11 Reasons People Think They Cannot Walk or Run Barefoot

Many people automatically answer, “No.” when presented with the option of being bare footed. If that is you, I invite you to read further to test your position. If you find the idea of being barefoot intriguing, but are hesitant or think only special individuals can do it, I offer these things to think about. Here are 11 concerns that people commonly have –

1. My calves and feet hurt after I try. Response:  Muscles of body parts that have been confined in traction-like devices for years are weak. If movement is constrained and artificial support is regular, musculature cannot get strong. For most other body parts, such intervention is only resorted to in extreme cases when healing needs to take place or particular protection in very necessary. When a body part has been subjected to such restrictions, it can take weeks or months to get back to normal. Even that won’t happen without some effort being made to get strength and flexibility back. Being bare footed more often means your posture and gait will change, pretty much for the better, but there may be sore muscles while you adapt. You may find muscles and connections between legs and feet that you didn’t realize were there, as your feet help you be much more balanced during locomotion.
2. My soles are too sensitive. Response:  That is because they have been deprived of useful stimulation. They have been kept mostly in sweaty conditions that turn skin soft. Think of going barefoot as a rehabilitation program. Proceed gradually, but work at it regularly. Your soles can, after that, not only handle more than you think, but do it in comfortable and fun ways. Going barefoot is not about walking on coals or monkish flagellation. My soles, after about 2 years, kept me warmer in the winter because the naturally produced, supple leather-like layer insulated me. Then, the next summer I worked more on getting used to warmer surfaces and didn’t have to deal with slipping or tripping in flip-flops most of the time.
3. I get blisters or stubbed toes when I go barefoot. Response:  People in shoes have trouble with their feet. They get blisters, athlete’s foot, hammer toe, bunions, and even lose their toenails. Going barefoot is not a cure all, because there will always be injury in this life, but shoes cause problems of their own while greatly diminishing the ability of feet to perform in healthy way. Barefoot soles get tough, but a person also learns to be more intuitively aware of the ground in ways that are hard to explain to someone who hasn’t tried it for a while. You will probably also find yourself enjoying and looking forward to the feeling of the ground.
4. My feet are ugly. Response:  Feet have an undeserved bad reputation, on one hand. Somewhere along the line some people decided that feet are unsightly. They might as well have decided that elbows or knees are gross. There is no good reason to think of feet this way. But on the other hand, feet that have been in shoes so much tend to look deformed and damp. Sometimes they smell atrocious. Feet that regularly see the light of day develop a nice tan. The skin gets more firm, and it sheds dirt and debris quite easily. Because all of the foot muscles are being used, the foot gets toned and takes on a healthy glow!
5. People will think I am homeless or a creep. Response:  That probably depends on a lot more other characteristics, including how you treat them and whether you approach them for hand-outs. I certainly have never had anyone even look at me that way. In contrast, I often get feedback about how tough and adventurous they think I am for going around with bare feet. You may not want to venture out in public right at first, but the more you just go barefoot, the more you will like it and won’t care about what others think.
6. My feet will get dirty. Response:  Feet are much easier to keep clean than shoes, especially the more time they spend in the open air. Such open-air feet are also less likely to harbor pathogens. Plus, you don’t have to get hands dirty taking them off and putting them on. Simply walking on the grass or a quick wipe on a mat or towel at the door often does the trick when cleaning is desired. Things rarely stick to my feet anymore, after just 3 years into the barefoot routine. I do occasionally scrub, for all of about 1 minute for both feet combined, around my toenails with a bit of soap and an old, soft toothbrush.
7. My feet crack and develop calluses. Response: My feet crack, too. They cracked when I wore shoes. I have remedied this by a nightly application of olive oil over my whole foot. It feels good and controls any general dryness that might make the feet look scaly. (It is counterproductive to be buffing off the layer that is trying to build up in response to stimulation.)  Washing my feet and applying this oil every night takes less time than getting shoes and socks off and on one time.
8. My feet will change shape and my shoes won’t fit. Response: Quite possibly and it’s all for the better because your feet are now being allowed to function properly! If you are going barefoot a lot, shoes are not much of an issue. If you have to wear them for work, there are companies that sell shoes with wide toe boxes. I even made myself a pair of shoes once. I don’t think it would be too hard to do it again. You can also buy wide sizes and/or remove inserts to gain more room. But you might be surprised where you don’t need to wear shoes.
9. I might drop things on my feet. Response:  Umm, try not to? Seriously, when people “think” they are protected by something, they tend to be less careful. But, really, does this dropping things happen enough or in risky enough ways to give up all the benefits of having bare feet? You might also smash your fingers at any moment, but you don’t go around in stiff heavy gloves most of the time. You need the sensation in your fingers. You need the sensation in your toes and soles, too, more than you know.
10. I like good looking shoes. Response:  Define good looking. I have seen some designer shoes that I would say go from dangerous to ridiculous. And why is everyone so glad to take these “good looking” shoes off after an event or work? If your kids told you they “like” to play computer games all day, or your friend told you he would like to quit his job and go on welfare, you would say, “So what.” What people want is not always best and can inhibit what brings real happiness. If high heels for gaining height are the perceived need, know that being barefoot leads to better posture. I often wonder if the mechanics of trying to stay atop high heels combined with the shortening of the back of the leg from how the foot is angled takes away some of the height women think they are getting. Besides, you can develop other fashion trends, from decorations for bare feet to soft leather shin wraps. Make fashion, don’t follow it.
11. I don’t like to be barefoot. Response: I refer you to 1 – 10. I suspect that it really has to do with one of those reasons.

There may be the exceptional cases of the unfortunate few who have physical abnormalities that make going barefoot impossible. However, being barefoot is normal for, and could be enjoyed by, most people. Your feet have beautiful functional potential.