Minimalist shoes

[karnesyus]

Hello guys, I plan to gift my Mom, who is 51 years old at the moment (52 in March), New Balance Minimus shoes - more specifically the Minimus Zero (photo below)



The thing is, my Mom lives a very sedentary lifestyle; she goes to work and goes home to watch TV a lot. As such, she carries a significant amount of body fat, although she isn't considered obese. I thought that giving her these shoes will encourage her to use them. Maybe start her off by logging in more steps/miles on the treadmill per week until she's fit to jog. And eventually when her nervous system has caught up with her change in lifestyle, free weights.

My main question is: is giving her minimalist shoes a good idea? Granted minimalist shoes are a bit harder on the legs and joints, but it's also known that minimalist running is actually injury-preventive and encourages a more natural stance when running. I also thought of getting her Nike running shoes that have padding for now and have her transition into minimalist shoes, but I thought why not start directly with the minimalist shoes.

Thoughts?

Cheers and Merry Christmas to all!

[tsoden]

Unless she is active and into sports, anything like this says that you think she is fat. IOW, these types of gifts generally are not appreciated by most and end up being a waste of money.

[karnesyus]

Unless she is active and into sports, anything like this says that you think she is fat. IOW, these types of gifts generally are not appreciated by most and end up being a waste of money.

Thank you for your opinion. Back to my question. Money aside, say that she will actually use it (because we have already agreed that she will) are there any physiological or kinesiological issues to be addressed with regards to minimalist shoes?

EDIT: I'm actually surprised that you'd rather invest your money elsewhere than place it in something that could potentially help someone's health - no matter how slim the chances are.

[PopeGregorius]

Asics gel are very soft to wear, like walkng on clouds, they may be better. They make walking pleasure.

[azeeb]

Minimalist shoes take a significant amount of getting used to. They are down right painful to start with. I think the pain would discourage someone who is not used to working out already.

[redcaesar]

If she is going into it fully know the possible painful start up of minimalist shoes and the benefits of theme then yes! If she thinks they are just running shoe then I think startup pains may be discouraging. Although starting from walking with long gradual progress may minimize any discomfort...

[PapaBunny]

Like others stated...minimilest shoes take some getting used to and could cause pain, turning her off from getting active. Asics are like heavenly sex on your feet.


other thing to take into consideration is her arch, if she has a high arch the minimilist shoes will not be good for here IMHO.


My 2 cents anyway

[x-trainer ben]

Thank you for your opinion. Back to my question. Money aside, say that she will actually use it (because we have already agreed that she will) are there any physiological or kinesiological issues to be addressed with regards to minimalist shoes?

EDIT: I'm actually surprised that you'd rather invest your money elsewhere than place it in something that could potentially help someone's health - no matter how slim the chances are.

Let me say with my parent the podiatrist ended up making her an orthotic and suggested cross trainers because of added/needed support. Minimalist shoes were designed for the light efficient 150 pound thin runner in mind. Let her pick the shoe and get a gift card instead

[BalhamBeast]

I wear Vibrams to the gym but I also wear Nike Frees a lot (I'm a PE teacher and my pink Fivefingers wouldn't go down too well at school!) and they are very light and comfortable. You could look at those. I certainly wouldn't suggest she run for quite some time but they'd be absolutely fine for walking around in.
Having said that, you can't force your mum to exercise though she might be more inclined if you make a walk date with her once or twice a week. She might appreciate some mother-son time.

[phoenixr2]

If she is inactive and overweight, I would vote for bad idea. That is a lot of pounding on the feet and joints. General soreness, achy joints, painful/uncomfortable walking, chance of stress fracture, etc, just all don't seem like a warm friendly gift.

As others have mentioned Asics (among many other brands) make some super comfy running shoes that would be a better fit and my encourage her to use them more.

[bambiemcfly]

Minimalist shoes take a significant amount of getting used to. They are down right painful to start with. I think the pain would discourage someone who is not used to working out already.

this. particularly if she has high arches... i know that i, personally, cant even wear minimalist shoes because of the stress they put on my arches and ankles (i have reduced ROM due to short achilles tendons that i was plagued with), and cause my talus to fracture and re-fracture.

if she is INTERESTED in becoming more active, i suggest you take her to a shoe store that evaluates your foot/strike and gait in order to put you in the most ergonomically friendly shoe possible.

if she has not expressed joint pain to be a significant issue and has not expressed a desire to get into better shape, absolutely refrain from getting her anything related to fitness or working out. mothers take offense to these things.

[AndrewR770]

I'll chime in with another negative opinion of the idea. If she's overweight, her feet will need some extra support to carry that weight to minimize injury if she starts engaging in a higher level of physical activity. Once she conditions her feet and legs a bit more, perhaps she could switch to the minimalist shoes, but I think a sudden move into them from a sedentary lifestyle is inviting injury of some sort.

That's my completely unsupported and unscientifically sourced opinion.

[Brackneyc]

Hello guys, I plan to gift my Mom, who is 51 years old at the moment (52 in March), New Balance Minimus shoes - more specifically the Minimus Zero (photo below)



The thing is, my Mom lives a very sedentary lifestyle; she goes to work and goes home to watch TV a lot. As such, she carries a significant amount of body fat, although she isn't considered obese. I thought that giving her these shoes will encourage her to use them. Maybe start her off by logging in more steps/miles on the treadmill per week until she's fit to jog. And eventually when her nervous system has caught up with her change in lifestyle, free weights.

My main question is: is giving her minimalist shoes a good idea? Granted minimalist shoes are a bit harder on the legs and joints, but it's also known that minimalist running is actually injury-preventive and encourages a more natural stance when running. I also thought of getting her Nike running shoes that have padding for now and have her transition into minimalist shoes, but I thought why not start directly with the minimalist shoes.

Thoughts?

Cheers and Merry Christmas to all!

Much better options are available. I'd reconsider. JMO.

[whatevergirl]

minimalist shoes are awesome to run in, but I wouldn't buy them for someone else. I think running shoes are one of those things someone has to try on a few different types, before buying a pair. Just my $.02.

[crupiea]

what she needs is a pair of these babies.