Many of us have probably remarked on how differently we felt when walking barefoot. The gentle, natural contact with the ground stimulates the soles of the feet and sends signals throughout most of our nervous system. Walking without shoes can strengthen muscles in your feet, which are otherwise inactive when walking inside. This has several positive effects, including improved equilibrium, more efficient execution of motor activities, decreased risk of injuries, and better coordination.
The benefits of walking barefoot seem to be on par with all the other proven health benefits of frequent exercise (e.g., improved cardiovascular fitness). It is also possible that they are even more significant. While exercising without shoes is still considered somewhat unusual in some cultures, it is a logical and straightforward way to promote better health.
1.How Has It Evolved Over The Years?
In the past few decades, some experts have blamed footwear for causing many foot abnormalities that require medical treatment. In an article in the journal “Podiatry Today,” podiatrist William A. Rossi writes that shoes do not prevent foot problems. If anything, he says, they predispose the feet to a variety of problems because they change the natural functioning of the foot.
In his practice as a podiatrist, Rossi says that he has found almost without exception that removing patients’ shoes and allowing them to go barefoot in their homes is enough to remedy many common foot ailments.
While the benefits of going barefoot are still being debated, there is little doubt that the benefits of regular exercise are beyond dispute.
“Exercise is medicine,”
Harvard Medical School professor John J. Ratey in his book “Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain.”
“It’s as close to a magic bullet as we’re likely to get.”
2. No Time For Exercise? Not A Problem; Walk Barefoot.
While many people find it challenging to carve out time for exercise, there are no valid excuses not to take regular walks. If you don’t have the time or opportunity to walk outside, it is perfectly possible to get all of the benefits of barefoot walking by simply removing your shoes and padding around the house on your bare feet. It might be a little unusual at first, but who knows? It could become the next big thing.
Researchers have known for some time about the beneficial effects of walking barefoot, but so far it has not been scientifically proven what exactly causes these positive effects.
Barefoot walking may help lower blood sugar levels in people with type 2 diabetes, according to a new study published in the journal Prim Care Diabetes. Researchers at Texas Tech University found that when individuals with type 2 diabetes walked barefoot, they experienced greater decreases in fasting glucose levels than when their feet were covered by shoes.
“We believe that, by walking barefoot, the soles of the feet are stimulated to reflexively increase blood flow into the affected tissues,” said Susan Williams-Murphy, Ph.D., RN, lead author on the study. “This increased blood flow may stimulate some mechanoreceptors in feet and legs to signal pathways along which nerve impulses travel to apparently slow the release of glucose into the bloodstream in response to feeding.”
3. Nudists At Risk Of Extinction?
“Naturism” is the practice of going without clothes in mixed groups and enjoying nature, others’ company, and equality. The days when people strolled about barefoot in the park, sunbathed naked on the beach, or camped out overnight in their front garden are long gone.
Fewer and fewer Germans feel like spending time in their birthday suit without good reason anymore – at least that’s what increasing numbers of naturists claim.
“The number of people who practice naturism is constantly dropping,” says Michael Schmidt, a member of the German Federation for Free Body Culture.
Just look at Berlin or Hamburg: “More and more people are renting out their garden to corporate events because they have no time anymore to put on a bathing suit and dive into the pool,” said Schmidt.
“The same applies to public spaces such as parks and beaches.”
Schmidt explains that it’s more than just a German problem: “People in Austria, France or Italy are more open-minded about naturism than we are in Germany,” he says.
4. Wrapping up
If you’re confident enough to bare it all but prefer treading lightly, why not give barefoot living a go? Many materials can be used for creating suitable naked footwear, such as socks and foot thongs (flip-flops)
Nakedwill | Nudity Rocks 👚🚫
Everybody is Beautiful.
Hey Will,
I adore to go barefoot. When I can’t be naked, I try to be barefoot. The world feels amazing through bare feet x
Yes. I remember when I was young. My dad was always barefoot running and exercising. He told me that the feeling of feet touching the grass, concrete and the soil is amazing. He is not a nudist but I think barefoot is more commonly accepted by the society. However, safety first. I remember before going barefoot, he checked the place for nails, shattered glasses or anything that is harmful.