Footloose and Fancy Free

Did you know that walking barefoot is healthy for you? It is! The soles of our shoes, even the comfy ones, are keeping us from feeling the good ground beneath our feet. Earthly lumps and bumps that we encounter when we walk barefoot actually massage a zillion nerve endings on the bottoms of our feet, in essence offering a foot massage that benefits the whole body.



Walking in shoes forces us to move unnaturally, which ends up causing cramps and misalignment of bones and joints from the feet up through the rest of the skeleton. An article in Podiatry Management reported that “it took 4 million years to develop our unique human foot and our consequent distinctive form of gait, a remarkable feat of bioengineering. Yet, in only a few thousand years, and with one carelessly designed instrument, our shoes, we have warped the pure anatomical form of human gait, obstructing its engineering efficiency, afflicting it with strains and stresses and denying it its natural grace of form and ease of movement, head to foot.”

I'm a fine one to spout off on this subject, considering my favorite shoes are a pair of Dansko clogs that boast about 2 inches of super solid sole between me and the dirt. Granted, they don't bind my feet at all, and it's not like I'm teetering atop treacherous heels like some women, but still I'm far removed from the walking experience for which human feet have evolved. So, I've decided to try going barefoot more often at home, around the yard and such. I'm admittedly a big sissy when it comes to stepping into grass unshod. Some people relish the thought of wiggling their toes in a carpet of “cool green”, but not me. All I can think about are bugs and pricklies and chicken poop. Seriously—who wants to step on any of those things? But I've mustered enough bravery to tippy-toe across the grass to the big stone circle of our backyard fire pit. There, on the uneven slabs of glade rock, I can happily meander around, practicing natural footfalls and believing I'm getting a boost from doing it.

I watch my kids enviously as they clamber around creek banks on their bare tootsies, padding across pebbles and sand with equal ease. It's as if they have little paws instead of their mama's tender, shoe-sheltered hooves. I was very conscious of their feet when they were babies, and never put any semblance of a shoe on them until they started learning to walk. Even then, it was soft-soled slippers or nothing for years. It just didn't seem right to confine their developing feet to the rigidity of so much rubber. And it's true: kids who go barefoot more often actually develop stronger, healthier feet. I figure that also leads to healthier knees, hips, and bodies in general.

According to an article in New York Magazine last year, “Normally your foot would roll very flexibly through each step, from the heel through the outside of your foot, then through the arch, before your toes give you a powerful propulsive push forward into the next step.” Shoes just don't allow our feet to work that way. Even flip-flops have been blamed for altering people's gait to the point of creating aches and pains all over the body. Wearing shoes of any kind, we're more likely to hobble or tiptoe, lumber or stomp.

Now, I'm not insinuating that we should all start barefootin' it to the bank. Let's be reasonable. I'm simply suggesting that if you find yourself wearing shoes around the house 24/7, or if you never wear anything softer than a steel-shanked Vibram sole, you might consider setting your feet free more often. What better season to start than summer?

And in case you were wondering...

In the U.S., it is NOT illegal to drive an automobile barefoot. (But, driving a motorcycle barefoot is a no-no in Alabama.)

Neither state nor federal governments prohibit the public from entering places of business without shoes (or shirts). Apparently, those kinds of health codes apply to employees only. However, individual businesses have every right to refuse customers they deem “under dressed.”

For those of you flip-flop fans out there, there's a new brand that's supposed to be better for your feet. It's called the Yoga Sandal. You can order a pair online at www.yogasandals.com.