I think there is a difference between high impact aerobics and running. Running barefoot or minimalistic can have some benefits but the act of running is different than your typical aerobics workout. The idea with running barefoot is your foot would learn how to land properly to absorb any impact to the rest of your body.

I'm all about barefoot. I use Vibrams. My feet have become stronger, and I've had stress fractures because of weakness in my feet, so I'm all about building strength. barefoot shouldn't hurt you unless you have some type of medical condition or doing something improperly on form. I think God gave us what we needed which was thick soles on our feet and joints/muscles to absorb impact. No other animal that runs wears shoes and they've done just fine for a long time.

I agree with you to some extent but concrete, even covered with carpet isn't the same as sand, dirt, grass, etc. Also, you don't see other primates doing jumping jacks and other high impact movements on comparatively hard surfaces. Which is one reason I think that shoes inside can be beneficial, to help absorb the shock of unnatural movements on unnatural surfaces.

Thank you guys for your input! I guess it's different strokes for different folks :) I was thinking like ursula... our bodies are built for this. But I think Nelie makes goo sense; unfortunately, my body is not in the form that it should be, nor is a carpet a natural surface. I exercised to Cindy Whitmarsh Less is More cardio... and 10 minutes into it I had to put my dirty outside sneakers on to finish it because my feet were hurting pretty bad, not in one particular section, but just the whole bottom of my foot. I think I need the sneakers until my feet get stronger and I weigh less.

I should also mention that it might have something to do with the fact that I have flat feet... and I've tried those toe shoes on and they're uncomfortable for me because they all have arches.

Wearing shoes just increases the need for more shoes! Ease into barefoot since your feet are not going to be used to actually getting used properly. After that you will be fine. The only reason jumping would be bad is if you don't know how to jump properly. There are 7,000 nerves in your foot that help you feel the ground, its time to put them to use.

Good to know! I have flat feet too. I've seen a lot of talk about those shoes and hadn't heard anyone mention that.

I have very flat feet and I think that's why just about every shoe that I've ever worn kills my feet. I am barefoot all the time in the house and outside all spring summer and fall, so I didn't really need to condition my feet for any barefoot working out or the Vibrams. But if you've always worn shoes, you do need to work up the muscles in your feet.

The only indoor exercise I do with shoes is the treadmill because that sucker gets hot. Anything else I do barefoot and seem to get better traction. I tend to be clumsy.

Maybe not jumping jacks, but they sure do run and jump from trees and upon things. I wasn't talking about just primates. And, I don't think concrete or wood or whatever is any harder than rocks. Men use to run on those all the time. I think it's about stride, strength, and form.

To each his own. I say do what's comfortable for you but do it well. If you are sacrificing form/comfort/efficiency, you need to rethink your choices.

I will tell you that going barefoot has helped my bone density and joint strength, and I had osteoporosis at age 26. It's now reversed and my dexa scans show improved density every year, now with no medicine.

Just make the choice for yourself and if you don't like it, change it.

I agree with you. It's all about how your own joints and muscles absorb impact. And properly trained feet will do the job nicely.

Actually, if you think about it, the force upon which an 800 pound gorilla lands barefoot on to the ground is far greater than anything we as even 200 pound humans could sustain. I watch a lot of Smallville and the one thing that always strikes me is that whenever Clark hits the ground, there are fissures in the ground. The weight upon which we strike the ground is directly based upon the force of the impact. An 800 pound gorilla is going to have a lot of impact and his feet can take it, as can ours. When man was first put on this earth, he ran on every surface barefoot. I don't see a problem exercising barefoot or even running barefoot. I did it as a kid, I could do it now if I was actually still able to run.

A gorilla doesn't do exercise videos :) Also the way a gorilla does land when they jump actually helps distribute the force throughout their body. I agree with the concept of barefoot running (as long as you ease into it at first), I don't agree with the concept of high impact aerobics at home barefoot.

That is me personally, I've experienced injury do to high impact aerobics barefoot but I think the two things are different. Your body can learn proper mechanics of barefoot running I believe but the wrong mechanics are similar to standing in place and doing aerobics.

I always exercise at home with bare feet, but if there are some things that I feel are too high impact I'll modify (i.e. do them slower, or a different exercise) so as to not impact my knees as bad. Also turning on carpet seems easier with bare feet rather than tennis shoes. I just can't stand exercising with shoes on.

Because of this thread, I just got myself a pair of ballet sneakers. They have some tread on them, so they help with exercises that require a little more impact or stepping on a hard surface, but they're also incredibly flexible and don't impede my ability to still feel like my feet are "free." I've used them for a few days now for a variety of in-home exercise: low-impact aerobics, ballet, and strength training/AWT, and they have worked great so far. I feel like these would be a good compromise between being barefoot and having a little shock absorption. I probably would not recommend them for outdoor use, though, including outdoor walking or running, and they'd probably be okay for non-foot impact machines, like a stationary bike or elliptical but probably not so good for a treadmill.

I go barefoot.
If you are concerned about injury, know your body. I like going barefoot when working out at home because I know how clean the floor is and that nothing could potentially injure my feet except for another action that I performed.