Switching to barefoot shoes helped reduce my foot pain—but not overnight. Here’s what the barefoot shoe transition actually looked like for me (and what I’d do differently).

Catch up on Part 1 of this blog, where I go into my jounrey to finding barefoot shoes.

Picking Up Where We Left Off

By the end of Part 1, I quickly realized that transitioning to barefoot shoes wasn’t as simple as tossing out my old insoles and hoping for the best.

Orthotics and wide 2E shoes hadn’t solved anything long-term, but barefoot shoes weren’t a silver bullet either. I still had foot pain in the ball of the foot and across the tops of my toes. Plus, I was still dealing with numbness underneath one toe.

I purchased a pair of Vivobarefoot Primus Lite, but the foot pain didn’t improve. So it was back to the drawing board.

Everywhere I looked—social media, YouTube—people were claiming barefoot shoes fixed everything. But I wasn’t getting the same results.

It felt like a minefield. Most of the content out there focused on “feeling grounded” or “connecting to nature.” That wasn’t my goal. I just wanted to walk without pain. I didn’t know what I needed anymore—orthotics? Barefoot shoes? Both? It was confusing and frustrating.

What I Discovered About the Transition to Barefoot Shoes

So, I did what I do best: research. YouTube, Instagram, online.

Eventually, I saw that you needed a smart, gradual transition to barefoot shoes is non-negotiable if you want to avoid injury and actually see benefits.

Three big lessons stuck with me researching in the transition to barefoot shoes:

More Pressure on Feet and Calves – Barefoot shoes shift more of the load to your calves and feet. One study showed calf activation and Achilles load increases by up to 20% in minimalist shoes. I felt it—my calves were on fire after just one walk.
Risk of Hurting Yourself if You Rush – A 10-week study found a higher risk of bone stress injuries in people who transitioned too fast. The message? Go slow or risk a setback.

So I had a new plan, small gradual tranisation.

I didn’t follow a strict regime—just wore my barefoot shoes until they started to ache, then took them off. At first, I only lasted a couple of hours. But that built up quickly.

After a few weeks, I was wearing them comfortably for errands, too. I eased into switching to barefoot shoes by wearing them for short stints- errands, gym sessions and gradually longer walks.

At the same time, I added foot strength training.

I found helpful content from The Foot Collective on foot strength excersises. Out of all the things I tried, these three exercises made the biggest difference:

Towel scrunches
Calf raises & Tib Raises
Toe yoga

The combination of a slow transition with barefoot shoes and foot strenght training and results started to turn.

TIb Raises — *Tib Raises are super underrated for foot pain and foot well-being*

Start Your Barefoot Shoe Transition: Small Steps, Big Gains

My first pair of barefoot shoes were from Vivobarefoot, which I only used for workouts. By the time that was confortable I needed to add more use cases.

Next challenge: office shoes. Enter the Vivobarefoot RA - check out my full review here. Office shoes are usually narrow or pointy and worn for long perdiod.

So I took it slow—once a week at first, then twice, and before long I was wearing them daily. After a month, my old shoes actually hurt more than the barefoot ones.

VIvobarefoot RA -office shoe — *Vivo's RA - great pair of office shoes.*

Next up: casual sneakers. That’s where things got expensive fast (I’ll rant about that another time). I found the Vivobarefoot Geo Racer on Revivo (Vivobarefoots refurbished website) - Review here.

Since then I've kept building and haven't looked back. Two months in, I was basically rebuilding my entire shoe wardrobe. You can check out the all my barefoot shoe reviews here.

Where I Am Now On My Barefoot Shoe Transition

18 months later, I wear barefoot or wide toe box shoes 99% of the time. My foot pain still fluctuates but has mostly settled down.

And yeah—I’ve become a bit of a barefoot shoe nerd. Here’s my current rotation:

Gym: Vivobarefoot Primus Lite, Lono Flow - my OG Primus Lite pair shrank—or maybe my feet grew? Currently testing out the Vivobareoot Motus Strength and Xero Prio.
Casual: Barebarics Zing, Vivobarefoot Gobi Sneaker, Primus Asana, Geo Racer, Xero Glenn
Office: Vivobarefoot RAs, Gobi Lux, Vibae Boot

I’m not 100% barefoot-only. Some situations call for a compromise.

Weddings? I’ll wear traditional dress shoes—but my feet instantly remind me why I switched.

“If you’re windering how to transition to barefoot shoes my advice is simple: start slow and listen to your feet.”

Running? I’m very into it. But I don’t use barefoot shoes for that. I like the tech: carbon plates, springy foams. For training, I stick to wide toe box models like the Altra Torins. For race day, I’ll suffer through the carbon-plated shoes—they hurt, but I like them.

My current lineup includes:

Altra Torin 8
Altra Vanish Carbon 2
Altra Lone Peak 7

I’ll keep experimenting with more wide toe box options as I go.

Foot strengthening? I try to do it 1–2 times a week, depending on how my feet feel and how much I’m running.

Honestly, I now find barefoot shoes more comfortable than traditional ones. That Primus Asana? Chef’s kiss. Put me in a regular sneaker now and it’s game over.

Why I Started Wide Strides

When I started this journey, the barefoot shoe world felt like a maze. That first barefoot transition felt overwhelming. Finding something affordable and stylish? Nearly impossible.

Vivobarefoot sneakers? Easily over $200. That’s a lot to risk when you’re just getting started. Sure, there are big names like Xero Shoes—but let’s be real, most of their styles don’t exactly scream “wear me”

Eventually, I found better-looking, more affordable brands. But they were small, hard to find, or didn’t carry my size (US 13). Shipping to Hong Kong didn’t help either.

That’s why I started Wide Strides.

I wanted to help guys like me—wide feet, foot pain, frustrated by lack of good options. I created Wide Strides to make the journey easier, less confusing, and way less expensive.

If you're new to barefoot shoes, you're in the right place. I’ve got honest reviews, curated picks, and plenty of recommendations—whether you need shoes for the gym, office, casual wear, or running.

✅ Recap

What worked for a sucessful Shoes Transiation: gradual barefoot shoe transition, consistent foot strengthening, mixing barefoot and wide toe box shoes
What didn’t: rushing it, relying on shoes alone, expecting quick fixes
What I recommend: start slow, build strength, and give your feet time to adapt

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