Barefoot walking
This is something I meant to post about ages ago, but forgot about. Via Denyerec, I read an article which suggested that going barefoot is healthier for your feet. It’s a long article, but an interesting one, and confirms a suspicion I’ve had for a long time that shoes — even sensible ones — constrain your feet and make you walk in an unnatural way. The conclusion seemed to be that heavily padded shoes make people plant their heels down much harder than they would with bare feet, thus placing more stress on all the joints of the leg. With no heel or sole padding — after a period of adjustment — people walk in a more fluid, softer way, placing the heel gently and rolling smoothly from the heel to the forefoot. Walking without shoes can also improve stability by allowing you to sense the form of the substrate, adjusting your balance and grip with small changes in the shape of the foot and the force applied.
I enjoy going barefoot when I can, because I love the sensation of the variety of textures under my soles. However, the local pastime around our way seems to be smashing glass bottles, so I usually only go barefoot at home or in the garden. When I first went to Brazil, I was amazed by the guides going barefoot in the forest, given that there were so many thorny branches and spiky leaves on the ground. Most people in the rural areas go barefoot most of the time, and our guide said he preferred to do so in the forest because he could move quietly. He did indeed move silently, while the rest of us clumped and rustled along like a herd of heffalumps1 in our heavy boots, despite trying to walk quietly. His soles were as tough as leather from all the barefoot walking.
Denyerec linked to some ‘barefoot’ shoes made by Vibram called FiveFingers, which have an extremely thin, unpadded sole (just a thin layer of rubber to keep your feet clean and protect you from sharp stuff), and allow you to move each toe independently. They look intriguing, and I’d love to try a pair. I think that your feet would probably hurt like mad for a couple of days as they got used to the lack of padding and you changed the way you walked, then they’d feel wonderful. Has anybody got a pair? If so, what are they like?
1 I nearly wrote ‘elephants’, but elephants move almost silently, except when pushing trees over. ↑
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I have a pair and absolutely love them!
They are perfect for rockpools, grass and sand but not optimal on tarmac.
At the time I got mine you could get them from Johnny Lewis.
by SteveH @ 14/06/2008 6:36 pm • Permalink •
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Foot gloves! I hadn't heard about the FiveFingers ... now I want a pair
Malcom Goddard wrote in his 1913 climbing expedition to the Chilco mountains about Kesse, his native indian guide whom he supplied with Swiss mountaineering boots, "he always changed to moccasins upon reaching the woods. With these on, he led me a merry pace through the timber."
I purchased a pair of Five Ten Guide Tennie approach shoes for rock scrambling, which have only a slightly thicker sole than the FiveFingers, and they are so comfortable that I ended up wearing them around the city as my shoe of choice. I only use my running shoes if covering 10+ kilometers of hard-packed or paved terrain.
by Kevin Teague @ 14/06/2008 11:07 pm • Permalink •
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I've heard of them recently but I never tried them out nor would I want to because I am perfectly content with being barefooted.
by Jake @ 15/06/2008 12:34 am • Permalink •
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In a similar vein, check out fox walking:
http://anthropik.com/2007/06/learning-to-walk/
Basically, putting your heel down first is not the best or most natural way to walk.
by Martin Polley @ 15/06/2008 6:03 am • Permalink •
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Just to expand on the earlier reply, particularly about the settling in time. The first couple of times I wore mine they did feel quite strange, not quite uncomfortable but perhaps a little too ‘raw’. This was only a problem on surfaces such as tarmac or paved roads; on grass and sand if you are someone who already likes going barefoot then I suspect that they will feel great. What I really like about them is the feeling that balance is improved going over rough or uneven terrain - don’t want to sound too much like an adventurer, this is just playing on the beach or in the park with the kids!
The only other thing to be aware of is that they can take a while to put on. There’s a lot of potential for mis-fitting when separating two toes from one ‘sock’ and trying to squeeze a delicate little pinky toe into the correct location.
Where I think they really come in to their own is wet environments such as exploring rock pools or messing about in rivers. Great holiday shoes!
by SteveH @ 15/06/2008 7:06 am • Permalink •
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My housemate goes barefoot for most of the summer (except when at work)...the looks that she gets from people when they realise are really very funny. My favourite part of it is that when it gets a bit crowded people always comment about how they 'don't want to stand on her feet', because the thin fabric upper of a shoe would offer so much protection if they were to stand on my feet!
by Clair @ 15/06/2008 8:40 am • Permalink •
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I have been going barefoot for about ten years. Other than "boat shoes" for outside "protection", I "need" to wear proper shoes occasionally to socially conform. My feet are broad and "horny" underneath but I feel no discomfort from the lack of "support". But then, I'm in OZ (upside down and all that).
BTW, I love the "bare bones" aeropress that you introduced us to. (DEASWAP WTF.)
hf
by Nick Quinn @ 15/06/2008 9:32 am • Permalink •
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I got some about a month ago and love them (on sale half price in John Lewis - well worth checking). I wear them when I'm out and about locally at weekends and get some odd looks
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When I first started wearing them I found them very tiring as I was using my muscles differently and I'm still not ready to walk long distances in them. However, I'm sure my balance has improved and the feel of them is great, especially the awareness of everything around you, but also a far greater feeling of being able to move freely in all directions. I initially bought them to try running in, but I'm working up to that gradually.
Mine don't fit my toes perfectly and it's not like being completely barefoot, so I can't curl my toes as much as I can barefoot, for example.
I think they're like have reinforced feet. Very cool.
by Jemima @ 16/06/2008 2:05 pm • Permalink •
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Well, they sound great.
Jemima: "Reinforced feet" - I want some!
I'll check out John Lewis the next time I'm near one and see if I can get them in a sale. I harbour fantasies of stepping lightly and gracefully like a gazelle wearing a pair, but secretly suspect that they would reinforce my already Hobbit-y look. Still, if they help your posture and joints and make you feel in touch with the ground, I don't mind looking (more) like a Hobbit.
by bsag @ 16/06/2008 6:59 pm • Permalink •
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Thank you for pointing out the Vibram FiveFingers. Never heart of these before. After reading your post I bought a pair of these immediately on the web. Although, I could buy them in the Netherlands, it turned out much cheaper buying them in the US and paying for the (rather high) transportation costs to Europe. Hopefully they will fit
by Rene @ 16/06/2008 9:46 pm • Permalink •
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Just go carefully on hard surfaces - too much jarring & you'll be in for knee or foot problems...
by Daniel @ 22/06/2008 4:44 am • Permalink •
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