You don't need to be a hippie to enjoy living a barefoot lifestyle!
I live as barefoot as possible, for good joint health!
Ok, in most of the USA, if you see someone walking barefoot, your first thoughts most likely are, "look at that hippie, grow up!" I'm here to tell you, this isn't always the case. Please continue reading this page, and then start thinking for yourself, and leave behind the thoughts that others have put into your head!
Back in 2011, I started getting injections into one of my knees, to help alleviate pain, caused by arthritis and a bone on bone condition. Needing these injections roughly every 6 months, I didn't really like the thought of living from injection to injection, so I started to do some research on what I can do to reduce, or eliminate the need for these injections. What I found was pretty shocking, walk barefoot!
Wait, can it really be that easy? Well, in August of 2014, I started walking barefoot, roughly 50% of the time. By that December, already being past my "due date" for my next injection, I went ahead and had another injection into my knee. I continued walking barefoot, and even increased the amount of time I would be barefoot. I am now close to 96% barefoot, and the 4% I do wear shoes, is because I need to for work.
I haven't had another injection since December of 2014, and not only have my knees improved, so have my ankles, hips and lower back! You see, walking barefoot changes your stride, usually shortening it, and you also tend to start landing on the forefoot. You see, God created the foot to act as a shock abosrbor, reducing loads on your ankles, knees, hips and back.
Most shoes have an elevated heel, even athletic shoes, making you strike heel first, and putting loads on all the joints above your foot. Shoes also cause your foot to atrophy, due to your foot relying on the shoe to do the work of shock absorption. Think about someone that has had a cast on, for an extended period of time, for a broken bone, the area that was in the cast has gone weak, from lack of use, well your foot acts the same way when you wear shoes for 95% of your life! You foot will no longer act as the shock absorbor that it was designed to be, but rather it will grow stiff, and will rely on the shoe.
Shoes also deform your foot, and cause major foot issues, like bunions, corns, hammer toe, fallen arches, athletes foot and foot odor, just to name a few. Lets think about the odor issue, foot odor is caused by bacteria. Shoes and socks create a dark warm space, perfect for this bacteria to thrive! Want to eliminate foot odor, go barefoot and loose the shoes and socks!
Now I will admit, I am not a doctor, but I speak only of my experience. I recommend that you talk to a health professional if you try barefooting as an health alternative. I would also suggest that you move into barefooting slowly. I started wearing Vibram FiveFingers, for a few years, before I made the move to go barefoot for the majority of the time. I can now jog barefoot, on some pretty hard surfaces, like pavement and concrete.
Be prepared that, after going barefoot for a long period of time, your foot will change, getting wider and stronger, and possibly your toes will start to spread.
This page will continue to grow, but I just wanted to get it up and running, along with the others on my site.
In the mean time, visit the sites below:
Search for these Facebook groups
buckeye barefooters - A group created for those in Ohio that enjoy barefooting
barefoot is legal - This group is dedicated to making the public know that being barefoot is legal
Society for Barefoot Living - Anything you want to know about barefooting.
Runbare - A great site with lots of info on living a barefoot life
Vibram FiveFingers - The "funny" looking shoes, with toes.
ahcuah - The blog of Bob Neinast. a barefooter, who lives outside of Columbus, Ohio.
Female Health News - Ok, so I'm not a female, however this blog post isn't gender specific, and I recommend reading it.
Also, look me up on Twitter, Barefoot Rob (@Ohio_Barefooter)