One of my most vivid memories from my first week in Australian summer is a rite of initiation involving bare soles and bindis.
Returning home from a surf, I escaped the scaldingly hot bitumen, gingerly jumping onto the grassy side strip ... only to feel a needle-sharp pain hit my burnt feet. Which brings me neatly onto the reasons not to go barefoot: bindis, broken glass, bitumen and, well, onlookers. But the pros for baring your soles by far outweigh the cons. Personally, I never used to pay much attention to the wonder that is the human foot - until a broken metatarsal forced me to take note.
Here are some staggering facts for you: the foot and ankle contain 26 bones, 33 joints and more than 100 muscles, tendons and ligaments. With one quarter of your body's bones in the feet alone, they truly are a masterpiece of architecture, supporting your body weight, absorbing shock and propelling you forward. The interplay of the feet with the rest of the body is intricate. Healthy, strong and supple feet provide support, balance and mobility. Which also means any malfunction can throw off the rest of your body like a badly grounded tower of Pisa.
Going barefoot may be what the doctor ordered to liven up your feet and change your posture. This year has seen a spike in walking au naturel with various overseas companies now offering past-times such as barefoot walking trails and yoga hiking - but really, all you need to do is throw off your thongs and get out to the beach. Or do you?
Studies show that providing tactile sensation to the soles of your feet provides valuable feedback to the central nervous system and changes the way you activate your muscles, stand and walk - no lazy glutes but pert buttocks for bare footers?
"Altering sensory input, by changing shoe, orthotic, and/or surface constructions, may be a method by which abnormal gait patterns can be treated," concludes one scientific review. You can read more here and here.
Putting your best forefoot forward is a popular technique heralded by a lot of serious runners. Avid minimalists will quote from the manifesto-like Born to Run which extolls the virtues of a quasi uber race of runners, the Tarahumara, and convincingly makes the case. for non-shod forefoot striking.
Others will quote studies showing a greater risk of lower limb injuries for minimalists. The truth is transitioning from sitting at a desk and pounding the pavement in maximally cushioned shoes giving next to zero input to your sensory system to running through the savannah in loincloths (or skimpy shorts if you prefer to stand out from the Tarahumara) needs to be done slowly. As evidenced in TV shows such as Survivor, us city folk are oft far removed from nature and need slow re-integration.
Initially, short bursts of walking, or even standing, barefoot on flat ground will make your feet healthier than ever. Adding uneven surfaces to work ankle stability and fire muscles further up the leg and right into the hip will be your second step before increasing length and difficulty of terrain. The ultimate goal: barefoot hiking or running.
You may also want to take note of the Framingham Foot Study which shows that pronated foot function may contribute to low back symptoms in women. Orthoses could help, as could exercises to strengthen your feet in a more neutral position. If you can get past the dorky delivery, here's a great little video to watch on exercises and massage techniques for various foot "problems".
Research into how various footwear - or lack thereof - affects our bodies is still under way. In the meantime, you can learn more here and here.
But common sense seems to suggest that getting as close back to the way we were naturally built is, well, most natural.
Sol Walkling is a mind body studio manager.
