Xero Shoes Review & Endorsement from this Personal Trainer

For years I have been on clients about proper shoe wear and give them feedback when coming in for their personal training session. Some of my trainers that worked with me would say I was being hard on clients and of course my husband use to coin the phrase “hard on ya Tonya!” until I asked him to stop. Proper footwear is the base of support for your whole body and can help or hurt your walking/running gait and posture which may mean getting less injuries and reducing acute or chronic pain in feet and other joints.

Let me ask you a question: Do your feet feel better at the end of the day than they did at the beginning?

If not, it’s because your shoes aren’t letting your feet do what’s NATURAL.

I did a post a while back on switching from my Mizuno 10-12mm heel drop to the OnCloud 5 mm heel drop and recommended several clients do the same with great success. I do not recommend going from the 10-12 mm heel drop to zero as you may need to change the structure of your tendons and muscles at a slower pace to account for years at a higher angle. Think of the normal 10-12 mm as wearing tennis shoes high heel models whilst the zero is more like a minimalist or ballet style shoe forcing your body in a more natural walking, running or lifting with proper balance (as opposed to lifting whilst standing on marshmallows on your feet).

I switched to the Xero brand over a year ago and now it’s my running and weight lifting shoe of choice. It makes me want to switch out all my shoes like sandals, boots and other casual shoes so I can be standard across the board for good foot and body mechanics.

When I first ran with my Xero shoes I felt some discomfort in my right achilles. It’s almost always my right side that get’s injured or has little tweaks of discomfort. On the next run I felt it in my calf. My body adapted quickly and is still getting better as it’s changing my pelvic tilt into a better position also helping my belly look smaller. Did you know that running can push your pelvis into anterior tilt (sway back)? When you have injuries or aches on one side of the body it’s referred to as anatomy train. Mine have always been on my right side. The zero heel drop forced me to move my hips differently as to not over-stride. Next, I’m gonna try hiking shoes which are a great idea as so many hiking shoes are so stiff not allowing proper bending of the foot for a toe off. Look into if a minimalist shoe is right for you or try the OnCloud brand before dropping to zero.

Check it out here: Tonya’s Xero Page

FYI..they offer a 5000 mile warranty!

Xero Shoes let them do that with what we call “3 Pillars of Natural”:

• Natural FIT — wide toe boxes let your toes spread and relax. A non-elevated (zero-drop) heel for proper posture.
• Natural MOTION — super flexible to let your feet bend and move naturally. Low-to-the-ground for balance and agility.
• Natural FEEL — the patented FeelTrue® soles give you just-right protection while still giving the ground feedback your brain needs for efficient, natural movement.