Having a barefoot lifestyle might be complicated. However, and sadly, the complications don't come from the ground, they come from the people. Some people don't understand this concept of barefoot living, and we as humans tend to criticize what we don't understand. I used to be a big time criticizer of people being barefoot in public places other than the pool and the beach. I'm guilty of it, and that's why I wanted to put together this post about it, so that maybe, if people understand why, they will respect and even maybe embrace this concept.
There are basically two reasons why being barefoot is better than wearing shoes:
1.- The way we plant our feet: When we walk and specially when we run, the way we step down, the way we plant our feet in the ground varies depending on if we are barefoot or if we wear shoes. The way we step down when barefoot is the best, healthiest way to do it, and research has proven this in many occasions. When barefoot, because of the feeling we receive through bearskin, we tend to plant the toes first and release the pressure slowly as we plant the rest of the foot. When wearing shoes, we don't have that connection with our brains, and we step with our heels first, provoking great pressure on the joints of our knees and ankles. This produces long term damage to both our tendons and joints. And this is the first reason why being barefoot is healthier.
There are basically two reasons why being barefoot is better than wearing shoes:
1.- The way we plant our feet: When we walk and specially when we run, the way we step down, the way we plant our feet in the ground varies depending on if we are barefoot or if we wear shoes. The way we step down when barefoot is the best, healthiest way to do it, and research has proven this in many occasions. When barefoot, because of the feeling we receive through bearskin, we tend to plant the toes first and release the pressure slowly as we plant the rest of the foot. When wearing shoes, we don't have that connection with our brains, and we step with our heels first, provoking great pressure on the joints of our knees and ankles. This produces long term damage to both our tendons and joints. And this is the first reason why being barefoot is healthier.
