This was a self portrait that I took for a photography class in college. We visited a specific location (Parowan Gap) and our assignment was to create a photograph that reflected our experience without actually including a photo of the place. My experience was that I was very much at home while the other students were not comfortable in the desert without phone service. To convey this, I thought about what I do when I come home. The first thing I have always done when I come home is to take off my shoes. This was taken before I understood the benefits of going barefoot. It just felt right!
You may have heard of the book “Born to Run”. It was a New York Times bestseller some years ago. The story was all about the theory of how humans evolved to run and that many of our ancient ancestors hunted by running their prey to death. The book follows an ultrarunner who finds his way into the Copper Canyons of Mexico among the Tarahumara tribe of Indians. They are a running tribe and often run over a hundred miles through incredibly rugged terrain. I have my own theories about running but that is a post for another day. Another main theme of the book is about how the Tarahumara don’t need expensive and padded running shoes to run these long distances. They use sandals they make out of old tires and leather lacing. The book discusses some research that supports the idea of barefoot running and the fact that many running injuries could be caused by our shoes. This sparked a huge surge of people trying out barefoot running and many new companies came out with minimalist shoes that allowed people to run while still having some protection without providing too much structure.
All this barefoot running hype sparked a load of studies about running barefoot. Unfortunately, our culture has a very “all-or-nothing” mindset and most of the studies failed to take into consideration that our bodies have adapted to our shoes for all our lives and you can’t just take off your shoes and run a marathon the next day without expecting serious injury. This happens all the time in the fitness industry. Also, the studies were very focused on running. There was comparatively little data on walking and going barefoot in general. Going barefoot for day-to-day activities just isn’t as glamorous and exciting as barefoot running! The barefoot running bubble popped because so many people failed to transition carefully enough. However, because of the barefoot exposure (no pun intended), more and more people are starting to question conventional footwear. More and more shoe companies are making shoes with less support and more room for the toes. Also, more people are beginning to take their feet more seriously and that is what we really need.
My purpose of this post isn’t to convince you to go throw away your shoes tomorrow. In fact, I’d rather you not do that because as I mentioned above, you need lots of time to adjust. The purpose of this post is to get you to take your feet a little bit more seriously.
If you think about it, our society basically shares a belief that we need to wear supportive footwear all of the time. In other words, we believe that our feet are not good enough. Our shoes have progressively been getting more and more cushioned, with more and more arch support. Orthotics are becoming extremely common. Personally, I believe in God and I have always had a hard time believing that we were all designed with defective feet. In my mind, there is something that we are doing to cause our feet to fail. Whether you believe that the human body was designed by a higher being, or by millions of years of evolution (or both), our bodies are capable of functioning as they were meant to. Although people often think of feet as ugly, helpless appendages that cannot function without the aid of overly padded shoes, the human foot is an amazing piece of engineering that is perfectly capable of walking and running. Leonardo Da Vinci once wrote that, “Human subtlety…will never devise an invention more beautiful, more simple or more direct than does nature, because in her inventions nothing is lacking, and nothing is superfluous.” Here are just a few of the benefits of slowly weaning your feet from supportive footwear:
Gait:
Shoes have altered the natural gait of human movement. Rather than landing on the forefoot during running, shoes create the tendency to heel strike. When the heel takes the main force of running, the shock is absorbed by the joints rather than muscles and can cause ankle, knee and back problems. Likewise, shoes cause us to exaggerate the natural walking gait and extend our feet too far in front of us then fall on them. We should be taking smaller, smoother steps and landing gently on the heel (closer to the midfoot) as we use our legs to propel ourselves forward. Minimal footwear supports a natural gait pattern in both walking and running.
Ground Feel:
Although most people don’t want to feel what they are walking on, there are some major benefits. Our feet are loaded with nerves that send instant feedback to our brains when our foot makes contact with the ground. This feedback alerts our brains of what we are stepping on and our bodies automatically alter gait, weight distribution, and balance depending on what specific terrain is underfoot. I have developed a faster reaction speed to anything dangerous underfoot because of this. It is also much more fun when you give it a try!
Awareness:
People are often shocked at the things I do while barefoot or wearing sandals. They make comments about how dangerous it is. While I appreciate my feet and I do like to protect them when it is called for, I also think that our awareness of our feet have become numbed because they are always protected. I have become much more aware of my feet in space and in relation to other objects as a way of protecting them. It has sharpened my senses a little bit. Over the last few years I have injured my feet from time to time but I don’t injure them while I’m going barefoot, I injure them when I’m wearing shoes and I have a false sense of security. In other words, I put shoes on and I stop paying attention.
Weight:
Minimal shoes are lightweight and make walking and running more efficient. Any extra weight will alter your natural gait pattern. They are easy to pack along and take up much less space.
Freedom:
Not only are your feet allowed to breath and move in a natural way but you are liberated from the need to always wear cumbersome shoes. Your feet might feel cold at first but they will adapt.
Strength:
As your feet work and flex as they were meant to, the muscles get stronger and stronger. At first your feet may become sore just like any muscle that is being worked out. Remember that your feet have probably been protected in shoes all your life and have become weakened. I suggest starting out with small amounts of barefoot time and slowly adjusting. The key is to stay just beyond your comfort zone. If you are comfortable, it probably means that you’re not adapting, however, if there is pain, it means that you’ve done too much. Ease into it!
Balance:
As your muscles become stronger your balance improves. Your feet are able to read the terrain that you are walking on and are more empowered to react to keep your center of gravity where it belongs. This doesn’t happen overnight but give it time and your balance will improve.
Less Pain:
As your feet strengthen and return to their natural shape you may notice some strange things happening. First, your toes will spread out. I’ve been wearing minimalist sandals for over seven years and my toes are still spreading out very slowly. They have more dexterity and they feel much better. Things like bunions, corns, plantar fasciitis, and achy feet are usually caused by your shoes. It makes sense to remove the cause of your pain even if it means getting out of your comfort zone a little bit.
Our feet are the very foundation of our bodies. Without a strong foundation a house is bound to have problems. It doesn’t make much sense to work to strengthen everything above the foundation while we allow the foundation to crumble. You may be thinking that your feet are too far gone to start working on them now. Maybe you are too old? This is rarely the case. I urge you to take a step into uncharted territory and get your feet out of your shoes and just beyond your comfort zone! Take a serious look at your feet and pause for a moment to appreciate them.