Interested in natural movement, better posture, and a stronger, more flexible body?
Enter Chiro Connect. Aligning family health and wellbeing in all forms, we promote barefoot walking and running as much as possible (being aware of working through any limitations, of course). We encourage people back to healthy movement and healthy brain-body communication, from the feet right up through the spine.
Wearing barefoot shoes allows you to experience the sensory feedback of being barefoot, with the security of protection from cuts and the weather. This both strengthens your feet, and supports better neurological feedback, allowing for more skilful movement.
From our tiny humans learning to walk and up, wearing thin soled shoes is an important part of combining foot protection with optimal neurological feedback and development. Dr Kate’s son Fergus started out in NZ-made Pitter Patter leather shoes at 9 months old, moved to the Pretty Brave shoes with the flexible rubber sole at 13-14 months, and the plan is to get into VIVOs when he’s bigger (as an alternative to thicker soled shoes often recommended for toddlers).
Have a chat with us in the office about what might be the best option of shoes for you, your kids and your lifestyle, and we will order them for you.
Ordering online:
It’s as easy as visiting the solemechanics website, where you can also book an online fitting to make sure you get the right size for you.
Be sure to apply our code: CHIROCONNECT9305 to receive a 15% discount off RRP at checkout!
Why VIVOs?
VIVOBAREFOOT make some of the best barefoot shoes in the world. With a range covering every day footwear, kids footwear, and off-road footwear, VIVOBAREFOOT has something for everyone.
VIVOBAREFOOT is for everyone, everyday, and we recommend you walk before you run. (Read below for more information).
WALK BEFORE YOU RUN
The human brain constructs complex movement patterns by adding simpler movement patterns together. This can be seen as human infants progressively learn to creep, crawl, sit, stand and eventually walk. These movement patterns are called ‘motor skill milestones’ and must develop sequentially, each stage built upon the skills developed in the previous one.
Each movement should be performed with the barefoot human movement philosophy firmly in mind: Efficient, injury free movement is built on a foundation of correct posture, rhythm and adequate sensory feedback of environment. So whenever you are running barefoot, in minimalist shoes or any type of shoes for that matter, make sure you keep the fundamental movement checklist in mind.
WALK
Walking around barefoot begins to reconnect your brain with the sensory information coming from the soles of your feet. A relatively simple motor skill that tests the brain and body.
This is the stimulation of proprioception- you will have heard your Chiropractor talk about this!
SQUAT
Perfecting the squat is essential for correct posture and good flexibility. Squatting little and often will provide the brain and body with the vital ability and information needed for skilful movement.
Watch any four year old running barefoot round a swimming pool and you’ll see natural movement: Upright posture (head over hips over feet), quick cadence (lots of small steps) and they are probably relaxed and having fun.
Then we go to school, start sitting on chairs and wearing padded shoes, and so begins a lifetime of bad posture and movement habits.
The footwear industry is built on the assumption that you need shock absorption, motion control and lots of fancy technologies, promising all sorts of amazing benefits.
The truth is that the body and feet have all the natural shock absorbing and motion control technology you’ll ever need (just ask any animal). Unfortunately, it’s not as simple as putting on a pair of barefoot shoes and hoping the rest will take care of itself.
Everyone’s transition back to natural movement and strong healthy feet is different depending on lifestyle, chair and shoe use. The key to skilful movement is enabling sensory feedback from the feet to the brain. This improves your natural movement technique and begins to strengthen your feet. We recommend learning to walk before you can run; engage with the ground and slowly get to know the best technique for you to live barefoot.
All the VIVOBAREFOOT shoes are made with our patented ultra-thin, puncture resistant soles, which allow for maximum sensory feedback and anatomic shape to let the foot and toes splay and recoil. We pride ourselves as the world’s leading provider of lifestyle and kids barefoot shoes and have an ever expanding range of shoes to suit every occasion.
Your feet have all the technology you need and your shoes should let your feet do their thing. We call it Pure Barefoot Technology.
Find out morewww.vivobarefoot.com/learn