MBT - Masai Barefoot Shoes

When I was heavily into walking my instructor told me to roll my foot as I walked from heel to toe. The more I did this the more of a workout I felt my legs got. 

Today there is the MBT or Masai Barefoot Shoes that naturally help you roll your foot as my instructor had told me.  That's because the MBT shoe has a curved sole that gives you a natural rolling action when you walk.  This is what helps build your leg and back strength.

The Masai Barefoot Technology and is also referred to as physiological footwear.  The inventor got the idea from the Africa Masai Tribe because he noticed the benefits of a bare foot walking on natural surfaces and apparently the Masai tribe members are strong and fast and don’t suffer from bad knees, backs or feet.

Here’s an interesting fact; the shoe is designed to be unstable because it forces the wearer to work muscles that they don’t usually use to help you stand upright. Additionally MBT claims that you use 2.5% more oxygen when wearing these shoes.  Ok, sounds good.

The reviews for these shoes are quite impressive,  I have read reviews where people who wear the MBT shoes have less pressure in their lower back, one person said he felt he could even breathe better as if his diaphragm had more room, so he also had more energy, I guess we could all some of that!

Things to note about MBT shoes:

- They are heavy. This adds to the muscle benefit

- You could trip a little while getting use to them.  To avoid this pick up your feet a little higher when stepping up or over things.  It will take time to get us to them so don't start out wearing them everywhere.  Gradually get use to them by wearing them on long walks to start.

- For the $250 price tag, they are durable and made very well.

- Take the time to get a good fit.  The function of the MBT is to benefit and smoothen the transition within your entire foot and strike activity, so you want a good, comfortable fit.

Getting the correct size for your MBT's:

One thing to note about MBT's is that styles vary in width. Here are some thing to note when sizing:

• Select half a size down in MBTs if you have a normal width
• Select a full size down if you have a narrow foot
• Select your normal size if you have a wide foot

The Sport Black style is broad with a big toe box.
The Mwalk is fairly narrow and not as long.

*** If you like MBT's you might want to try Skechers Shape-ups.  They have a similar rolling design for less money and owners love them.  

MBT’s can be found at Zappos  however I found the MBTs at Amazon  to have the best prices.