THE FUN IN FEET
I wanted to share some "light reading" for all of you who may be interested in shedding your shoes. I know I was as my running injuries began to mount...it's the foot, it's the hip, it's spreading ahh!
First let me begin with a great article by Dr Mark Cucuzella, an Air-Force reservist who is a physician and opened America's first minimalist only shoe store. Click here to read, "The World is Flat if You are a Foot" for an excellent review on basic foot biomechanics.
I find many people who transition to barefoot and minimalism were people who had injuries that wouldn't seem to get better. The truth is that our bodies have an amazing capacity to heal if we get out of the way. Sometimes the things that are in the way are our jobs, myths that perpetuate in our culture, or even so-called technology that is supposed to make our lives better. For Dr Mark Cucuzella it was the poor form and the restriction in normal gait from wearing shoes that perpetuated his injuries. For Michael Sandler, after a horrible accident that left him with a titanium left hip and knee as well as a 1 inch leg length discrepancy, shoes were not allowing his body to get feedback and thus he could not run without further injuring himself. You can get more information at his website.
Now that's just two guys and two personal stories that have nothing to do with the rest of us right? Perhaps. I'm a scientist and a clinician after all and I understand that we are all made differently. There is no single answer to all of our struggles with injury. But there is science behind the movement to get back to barefoot activities. There's also the human experiment that's been going on for thousands upon thousands of years. If our feet in their current configuration weren't designed well enough, how on earth did the human race survive so long without Nike and Adidas to keep us safe?! You can probably think of some examples on your own of cases where modern technology attempted to outsmart mother nature and ended up with a major problem (think big agriculture, industrial pollution, global warming, etc). We didn't get here with our amazing feet by accident. We know that natural selection is a bi*ch; nature has a way of keeping only the things that make sense around long enough to reproduce. FACT: Nature is much smarter than I am.
Of course there are some exceptions to the rule of barefoot; if you suffer from vascular complications or diabetes, you really shouldn't be walking around barefoot. But for the average healthy person that just has foot pain or joint pain (or no pain but wants to move more naturally), it might be worth your time to ditch the shoes once in awhile and go naked (just your feet please!).
Aside from the idea of improving the function of your feet as well as your balance and posture, going barefoot is just FUN! This is a very important point to make. We need to be like children folks. We need to play and have fun and laugh and BE CURIOUS! A wise man once said to take everything you are fearful of, and instead of being fearful, be curious. Learn everything you can about it and become a student. Place yourself right up against the fear...you're going to die some day anyway, don't live your life in fear. Along with that same idea, I feel that learning and challenging yourself is a great way to stay curious, learn new things, and keep life interesting. Stay curious and you will live a very interesting life - don't live the same day for 90 years.
One interesting tid-bit I have come across is the idea that we need our skin to contact dirt once in awhile. Daily would be best...why? Well besides being fun the soil contains beneficial bacteria. Read why getting dirty may be really good for us. But really...should I be the one to tell you something you already know intuitively. We can wait on the research to prove that we should love dirt a little more or we can get off the computer and go experience it ourselves. Garden, walk barefoot, roll in the grass...
I've had so much fun walking barefoot! It's just a matter of time until I am running on dirt and gravel pain-free. With walking alone my pads are beginning to thicken and my plantar fascia is hurting less and less. My balance is getting much better too and the "spring" in my step is back! If you are serious about going barefoot, especially if you are interested in running barefoot, I do recommend Michael Sandler's book. It's his personal story on how he came back to running after his accident as well as a how-to guide for safely getting into more barefoot activities. Slow is the way to go. In fact, you must go slower than you think you need to go. It's good to do some personal reading before embarking on your own adventure so you can avoid common mistakes. Take nothing I say as gospel. Your body is your body and you'll simply have to experiment to see what works best for you.
#lovelife
First let me begin with a great article by Dr Mark Cucuzella, an Air-Force reservist who is a physician and opened America's first minimalist only shoe store. Click here to read, "The World is Flat if You are a Foot" for an excellent review on basic foot biomechanics.
I find many people who transition to barefoot and minimalism were people who had injuries that wouldn't seem to get better. The truth is that our bodies have an amazing capacity to heal if we get out of the way. Sometimes the things that are in the way are our jobs, myths that perpetuate in our culture, or even so-called technology that is supposed to make our lives better. For Dr Mark Cucuzella it was the poor form and the restriction in normal gait from wearing shoes that perpetuated his injuries. For Michael Sandler, after a horrible accident that left him with a titanium left hip and knee as well as a 1 inch leg length discrepancy, shoes were not allowing his body to get feedback and thus he could not run without further injuring himself. You can get more information at his website.
Now that's just two guys and two personal stories that have nothing to do with the rest of us right? Perhaps. I'm a scientist and a clinician after all and I understand that we are all made differently. There is no single answer to all of our struggles with injury. But there is science behind the movement to get back to barefoot activities. There's also the human experiment that's been going on for thousands upon thousands of years. If our feet in their current configuration weren't designed well enough, how on earth did the human race survive so long without Nike and Adidas to keep us safe?! You can probably think of some examples on your own of cases where modern technology attempted to outsmart mother nature and ended up with a major problem (think big agriculture, industrial pollution, global warming, etc). We didn't get here with our amazing feet by accident. We know that natural selection is a bi*ch; nature has a way of keeping only the things that make sense around long enough to reproduce. FACT: Nature is much smarter than I am.
Of course there are some exceptions to the rule of barefoot; if you suffer from vascular complications or diabetes, you really shouldn't be walking around barefoot. But for the average healthy person that just has foot pain or joint pain (or no pain but wants to move more naturally), it might be worth your time to ditch the shoes once in awhile and go naked (just your feet please!).
Aside from the idea of improving the function of your feet as well as your balance and posture, going barefoot is just FUN! This is a very important point to make. We need to be like children folks. We need to play and have fun and laugh and BE CURIOUS! A wise man once said to take everything you are fearful of, and instead of being fearful, be curious. Learn everything you can about it and become a student. Place yourself right up against the fear...you're going to die some day anyway, don't live your life in fear. Along with that same idea, I feel that learning and challenging yourself is a great way to stay curious, learn new things, and keep life interesting. Stay curious and you will live a very interesting life - don't live the same day for 90 years.
One interesting tid-bit I have come across is the idea that we need our skin to contact dirt once in awhile. Daily would be best...why? Well besides being fun the soil contains beneficial bacteria. Read why getting dirty may be really good for us. But really...should I be the one to tell you something you already know intuitively. We can wait on the research to prove that we should love dirt a little more or we can get off the computer and go experience it ourselves. Garden, walk barefoot, roll in the grass...
I've had so much fun walking barefoot! It's just a matter of time until I am running on dirt and gravel pain-free. With walking alone my pads are beginning to thicken and my plantar fascia is hurting less and less. My balance is getting much better too and the "spring" in my step is back! If you are serious about going barefoot, especially if you are interested in running barefoot, I do recommend Michael Sandler's book. It's his personal story on how he came back to running after his accident as well as a how-to guide for safely getting into more barefoot activities. Slow is the way to go. In fact, you must go slower than you think you need to go. It's good to do some personal reading before embarking on your own adventure so you can avoid common mistakes. Take nothing I say as gospel. Your body is your body and you'll simply have to experiment to see what works best for you.
#lovelife
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