In today’s society, we are all required to wear shoes. Most shoes that people wear are not made to fit our feet and lower body. Modern shoes are characterized by high heels, thick padding, and materials that restrict movement. The soles are also heavy, which makes it difficult to feel the ground. All of these are monstrous, because they make us feel isolated from the world and cause us pain. Shoes that simulate the feeling of barefoot, however, can have tangible benefits to your health, well-being, athletic performance, and overall wellbeing.
Nine tangible reasons to wear barefoot shoes
The ability to perceive the world around you is enhanced.
Proprioception refers to the ability to be aware of the body’s movements as it moves around the world. Do we know where our limbs are and what the surrounding environment is? Do we intuitively know what our shoulders and hips do when we run, jump, or simply walk? All these factors are important for the overall sensation of proprioception. This regulates our speed and strength in our interactions with the environment. If you have better proprioception, you will be more efficient as an athlete. You’ll be more effective in all areas of physical activity. You will feel more fluid.
The first and most important step to establishing proprioceptive awareness is by having our feet touch the floor. The simple exposure of the millions of nerves on our feet provides a lot of information to our nervous system. We can learn a lot from the textures, slopes of the ground, rocks, twigs, and the slipperiness. If you’re in an environment where barefoot walking is acceptable, it is best to do so. But minimalist shoes that have thin soles, and give you a feeling of being barefoot can be just as informative. These shoes can be worn anywhere.
Stability.
The closer you are to the ground, the more rooted you will be. The more you anchor yourself to the ground, the less you have between you and it. Barefoot shoes reduce the distance between your feet, the earth and you. This allows you to have better control and feel the ground.
Studies on athletes have confirmed this. Athletes who wear supportive footwear (especially those with ankle support) have less balance and stability. The best balance and stability is achieved by those who wear minimalist footwear (or barefoot) or have no support. In studies on ankle stability, high-tops and ankle tapes are often compared to barefoot athletes. These studies always show that the control group is on top.
Less injuries due to improved foot landing mechanics.
You land more on your heel when you run in shoes with raised heels. When you run barefoot, zero-heel shoes allow you to land naturally on your mid-to-forefoot. It can reduce the risk of repetitive stress injury. Landing on your forefoot is less painful to the knee. When you land on the heel, your knee is fully bent and forced to absorb shock.
A study from 2012 found that injury rates for endurance runners were twice as high if they ran on the heel. Mid/forefooters were less likely than heel runners to sustain injuries. You can land your feet using their natural mechanics when you wear shoes with zero heel drops. You will become a mid-forefoot striker instead of a heel striker.
Take a better posture
Even a half inch of padding can cause your posture to be off. You must bend your knees and reduce your ankle angle to maintain a straight-headed posture. You’re standing on a slope. You are not a pile of tissues and joints, but rather a wobbly Jenga.
More accurate biofeedback
I won’t claim that you could run faster and farther in barefooted footwear. It doesn’t. With modern fluffy padded running shoes, you can run for longer distances in comfort. This is not good news for the majority of people. Most people should feel the discomfort that minimalist shoes cause. The discomfort you feel when running can be a sign that your body has had enough. If you use padded shoes, you can damage your tissues and joints by overtraining.
Barefoot shoes give you accurate biofeedback about how much stress the feet and your body can handle.
Stronger feet.
The feet are more than just a piece of flesh and bone. The feet have many muscles that require stimulation. If you wear stiff shoes, the muscles in your feet will shrink. By wearing minimalist barefooted footwear that allows for full movement of each toe and foot muscle, you can make your feet and toes stronger and healthier.
Wider toe boxes.
Narrow shoes force the toes into an unnatural position. The toes will be splayed out in their natural position. This allows for an even weight distribution when loading and moving. Weight is more concentrated on certain areas of the foot and toes if they are compressed. Stress fractures and bunions can result. The wider the shoe, the more evenly force is distributed over the foot. Wide toe boxes can help make toes more prehensile.
It’s good to be the oddball.
This is no small matter. I think it’s very important that you “let the freak-flag fly”, as this is the only thing that will allow you to lead a healthy, happy life. Why not be a little weird if your opinion is different from the way people are living, eating, and exercising? I’m not trying to be that man with the bearded head screaming in a corner. If you want to, and need to, break away from the norm then it’s okay.
Wearing shoes that are not the norm can make you “weird”.
It’s time for us to go back to our roots.
The best way to reconnect with our roots is to wear barefoot shoes.
Two million years ago, hominids used to walk upright on bare feet.
The modern human has spread across the globe by walking barefoot, or in the flimsiest of sandals and moccasins.
All of us were born without shoes as babies.
It is up to those who sell and wear large, padded protective shoes to prove the safety of their footwear. The assumption is that upright bipedalism is the safest and most effective form of upright bipedalism. You must prove that it isn’t.
Barefoot Shoes – How to prepare
When you buy your first pair, be careful. If you keep doing your usual activities while wearing the new shoes, you could cause yourself injury. You need to get your lower body used to the new environment.
Spend as much time barefoot as you can. You can wear barefoot anywhere – at home, on the beach, in the park or yard. You can wear bare feet anywhere for health benefits. You can go barefoot anywhere: at home, on the beach, in the park or in your backyard.
Train your feet. Train your feet.
Start walking and running with smaller steps. When walking and running, try to be quiet.
Start slow. Start by taking short walks. Then, progress to longer walks. Don’t skip any steps.
Stop when you feel sore. Stop if you are sore. Stop immediately, and come back tomorrow.