Barefoot walking can strengthen your feet and improve your balance—the best barefoot shoes I’ve ever tested are now 37% off

The Vivobarefoot Motus Flex barefoot walking shoe is presented on a background texture of grass — (Image credit: Amazon/Canva)

One of the most unique shoes I've tested for my guide to the best walking shoes has to be a barefoot-style shoe from Vivobarefoot.

The Motus Flex offers a barefoot walking experience without the potential downsides, like sharp stones and broken glass.

I was surprised by how much I enjoyed wearing the shoe, especially as I tend to favor heavily cushioned road runners.

At $189 a pair, they aren't cheap, but you can currently get up to $70 off the men's shoe at Amazon, or $60 off the women's.

If you've been flirting with the idea of letting your feet return to a more natural movement pattern, a significant discount on some of the best shoes in the business is as good a reason as any.

Of the many benefits of barefoot walking, the two that stand out to me are that it strengthens your feet and can improve your balance.

My colleague spoke to the founder of Vivobarefoot, Galahad Clark, who explained why you might want to ditch your stacked soles for something a little thinner.

“By getting accurate sensory feedback from your feet, you naturally improve balance and stability,” he says.

He points out that sports that require the most balance—martial arts, gymnastics and yoga—are often practiced barefoot.

He also quotes a 2019 study from the journal Footwear Science that indicates barefoot walking can make the muscles of your feet up to 60% stronger.

With such a good discount and the many benefits of barefoot walking, is it time for you to give it a shot?

If you decide to, remember to take it slowly. You shouldn’t switch from modern cushioned shoes to a barefoot style overnight, and should take a graduated approach to avoid injury.

“Using new muscles may create some pain as unused muscles and tendons readjust in the foot,” says Clark, who advises that a good first step is to go shoeless as often as possible to let your feet “breathe, widen and flex”.

Lou Mudge is a Health Writer at Future Plc, working across Fit&Well and Coach. She previously worked for Live Science, and regularly writes for Space.com and Pet's Radar. Based in Bath, UK, she has a passion for food, nutrition and health and is eager to demystify diet culture in order to make health and fitness accessible to everybody.

Multiple diagnoses in her early twenties sparked an interest in the gut-brain axis and the impact that diet and exercise can have on both physical and mental health. She was put on the FODMAP elimination diet during this time and learned to adapt recipes to fit these parameters, while retaining core flavors and textures, and now enjoys cooking for gut health.

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