It is well into summer now, and many people enjoy the sandal season – I love sandals too, but I have to say, I am a huge proponent of barefoot season! It used to be customary for children especially to go barefoot in the spring and summer, I know I sure did, and I still do. My youngest is very similar, she absolutely refuses to wear shoes.
Having been a contemporary dancer for many years as well, I was not surprised to learn of the benefits of going barefoot. Taking off the shoes and going barefoot now and then – or regularly if possible – can have some really great benefits for your overall health. Check them out:
- Fewer Ingrown Toenails – Going barefoot – or “barefooting” – can decrease your chances of developing ingrown toenails. If you have had them before, going barefoot could prevent them from happening again. Without the confining pressure of shoes on the toes, nails can grow freely and correctly.
- Less Athlete’s Foot and Toenail Fungus – Fungus does not thrive when it is continually exposed to light and air. Going barefoot can reduce toenail fungus or athlete’s foot for this reason.
- Developing Foot Structure – Babies and children who are accustomed to going barefoot or wearing thin-soled footwear tend to have much stronger arches in their feet. Studies have shown that wearing shoes as young children can result in the formation of flat feet.
- Joints – When you wear shoes, especially shoes with heels, your central balance is thrown off. Your back has to compensate, and your joints have to work while being slightly out of alignment. Over time, this wears joints down and causes pain. Going barefoot encourages correct alignment of the hips and knees. There have been cases where people with painful backs, legs, and feet found their pain greatly reduced or eliminated after they started going barefoot regularly and often.
- Back Pain – Going barefoot, as noted above, promotes alignment of the joints. This includes the back, which has to arch uncomfortably to compensate for thick-soled or heeled shoes. Barefooting has even been shown to reduce post-injury back pain.
- Reduced Foot Problems – Proponents of barefoot walking report that corns, hammer toes, joint problems, and other foot discomforts eventually disappeared as they went barefoot.
- Muscle Development – Your legs and feet have muscles that were designed to walk and move. Barefooting taps into this natural toning program, creating stronger foot and leg muscles.
- Circulation – As your feet move naturally and freely in barefoot walking, your circulation is enhanced. Blood gets back to your heart more easily than if you were wearing confining shoes, because – as mentioned above – you are toning your leg muscles. Think of it as massaging your legs each time you walk barefoot, working the blood back to the heart.
I knew it was great for foot development, but I didn’t really know how great. I’m so glad you shared the importance.
I love going barefoot and didn’t realize it had so many benefits! I did hear that babies going barefoot is good for foot structure, glad to read that here!
Barefoot walking is great. Stronger feet for one. No fungus, bunions or corns. It has also caused my lower back and knee pain to go away. Thanks for sharing your post and keep up the good work.