You may have heard Peluva co-founder Mark Sisson saying, “please don’t run in Peluvas!” Indeed, transitioning from years and decades in elevated, cushioned shoes must be done gradually and carefully. Furthermore, as Mark details in his new book, Born To Walk, running itself is a bad idea for most people who run–because it’s too stressful and too injurious.
The highest and best use of Peluvas is for them to become your go-to shoe for everyday life. The centerpiece of this is walking, including making a concerted effort to increase your daily step count–perhaps inspired by the increased comfort and functionality that you experience when you walk in Peluvas. With walking as your foundation for both foot strength and aerobic conditioning, you will become more resilient to attempt more complex fitness activities.
Peluvas are perfect for gym workouts, especially weightlifting or low- to medium-impact exercise classes requiring balance and kinesthetic awareness. Peluvas are also great for hiking, and the Strand ATR can handle even the most extreme trails. Unlike elevated, restrictive, heavily cushioned regular shoes, Peluvas allow your toes to be comfortable and the small muscles of the feet to work easily through ranges of motion when walking, hiking, standing, climbing stairs, working out in the gym, driving a car, and everything else you do in a day.
When it does come time to perform complex fitness endeavors, specialized athletic shoes exist for a reason, and there is no rationale for trying to replace them with Peluvas. This is particularly the case with endurance running, where enthusiasts of the early barefoot shoe movement from decades past experience overuse injuries from abrupt and ill-advised switches to minimalist shoes. Instead, understand that your commitment to Peluvas in everyday life helps you become more resilient against the inherent stress and damage caused by cramming your feet into specialized shoes. We call wearing Peluvas “pre-covery” for your use of traditional running shoes, basketball shoes, soccer cleats, ballet slippers, rock climbing shoes, high heels, sturdy work boots and so forth.
Oh, if you’re a devoted endurance runner with a go-to favorite model of super-cushioned shoes, those will remain your best choice–but consider the impassioned message in Born To Walk that walking might be a more effective way to promote cardiovascular fitness, general health, and longevity. To help you safely and gradually transition to a more barefoot and minimalist shoe-inspired lifestyle, please download our free 88-page PDF, The Definitive Guide To A Barefoot and Minimalist Shoe Lifestyle, at Peluva.com. You can also pick up a signed copy of Born To Walk with your Peluva order!