Between you and me. Why minimalist/barefoot shoes are so expensive?

Sometimes this question arrives to me.

And I really don't know what to say, it's the price that the market sets.

But if you ask why having less material, they have the same price as a "rubber-block" Nike, the answer is that the price of manufacturing, distribution and marketing is the same.

The only difference is the amount of material used.

And that only implies 2 or 3 euros per pair in the cushioned ones.

But of course, there are those who prefer 'big horse, walk or no walk'.

If it is bigger, it must cost more.

Another more deliberate question is if they are cheaper over the time.

To answer this question, two things must be considered:

1. Injuries, Discomfort and Pain

I became a minimalist looking for a solution to multiple injuries.

When it wasn't periostitis, it was chondromalacia, but fasciitis...(and meanwhile) lumbar discomfort, contractures and something else I forget.

I was a "hurt" runner, always putting patches here and there.

My body sink more water than a sieve.

Sound familiar?

In that case, how much would you have paid to avoid or minimize injuries?

I would have paid the thousands of euros I spent on hyper-cushioned shoes, various insoles, physiotherapists, chiropractors... and left behind the frustration and even sadness, which I felt every time I was injured, if...

If someone had told me that the solution was to let my feet work
and run with minimal protection.

Then, they wouldn't be so expensive, cheap instead.

On the other hand, the minimalist shoes were the way to get into other disciplines
that have improved my life in other fields:

Barefoot, natural training and evolutionary eating.

Knowing them brought me closer to myself.

It made me more human and more resistant to injuries.

2. And regarding durability.

How much do you recommend using a shock-absorbing shoe? 500, 800, 1000 km?

Once a Professor in Biomechanics told me in 'petit comité' that in laboratory tests he had done, most brands did not exceed 200km.

From then on, if you run landing on your heel, the shoe loses its effectiveness in limiting (rather than eliminating) impact.

And what about the minimalist shoes? How long do they last?

Until you make a hole in the sole. I told you about it here.

Then,

are minimalist shoes expensive?

Seeing all the benefits they bring to you, no.

And that's because they are the same price as Nike or Adidas shoes that use the same quality of materials.

But they do give you something:

• A sole over 15 mm thick that produces instability and loss of sensitivity of the ground
• High drop (heel) that modifies the natural curves of your spine
• Lateral reinforcements for minimum foot movement. Weakening it.

As a short summary.

Minimalist/barefoot shoes have the same price as a cushioned shoe with the advantage that they let your foot work, do not affect you negatively and last longer.

It's all a matter of taste.

Although to keep your feet working properly on rainy and cold days, the boots come in.

Boots that allow the foot to work, wide in the toes, without heels, light and flexible.

Some are vegan, leather, waterproof, up to the ankle, up to the knee....

Below I leave you some models.

And remember.

Health begins from the feet.