working as hard as we work ;-)After appearing on Shark Tank last night, we've been SWAMPED with orders, emails, phone calls.I've been awake and on my feet (I have a treadmill desk) for about 40 hours (don't even ask me about the list of technical problems we ran into). Lena's working on 1/2 the sleep she normally gets. And everyone else in the office -- Bill, Kim, and Rudy (Dennis is in Asia working on some very exciting new products) -- put in a great effort today.Here's what 500 orders looks like (and we've got another 200 left to go!). Our mailman is going to hate us on Monday.In the middle of my brain-deadness, I want to say how grateful we are to share Xero Shoes and the idea of natural movement with everyone. Getting dozens of emails every day from people who are doing everything from taking a stroll to running an ultramarathon... well, it makes these long days worthwhile. So, THANKS!
Xero Shoes on Shark Tank... AGAIN!
We just got the word from ABC and Mark Burnett Productions that our Shark Tank episode is re-airing on Friday, May 31st.Frankly, we're still reeling from the effects of our original air date in February. We sold over 3,000 pairs of Xero Shoes barefoot sandals after the show aired... and that was in the middle of WINTER!Lena and I are tremendously grateful for all the things that have happened as a result of being on the show (if you haven't seen it yet, I won't spoil the surprise of what happened). Thanks to getting recognized (at events where there are a lot of entrepreneurs, we're like rock stars :-P ), and thanks to the exposure, we've met dozens of people who are helping us improve our products, our marketing, our business... everything but our ability to take a day off.So there are a lot of changes coming up. You'll see the look and feel of the website changing, some new ways to discover and share lacing and tying styles, contests that you can enter (What can YOU do with Xeros?), and some new products that are on the way.We can't wait to see what the next few months bring. We're always excited to see how barefoot living (which is more than just running barefoot) spreads, how one family member gets a pair of Xero Shoes and then everyone else in the family orders a pair a week later.And we're thrilled that we've been able to provide more support to the Tarahumara Children's Hospital Fund than we ever thought we could.Watch us on Friday, and join in on Twitter and Facebook and Instagram. Tell everyone what you like about your Xero Shoes! On Twitter, use #sharktank and @xeroshoes.
Xero Shoes Barefoot Sandals On Shark Tank
In 2013, Lena and I had the honor and pleasure of appearing on the ABC hit reality-business show, Shark Tank on ABC... and on October 1st we appeared on CNBC, who syndicated the show.Over 30,000 applied to be on the show and we were on pins and needles for months, waiting to see if our pitch would make it to the airwaves.If you didn't see the show, check it out here. I've set it up so that when you start the video, it's cued up to our segment, at the end of the show. Since the show aired we've gotten some amazing responses.Some people think we were nuts to walk away from a $400k offer.Others think we were insane to even consider it.In the first week after the show aired, over 2,500 people decided to try Xero Shoes and experience the fun and benefits of being barefoot, but with a layer of protection, a perfect fit, a custom style, an affordable price, and our 5,000 mile warranty.THANK YOU to you everyone who emailed and called us, to the people who crashed our website with traffic (over 270,000 people!), to the people who put up with our shopping cart glitches (this cart was, it seems, not made for that kind of traffic), and to everyone who ordered some of our Original Barefootware.Happily, we have a MUCH improved website and shopping cart and, as you can see here, a MUCH more extensive line of barefoot-inspired shoes, sandals, boots, DIY kits, and more.-Steven
Xero Shoes Barefoot Sandals in COLOR!
Houston, we have color! I am extremely happy and proud to announce that you can now get Xero Shoes in 4 WAY COOL colors. And to celebrate, you can also save 20% if you order by October 2nd! In addition to our Coal Black, you can now get Mocha Earth, Electric Mint, Boulder Sky, and Hot Salmon. Combine those with our different lace colors... Well, here are a few combinations that you'll see around our office: Lena in her Mocha Earth with matching brown laces and a bunch of Brass Beads. Our office ultra-runner (and customer service manager), Bill, in Electric Mint with Purple laces (he puts 80-100 miles a week on these!) Steven, taking inspiration from an 8 year old customer who was the first one to wear non-matching laces, in Boulder Sky with White laces and a Hand Pendant (on the left) and Hot Salmon with Red laces (right). These new colors come in both Connect 4mm and Contact 6mm styles. And you can get them as kits or custom-made. Click here to order your Xero Shoes Colored Barefoot Sandals
How to think like a shoe company
You know the saying "when all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail"?Well, it's true for shoe companies, too. When all you have is padding and motion-control, everything looks like it pronates and lands too hard!Check out this video about the "secret" Adidas development center. Especially watch at the 2:10 mark where the "best people in the world" analyze Ben's sprinting gait and conclude:a) That he pronates and heel-strikes (NOTE: He over pronates BECAUSE he heel-strikes since, when you land on your heel, the ankle muscles can't can hold the foot/ankle/lower leg in place).b) The solution: Making a shoe with padding and motion control!Uh...First of all, if you heel strike when you sprint, you are not sprinting! Sprinters do not heel strike. And when you land on your forefoot or midfoot, the entire musculature of the lower leg, ankle, and foot, can be "pre-loaded" and engage when you land.The cure for Ben is to STOP HEEL STRIKING, not get a shoe that lets him continue to run incorrectly. Duh.My next comment falls into the "maybe it's just me" category: Notice how large, spacious and expensive this place is. Ben mentions that Adidas does over a BILLION euros in sales.Look, I'm the last guy to deny any company the right to make money, and I'd love to have a billion dollar company.But am I the only one who sees a direct connection between a massive, pricey research lab and shoes that cost $150-200, and "hi-tech" shirts that cost $100+. This is like a thought I had at the Outdoor Retailer trade show, where some of the bigger companies have booths that easily cost over $1,000,000, "Oh, now I know why they charge so much for their products! They need to support the booth."Honestly, I find it unlikely that the "amazing" research they're doing actually pays for itself. I think it makes them feel good about themselves, and makes naive reporters think, "Oh, wow, they're doing something really special here."I don't doubt for a second that they could drop the price of their shoes to something more reasonable, not waste money on "research" that's iffy at best, and still make the same profit.Again, maybe that's just me.The content of this post does not constitute and is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Always seek the advice of a physician or other qualified health provider with any questions or concerns you may have about your health or a medical condition.
Barefoot in Asia - Regev's Review
I just realized that I have a strange history with barefoot running, barefoot walking, and minimalist shoes.First, like most of us, I spent a lot of time barefoot as a kid in the Summer. I went to a camp in the Pocono Mountains (Camp Shohola just in case any readers also went there) and whenever I had the chance, I was barefoot (made easier by the fact that I spent half of my days doing water sports). I was a competitive diver, too, so that kept me out of shoes.In junior high school and high school, I was a gymnast, so that was even more barefoot time every day.When I was 18, I went to New York City to be a street performer. I had already been doing this in Washington, DC, doing a magic act in Georgetown, and on K Street, near the White House. When I got to NYC, though, I found it much harder to get a crowd and, even worse, within a few weeks, the other street magicians had stolen all my bits! I asked one of the veteran street acts what I should do and he said, "Simple, write an act that nobody would dare steal."I pondered this for a while, until I landed on the answer. I created an act that had a bunch of crazy gymnastics in it (I did a running front flip over someone's head, stealing their hat and placing it on my head while in mid-flip), and a finale where I... wait for it... walked on broken glass in my bare feet.Now let me back up. For the gymnastics part of the act, I wore minimalist shoes. They were some old Adidas (I can't remember the name), with zero-drop, very little toe spring, not much padding. Just enough between me and the ground so I didn't kill my feet. This was in 1980-81, BTW.I loved these shoes. I bought every pair I could find. When I could no longer find them, I asked the local running shoe store what happened and he answered, "Adidas stopped selling them; they were lasting too long."I don't know if his info was accurate but, if it was, it wouldn't be the first time a company pulled a product that didn't wear out or go obsolete fast enough.Luckily, I found a company that sold shoes to prisons (you can find ANYTHING in NYC), and they had the last few pairs of these shoes... I bought them all. And they lasted through some serious abuse.Okay, back to walking barefoot on glass, though. Let's just say that it's part physics, part showmanship, and part some-hard-to-describe-thing that, if I could convince you to jump onto a 3" high pile of shattered beer bottles, you would instantly get a knowing look in your eye and say, "Ahhh... I get it now."In 5 years and thousands of shows, I only got one small cut. But by the end of the day, my feet were FILTHY from being barefoot on the street.CUT TO: Going to Asia in 1989.This is where I got hooked on being barefoot. Aside from the fact that you never wear shoes into almost any building (I was in China, Nepal, India and Thailand), there were plenty of opportunities to be barefoot outside as well. There were also plenty of times where you wanted something on your feet, but not much because it was really hot when I was there, and anything more than a sandal was way too much.When I came back from Asia, I stuck with the habit of removing my shoes whenever I went into someone's home (we've saved a fortune on carpet cleaning by not dragging dirt in from the outside).Okay, so why this long story?Simple, I was reminded of it all when Regev Elya did his review of Xero Shoes, which he took on a 7-month trip through Southeast Asia (I'm SO jealous).Of course, I think that Xero Shoes are the best minimalist shoes for a trip like that... but check out what Regev says.
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