Five Benefits Of Going Barefoot Or Using Vibrams
When I was in college at the boat school I stumbled on toe’d shoes. I forgot how I stumbled on them but they were a game changer for me. The first time I ran in them I mistakenly ran three miles and my calves were sore for almost a week. I even used them in training for a marathon with my friends though it's something I wouldn’t advise unless you’re spending months or years building up to that. Our feet these days due to the shoes we wear have devolved compared to what they were originally designed to do. Since that time I’ve continued to use Vibram's five fingers for all kinds of training from progressive calisthenics to weighted hill sprints.
Fast forward to now, I’ve upgraded my approach to health and fitness. Some days I just walk out the door barefoot and walk around on some grass in a nearby field for a few minutes scattered throughout the day. There are many benefits to this some I’ll lay out in this post. The more I look at my life the more I realize that with each passing year, I’m reverting back to a less technological/ more primitive lifestyle. Not because I revel in being a maverick and going against the grain but because there are immense benefits.
Whether you are interested in Vibrams or want the cheaper option and cosplay as a hobbit, here are some reasons.
Muscular Development
The first and the most shallow reason of them all is the muscle you’ll gain. Not anything super impressive that will get you winning bodybuilding contests but the muscular development below the knees will become more defined. As I had mentioned my calves were sore for almost a week after running in these. Some of the ways in which modern footwear devolves our lower body is with the calf muscle. Walking or running barefoot brings you more on the balls of your feet better activating your calves. When we travel barefoot we’re treating our lower body as a unit which it was meant to perform as.
Many of our problems stem from our bodies not being used as a unit. Ankle pain, knee pain, back pain, T-pain. The body is connected; one pain in a certain spot might be caused by older pain in another. I believe that the more strenuous movement we incorporate while increasing the difficulty over time the fewer problems we have.
Move Progressively
Hobbit Feet
One of my college roommates had a theory that wearing Vibrams increased the resilience of the skin around one’s foot. What brought this up at the time was that we were taking part in a summer training evaluation/program that was titled, “Leatherneck.” Leatherneck was a month- long foray into the woods with navigation, hiking, and squad-on squad attacks. It served as a tool for the boat school to determine whether someone was fit to become a Marine Corps Officer upon graduation. But boy was there a great deal of hiking. When hiking in general and especially in the armed forces it's imperative that your feet be in good condition. If not, all the hiking with heavy weight combined with sweat, the scrapping of your sock, and the scrapping of your boots will tear your feet apart. Keep your feet dry and this can be done by constantly changing socks or using powder.
But what if the skin can become stronger and more durable? This is what my roommate theorized. By using Vibrams, or walking barefoot in general, you can develop sturdy feet like the Hobbits.
Shaka Zulu of the Zulus Warriors if you’re ever watched the 2001 Shaka Zulu: The Last Great Warrior you’ll know what I’m talking about trained his guys by having them sprint off patches of crushed thorn bushes. That sucks and must have hurt. Glad I wasn’t born during that time but the skin beneath your feet can become more durable. Take it slow in the beginning it will take some time for your feet to build up. Maybe, with enough barefoot walking our feet can be made impervious when it comes to stepping on Legos.
Space In Travel Bags
If you’re traveling somewhere with the intention of working out and you’re trying to calculate the space you have in your luggage for workout shoes Vibrams makes this calculation a whole lot easier.
Earthing/Grounding
Something I discovered a few weeks ago. There’s a bunch of science to it but pretty much the Earth has free electrons and when we step on the Earth barefoot for an extended period of time we receive those electrons.
The results of this over time are
Better Sleep
Better Digestion
Better Mood
Less Inflammation
And more
I try to do some in the morning before my workout, in the afternoon, and in the evening. This has drastically improved my life and given me better focus throughout the day. Often the best health remedies are the cheapest.
You Draw Attention To Yourself
Whether you’re wearing Vibrams or walking places barefoot you will get some weird looks. So if you like this sort of thing and want attention from others definitely do it.
Dangers
There are some dangers with this kind of approach to life and training but as long as we’re aware of our surroundings we can avoid the following.
Sharp Objects
I’ve walked barefoot and have run barefoot in many places. The only thing I’ve stepped on that’s really caused pain is either some rocks or dried-up thorns. I’ve never been injured by walking around barefoot just yet. In certain areas especially nature parks you have to watch out for broken glass from beer bottles. Having grown up in California and now living in Texas, luckily I don’t have to worry about needles on the ground…yet.
Walk softly and don’t stomp every were you go. Vibrams will provide some padding on the bottom so I enjoy sprinting with them but haven’t decided to do so with my barefeet just yet and probably will not for a few years.
Dog Crap
This is the only thing I’m really concerned about as some dog owners don’t pick up after their animals but as long as you watch where you are walking or have some wipes when you get back all will be well.
Hot Concrete
If you need to traverse some concrete before yet get to some grass carry a pair of flip-flops with you for that transition.
Cold Weather
There are toe’d socks so when I’m running with Vibrams I throw those on. As long as I only spend about an hour outside in the cold it doesn’t affect me.
Wrap Up
There are 28 Bones, 33 Joints, and 29 Muscles in each foot and can become detrained through our lifestyle. If you don’t use it you lose it. Therefore, let's approach our training and lifestyle in a holistic fashion.
Thank you for making it to the end and the comments are below.
Until next time…
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