A morning "drunk" and a flight attendant in sandals

The other day I was listening to a conversation in a bar on the 92 motorway towards Malaga.

It was 9 o'clock on a July morning in the middle of a heat wave.

A man in his 60s was puffing on a cigarette while sipping a glass of anisette.

"Love doesn't exist" he says, tells to a couple of couples to his right.

"That's all just a farytale, after a year love is over."

He went on like that for a while, giving his version of marriage.

He was really the only one talking, the others laughed or nodded, but no one disagreed with him.

"I'm a bit sexist and racist," he says.

"You get sick and they take care of a foreigner before they take care of you".

"You go to Malaga, don't you? - he says looking at one of the couples.

"Well, you can't go to Mallorca without being vaccinated and foreigners can.

On this last point, this man is absolutely right.

If you go to Mallorca you need to be vaccinated or have a negative PCR.

And if you do it you can have Raul as a flight attendant.

He came to the shop with his mother and told us what happens to her as she works.

She grew up in Africa and is black, but he was born in Spain.

I look down. She is wearing Nike's with a lot of soles and he is wearing Merrell Vapor Glove 4.

Raul introduces himself and says he's been following us for a while.

He says that he likes running, that he's not looking to improve his times or compete in any popular race.

He does it for pleasure, for health.

In confinement, he exercised his feet conscientiously. Every day he did mobility routines and of course he was barefoot all the time.

But he works as a flight attendant and is forced to wear narrow, stiff shoes with a bit of a heel.

But they are as shiny as a new car.

Although he walks back and forth on the plane, his feet don't move, the shoes don't allow him to move them and they feel tight.

The result: his feet fall asleep.

He asks what he can do.

Angel tells him:

"The most direct thing is for you to wear one of our shoes, like the Lems Nine2five, or the Vivobarefoot RA, which are the opposite of what you wear at work.

And if they won't let you wear them, you can ask the company for shoes 1 or 2 sizes bigger.

Although only the length of the shoe changes, the width barely change.

You can give it a try.

The next time you go to the shoe shop, take two shoes, for example 43 and 44, take out the insoles and measure them. You will see that the width doesn't change.

"What about the insoles, Naboso? - would they help me with my foot problems?

"Yes, as long as you use them in wide shoes," replies Ángel.

Your problem is low foot activation due to wearing narrow footwear and as you can't wear healthy footwear, this texture helps you to activate it. It's the closest you can get to walking barefoot on natural terrain.

These pyramid-shaped points improve the circulation of the foot and make it more reactive.

But to get the most out of it, you shouldn't wear socks, and if you do, they should be very thin and that they don't squeeze your toes.

Raul nods his head.

"I understand. I'll keep that in mind.

I'm on holiday right now, so meanwhile I solve the footwear for work thing, I'm going to choose some sandals to keep my feet cool.

Which ones do you recommend that can be used for everything?"

Angel shows her the Pies Sucios Terra Zip and the ZaUri Centur.

"Both have multi-terrain Vibram soles.

You can use them for everything: for everyday use, walking on trails and even start running if you feel like it.

The difference between them is in the fit.

But whichever one you choose, your feet will win out because:

    They'll have all the room they need to open up and breathe.

    Your toes will be able to move freely, avoiding chafing and feeling how the air passes between them.

    And they're flat, so there's no heel to create tension and change your back.

Difficult choice," says Raúl, "I'll try them both on.

And another thing, if I took the Naboso insoles to work? Could I wear them in these sandals?"

"See the laces? - says Angel.

You'd have to cut a hole in the insole to make it passing through and even so, it would still move. You'd ruin them.

But if you want, Xero's Z-Trail Naboso already has this texture incorporated.

In these sandals, unlike the previous ones, the fit is Z-shaped. The strap doesn't go between the toes and you can also use them for everything."

Raul was grateful for all the options in front of him.

But after trying them all he took the Pies Sucios Terra Zip because he wanted some with Velcro.

He kept his Vapor Glove in his backpack and the Naboso Neuro insoles to use them at work.

We said goodbye and, laughing, he told me that in the future he will try to "sneak in" some of the minimalist shoes we have as part of his uniform.

Health, whether you are working or not, is in your feet.


The different options Raul tried on are:

• ZaUri Centur Black and Centur Brown
• Pies Sucios Terra Zip
• Activation Insoles: Naboso Neuro
• Xero Shoes Z-Trail Naboso