Living Barefoot: A Natural Path to Body Wellness
The Essence of Barefoot Living
Frederic Leighton, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
The Health Advantages of Living Barefoot
Enhanced Posture and Balance
Walking barefoot enhances our posture and balance. Shoes can alter the natural arch of our feet, causing them to compress or collapse. Walking barefoot, on the other hand, strengthens the muscles, tendons, and ligaments of the foot, allowing them to work as nature intended. This improvement in foot mechanics can help align your body properly, improving posture and reducing strain around the major joints in our body.
Derivative work: IamMM, Original: Manir Dhabak, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
Reduction in Foot Ailments
Common foot ailments like bunions, hammer toes, and plantar fasciitis can be linked to ill-fitting or restrictive footwear. Barefoot walking can often alleviate these conditions, stiffen their progression or prevent their onset. By allowing your feet to move freely, you support their natural function and development, and can avoid the injuries often associated with rigid shoes. To help reduce painful painful symptoms from these and many other common foot ailments, choose from our selection of foot & joint care tools.
Fry72, Karel Frydrýšek, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
Natural Pain Relief
Allowing the foot its full range of motion while walking barefoot can also offer pain relief. The cycle of lengthening and shortening of the foot's soft tissues creates a natural "pumping" motion. This motion maintains the pliability of the tissues as well as helps prevent the build up of damaged tissues. Also, as the tissues of the foot are subsequently strengthened by the freedom of restriction, it allows them to take load off of the joints and absorb shock that may be a source of pain.
InjuryMap, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
Grounding
According to research, the Earth's electrons have an antioxidant effect that can protect your body from inflammation and its many health consequences, including pain. This phenomenon occurs whenever our skin comes in contact with surfaces that can remove the excess free radicals from our body. These surfaces can be on earth (gravel, dirt, mud), water or metallic surfaces. So when you find yourself truly barefoot in nature, you are allowing for the conduction of unwanted charges to escape.
FrankOWeaver, CC BY-SA 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
Transitioning to Barefoot Living
Gradual Transition
Like any significant lifestyle change, transitioning to a barefoot lifestyle should be gradual to avoid injury. Start by spending short periods barefoot or in barefoot shoes, gradually increasing the time spent . This will allow your body to adapt, and your feet and leg muscles to strengthen. Learn more about transitioning to barefoot shoes.
Isabelle Grosjean ZA, CC BY-SA 3.0 <http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/>, via Wikimedia Commons
Footwear Alternatives
While our modern environment isn't always conducive to going barefoot, there are alternatives. Barefoot shoes mimic the experience of walking unshod while offering protection from the elements and rough terrain. They have wide toe boxes to allow toe splay and thin, flexible soles to allow for range of motion and proprioceptive feedback. There are growing bodies of evidence indicating that walking in minimalist footwear is akin to walking barefoot (1). Browse all the shoes we offer that allow you to always be barefoot.
Sam Sailor, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
Enhancing Body Awareness
Living barefoot requires heightened body awareness. When we begin to walk barefoot or with a thin sole, our gait must adapt accordingly. The absence of thick soles and especially heel drop suddenly require our muscles and joints to distribute weight and shock in a much more natural fashion. There are several ways we can strengthen and realign our feet and joints, increasing and repairing our mind-body connection while transitioning to the barefoot condition. Take time to examine the exercises and tools we have available to assist with increasing bodily awareness.
Thomas Nordwest, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
