What makes a shoe “minimalist”?

Many shoes are sold with the term “minimalist” or “barefoot,” but most of those don’t actually meet the criteria for a truly minimalist product.

And research from Harvard’s Dr. Irene Davis shows that these “partial” minimalist shoes could be the worst thing you could wear.

A TRULY minimalist shoe — like Xero Shoes — will typically have these features:

• NO heel lift, also known as zero-drop
• VERY flexible sole (you can roll it up into a ball)
• A low-to-the-ground design (a 4-12mm “stack height”)
• A foot-shaped design rather than a pointy toe
• NO unnecessary arch support
• A sole that’s thin enough to let you FEEL the ground (while still providing protection)

This also results in a lightweight shoe (though there are lightweight shoes that are far from minimalist).