Benefits of barefeet

On the weekend I got into a debate with an old friend about wearing shoes while working out. She noticed that in the pictures of my classes and seminars, people were primarily barefoot. I said that I encourage going barefoot. Generally speaking, it is healthier for the feet. She disagreed and said she would prove it to me. This blog is my attempt at putting forth the argument in favour of training and being barefoot as much as possible.

Being barefoot is our natural state of being. I am lucky because I have perhaps more opportunity than most to be barefooted: martial arts and strength training (indoors and out). Leave it to the martial artists of old to pass on the practive of training barefoot; they knew it to be optimal for the human body. Read on to find out why.

There are countless reasons for going barefoot as much as possible. Putting shoes on confines your feet and over time results in restricted movement. If you’ve ever tried to move your feet through their full range of motion through mobility exercises such as such as toe curls, arch flexing, and foot pivoting, you probably found out some movements weren’t possible. Or your feet hurt like hell. These are all natural movements everyone should be capable of but most of us are not. My mobility teacher calls shoes coffins for the feet.

Your feet provide the foundation for your entire structure, which, if not stable and strong, can result in problems further up the body. The soles of your feet have hundreds of nerve endings and joint motion receptors that send constant feedback to your brain about the environment and your body position. Without these signals, you risk ending up with pain and fatigue throughout your body, and an increased likelihood of injury when you push your limits. Often knee and back pain stem from improper foot mechanics. Artificial support from shoes can place unnatural pressure on the knees, spine and neck. Foot mechanics affect our whole posture.

This feedback system also effects balance. Your brain is constantly comparing your desired and current balance, and enacts changes accordingly through your motor neurons to achieve and maintain your desired balance condition.

Shoes hurt this system because they limit the motion the joints in your feet experience, they cause your muscles to atrophy, and they reduce the quality of the sensory input that your feet return to your brain. Because your feet are bound to the same surface all day long, the signal your brain receives about the current state of your foot activity is flattened. This will also cause your muscles to over- or under-react when an adjustment to your balance is needed, and it actually causes the brain to work harder.

Yes, going barefoot can affect your mental functioning by as much as 10%!

Beyond proprioception, injury prevention, balance, and mental performance, following is a short list of advantages to being barefoot.

• Strengthens the stabilizing muscles of the ankle and foot and makes them stronger
• Improves muscle alignment
• Strengthens the arches of the foot
• Greater mobility and flexibility of the foot
• Healthier feet: shoes often lead to bunions, corns, athlete’s foot, hammer toes, ingrown toe nails and fallen arches.
• Grounding: receiving potential energy from the earth. Living in direct contact with the earth grounds your body, inducing favourable physiological and electrophysiological changes that promote optimum health.

So there you have it: Bare feet can affect mental and physical performance on many levels. Shoes are prisons for the feet. They weaken, restrict and deform the foot. If your feet are declining due to over-wearing of shoes you may want to consider increasing the time you spend barefooted. Please do so gradually. Your muscles, tendons and joints will take time to adjust and but they will strengthen and eventually feel much better. Enjoy – we are entering the best season for bare feet!