Walking barefoot has been well researched and their lies lots of health benefits from walking bare foot.
When I was a child, I loved being barefoot. I would play out in the garden bare footed all the time. My uncle would come to visit and be mortified that I had no shoes on. He would tell me that my foot was going to be wide from being outside with bare feet all the time.
As I have gotten older, I have learned from my dad about the journey he and his brother had taken with shoes. They both grew up in 1950s Barbados. Dad reminisces of times when they would walk around bare foot every day. Their feet were strong enough for most surfaces and they farmed and went to school with bare feet, and it was normal. Shoes were not around. As Caribbeans started to migrate into other countries the introduction of shoes started to spread.
The Power of Shoes
In 1960 Synthetic materials were invented and rubber was added to shoes shortly after. When sport became popular so did trainers. According to Clint Ober the shoe is the most destructive thing man could have made as it has disconnected us with the earth.
My Dad also remembers times where they would notice the personality changes when putting on shoes.
“There is something about the shoes. When someone would put them on, their attitude would change, people would feel more important and superior once shoes had been added.”
There was a perception over time that if you didn’t have shoes, you were poor, but dad explains that this idea came from those constantly in shoes, it was like the more people were in shoes the more they disconnected from earth.
The harm shoes can cause
Shoes can compress your toes together which is an unnatural alignment especially a narrow shoe.
Due to shoes not being shaped properly for our feet, it often causes a reduction of ROM (range of motion). Shoes may apply extra body weight to areas such as the knees, calves and heel bones. Your Achillies can become stiffer making it harder for the foot to move fluently.
Shoes with poor support can interrupt the blood flow from circulating properly.
Why we should go barefoot
Dave Aspey explains – The earth has a mild negative charge to it, when you walk around all day you collect a positive charge. Direct contact with the earth reduces this positive charge and brings the body back to neutral. Wearing shoes and being indoors means we just keep building a positive charge. Being overcharged positively saps your energy and can lead to inflammation.
By placing your bare feet on natural ground, your body will begin to heal itself. This is called earthing also known as grounding, it is the connection made with earth. It is a popular tradition that many ancient cultures would practice, to reconnect with the earth. To recharge and heal.
The earth has a natural electric charge that balances the body absorbing any negative energies.
We are surrounded by many energy fields and all things around us can have a positive or negative effect on our energy. Planet Earth has its own energy field when you connect with the earth.
Health benefits
Whilst working at cable TV Clint Ober had to ground the cables into the earth. It was here that Clint started to understand the importance of the grounds electric charge. After falling ill, he put his ideas into practice and was able to learn and heal himself. You can watch his story here. The Earthing Movie: The Remarkable Science of Grounding (full documentary)
Good for the Body – Wearing shoes prevents us from using all the muscles within our foot. Going bare allows these muscles to be worked, which then provides better balance for the body. It also strengthens the muscles and ligaments
Reduces inflammation – Most chronic diseases have been linked back to some form of inflammation. It has been found that walking barefoot reduces the white blood cells and increases the red blood cells which ultimately helps prevent inflammation
Mental Benefits
We should all be aware that nature can have amazing effects on our mental health. This applies with grounding also. It brings about a sense of calm. It can reduce stress. Help with anxiety or depression. It can even help bring clarity and improve focus. Grounding and being in nature are able to bring humans a sense of calm and wellbeing.
What has been said on Quora DIGEST
Why is being Barefoot still unusual
The discussions on bare feet over QuoraDigest seem to have mixed responses
Some people from hot countries like Florida, New Zealand and Australia spoke of often walking bare foot and it not being a big deal. Whilst others find it totally bizarre and are very concerned about the risks involved with walking barefoot. You may stand on glass, nettles, thorns anything that could harm your feet
Those that were skeptical and found it unsafe met with others that found it safer than shoes and necessary. It really does depend on the individual.
Our ancestors were able to live perfectly comfortable bare footed and maybe we have been wrapped in cotton wool so much that we now fear stepping on something sharp. Rather than acknowledging the benefits it will give us to take off our shoes.
So, who wants to start the Barefoot trend?!
