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All I know is that stepping on gravel barefoot sucks, walking on hot asphalt or concrete barefoot sucks, walking across grass and stepping on one of those prickle plants barefoot sucks. All of which can be avoided with a simple pair of shoes.
i also will say that for non runners, walking in a manner where you land on the toes of your foot and slowly apply pressure to the rest of your foot is just far more stable than landing on the balls of your feet which means if you have issues balancing, learning to do what many japense swordsman learn as a basic honestly is probably the best call and speaking from my own experience, despite having a weak left ankle from repeated strains, i have only twisted my ankle once even while only wearing sandals whenever i do go outside with its been about 3 years since than.
Surprised you didn't cover the toebox problem most modern day shoes have that end up squeezing the feet (just like ballerina slippers), causing their own sorts of health problems like bunions.
That's why I switched. First of all, I'm weird in that I can't stand my toes touching each other when they get sweaty. So in the mid 2000s when Crocs became popular and I was in elementary school, all I'd wear was Crocs. They had holes so the air would help me be less sweaty, and they were much wider than anything I'd seen. I even had the boots without holes because rubber boots were heavy and squished my toes. Then one day in high school, I came home and found my mom had a surprise for me. Vibram Bikila, the first pair of toe shoes I tried. I had seen them because someone I went to summer camp with had them, but I wasn't expecting to like them so much! I've always loved toe socks and had ones with Disney characters on them as a kid, but having shoes that would fit the extra width without feeling squished was great! I now wear barefoot style shoes as much as possible, the only things I have that aren't wider, are snow boots, and rubber boots, because those are necessities in Canada, and I haven't found a better option.
@@joylox It’s not weird to not like that feeling, it can actually lead to infection if there is too much friction between skin in a damp, warm environment. Yes toe socks are a great solution, I like softstar shoes, they have some good minimalistic shoes. The problem with water proof shoes is that it sacrifices on breathability which is more important imo.
i worked in a nursing home. some of those poor womens feet. toes all squished together. i never wear shoes at home. sandals when i go out. you never know what you'll walk into around here.
I grew up like most modern Americans, feet tightly ensconced in shoes most of the time. Around the age of 30, I bought a pair of trek sandals with a toe loop before spending a year in SE Asia. They hurt like hell at first, but they totally reshaped my feet - big toes straightened, foot widened. Only problem is now searching for EEE shoes to accommodate my reformed feet.
Concrete also plays a large factor. Pavement is BRUTAL. I grew up rural and ditched my shoes whenever it was safe to do so - including woods hiking and tree climbing - and have only had issues with my feet now in my mid-thirties, citybound, walking and exercising on concrete more often than not.
Im a rural kid and shoes are only worn when going out some where i have to wear shoes and in winter but i dont even do slippers in the house in winter Silly question, have you gone bare foot in town ? I only ask because when i was a kid staying with family over the hoildays in town , id still go bare foot as much as possible, i hate shoes as a rule because i have little broad feet but still got the arches a bellet dancer would kill for and getting correct fitting shoes is still hard to this day . But no matter if its concrete or a lose stone path that would have most people hopping , i take in my stride as its that ball of your foot and the way you instinctively kind of just relax your feet to spread out the weight is the important part . Im 49 years old now and i can walk bare foot anywhere, even hot roads in summer, you just have to get the first serring of your feet out of the way and your all good ... lol The running joke in my family as im part austrailan aboriginal but im very white passing compared to the rest of my family . Well the joke is , my feet are the most aboriginal feet in the family , all my cousins may be darker than me but you want to see them city slickers sook like white fellas walking across gravel.. lol Kick them shoes off as much as posable, you dont use it , you lose it ... take ut from the barefoot old lady 👍
I think most kids remember accidentally dragging their toe along the concrete while running barefoot once or twice lmao That's a lesson you don't soon forget
Funny thing is, I found walking in the city painful in 'normal' shoes from brands like Adidas and Puma, but when I switched to barefoot, it was fine. Just before that, I'd had a pair of Campers, which I thought were _nearly_ barefoot, and my feet hurt especially in those after a lot of city walking, so I briefly thought that 'proved' barefoot was no good on concrete. Nope. Those shoes still had heel elevation and a less flexible sole. Barefoot shoes with the insole in, especially, I find way more comfortable than regular sneakers. It's sort of the feeling I was looking for from them all along.
Agreed. Tree climbing simply can't be done well with shoes on. Bare feet can grip and contour to the surface of the branches. Trying to climb trees with shoes on is like trying to type with leather mittens on.
Even in São Paulo we largely use flip flops, especially at home, where 99% os us is either on flip flops or barefoot. Heck, I even do groceries with flip flops, after all, weather here is not kind with closed shoes.
Same here. Although now i am trying to think of any occasion that I ever wanted to fall on the ball of my foot first unless I wasn't sneaking in or trying to do precise jumps
not wearing shoes is so nice, it pisses me off so much when people see me with no shoes and act like it's gross, like oh no my feet have dirt on them, meanwhile your feet are covered and marinated in more and more sweat and bacteria every step you take in socks and shoes
In New Zealand, being barefoot most of the time is the norm, especially when it comes to children, and especially in summer, when many people even go shopping, etc, in barefeet. Wearing shoes most of the time, especially when in your own home, is somewhat strange to us.
It's illegal in most places in the US to enter a store barefoot. They don't want to to step on broken glass or something and get hurt. You can't walk into a place shirtless either. "No shirt, no shoes, no service".
@@PhantomQueenOne I guess that's what comes of corporate accountability being litigation-based. I go barefoot around the house and yard, but am definitely worried about picking up infected cuts from broken god-knows-what on the streets.
@@PhantomQueenOne That's the problem with having to be on alert for any situation that might involve someone getting sued. We have a no-fault, government-funded, compensation scheme that covers all kinds of situations involving injury, which negates the need to sue for compensation.
and I've been reprimanded for not landing on my heels when running or walking, turns out that's what supposed to naturally happen if it weren't for shoes anyway.
@@CoryPchajek I had an injury that required me to relearn to walk when I was a teenager. I was trained to walk heel first by the doctors and yes my friends tell me they always know when I'm coming because they can hear the thump. I also have foot issues that require orthotics now, unsure if those things are related.
@@unknownhours It's normal for your heel to touch down about the same time as the side of your foot, but punching the ground with your heel with every step is not normal. Look at a regular shoe - the heel is raised, so when you put your foot down your foot's natural position is going to push that raised heel into the ground first. Without the raised heel, your foot's actual position wouldn't change much, but your step would be different, and more of your foot would hit the ground at the same time. It's all classic physics.
I've been told my whole life that I walk weirdly (on my toes) so it makes so much more sense now knowing that it could be related to how I spend most of the day, every day barefoot.
I agree with that, perhaps the feeling in feet has become strange for people too. I like the feeling of grass between my toes and running in soft earth, but a lot of people don’t
When I was in college, one of the buildings had a portion built over a driveway. When walking along the hallway above that, I really enjoyed the difference in sensation (basically temperature) as my path transitioned from walking over offices to walking over the driveway portion. Yes, I generally went to class barefoot.
Grew up on a native reservation, my parents worked their butts off all summer for us to have shoes during school and for boots during winter. Summer time was bare feet and cheap flip flops and we also do not wear shoes in the house (its disrespectful). I was always embarrassed for not wearing closed toe shoes during the summer and finding this out makes me feel better knowing that helped my family have healthier lives. That's awesome to know, thanks for the video!
Wearing shoes inside is disrespectful where I live as well (Sweden, but the same holds true for most of the northern world). I don't wear socks at home either since I have no problem with cold floors.
Dude what, down south EVERY kid was barefoot, by choice, during the summer lol Its unfortunate you felt embarrassed, cuz when I was a kid we all took our shoes off to run faster and would get screamed at about catching ringworm 😂
@@GlorifiedGremlin Yeah I'm from the north and flip flops was standard footwear in the 90's early 2000's growing up. Idk anyone who wanted to wear tennis shoes in the heat and humidity!
I purposely avoided wearing shoes as much as I could as a child, too. I didn't like wearing "foot coffins" at all. Credit to Xero Shoes for the term, "foot coffins".
Eh, it's okay, sandals and flipflops feel very good in summer heat. In fact, at my own house when I go outside, I usually go barefoot. I rarely use shoes in my yard. Maybe on the 4th of July or if we're working. Whenever I leave the house, unless I'm running (in which case I have running shoes) I just have flipflops.
i went to school in New Zealand and half the kids had no shoes and we were allowed to climb trees. I just assumed everyone was broke but I think the teachers were pretty wise
I think it's worth noting that shoes are also protection for your feet against puncture wounds and such from rough terrain. Wearing shoes less often may be beneficial, but there is still a place for shoes as foot armour against random debris on the ground.
@@austinhernandez2716 Surely, what you say is true! However, I think no amount of skin toughness is going to protect you from standing on an upright nail or broken glass, snake fangs or other puncture hazards. Which is why shoes are important, at least in certain contexts. Using shoes less to make our feet tougher is good, as long as we're doing it in the right circumstances.
@@cloudytea3121 Sorry, this is a dumb response. Saying "use your eyes" is not a real way to manage the risk of foot injury. People make mistakes, they will still accidentally step on harmful things even if they are generally careful and observant. That's why we have crumple zones in cars, seat belts, bike helmets, Personal Protective Equipment, etc. When hazards are present, mistakes will happen. Plus, foot hazards are often hidden under grass or other ground cover, such as the infamous snek.
I enjoy taking walks around my large apartment complex barefoot. The connection between feet and earth is so refreshing. I walk on concrete, dirt, gravel, even mud sometimes. It just feels GOOD. People look at me weird sometimes but I don't care. I have hurt my feet before walking in sharp stones or whatnot, but mostly it works out ok.
This makes a lot of sense to me. I have Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, and wearing closed-toed shoes always has made my knees and hips hurt worse, even as a young kid. I would always insist on sandals or bare feet. I never really figured out why. This would explain a lot! The increased impact on my knees and hips from running heel-to-toe (as I was taught to do) would make those joints hurt more as they jostled around more. And when I walk quickly (I can't really run anymore because of hip instability) I always walk on the balls of my feet.
Hypermobility here, possible EDS. I'm with you on a lot of this. My foot wear was always high brand, because my feet couldn't deal with low quality shoes even as a kid. Pretty early in my teenhood, I started wearing heeled shoes, because those are formed in a way, that shifts weight on the front of the foot. I also usually went from winter shoes with a lot of interior stuffing to sandals. Canvas, sneaker, chucks - they were hell. I have so sensible feet, it''s ridiclious - additional to the sole thing my skin tears into blisters the moment there is a minimal pressure point made. I walked my feet bloody so many a time... I also always have "a spring in my step" because heel-to-toe just feels wrong and beliefe me, when I say my family wanted to change to that healthy habit. Now-a-days I do wear primarly one brand of sneakers, as they have arch-support and memory foam soles in combination to some flexible outerior material. Sadly my knees took a real hit during my compensating with "high"-heels phase in my teens. Still prefer heeled (2 to 4 cm) over a flat sole.
Always nice when a childhood thing finally makes sense! I'm so sorry that you all have to deal with this. Mayo Clinic says it's rare... *reading Wow, it Sucks :(
I have EDS too and always tend to walk on the balls of my feet for that exact reason! I hated Nike and preferred skate shoes as a kid and teen. I mainly wear converse when wearing a sneaker but I don't love them either because if I run my hips start to hurt. Maybe I should give those barefoot shoes a try? Have you ever tried those?
I came from a rural area in South Africa and never wore shoes except for school until I started working. After teaching in Korea for 6 months I went barefoot when Spring came around. It was an amazing feeling. I hadn't realised how much I missed it
Barefoot or minimalist shoes have damn near changed my life. It's unfortunate that it wasn't mentioned in the video but, this type of foot wear can be more comfortable than a standard shoe. I noticed an immediate difference after the first day of wearing them. I can't understate how awesome barefoot shoes feel. Literally try it for the meme of it and you won't regret it.
They are the most comfortable shoe because it feels like you have no shoes on. The feel of needing to take your shoes off when arriving home doesn't exist here because they are not constraining your feet. The problem is that it is like doing exercise, you know that you are going to feel better if you do it, but it takes effort and knowledge on how to correctly transition.
Yeah, I got into them because I was developing foot pain and realised my toes were constricted. After one day in them I tried putting on an old pair of traditional sneakers. I realised right away I never wanted to wear such things again. And after about two weeks in my barefoot shoes, all my foot pain went away.
Agreed. I've been wearing minimalist "toe shoes" for over a decade. I live in Canada, so climate dictates the need to don proper winter boots every now and then (I'm on Vancouver Island, on the west coast with the mildest winters in Canada). Anytime I need to wear conventional footwear, I cringe. Barefoot shoes are so liberating; and the groundfeel is unparalleled. Added bonus - barefoot shoes can be laundered.
@@jasonarthurs3885 Do none of the many barefoot boots work for you? Some of them are very sturdy,, warm, water-proof or water-resistant, and have good treads.
I'd be interested in a video about the concerns around flatworms and other parasites for kids running around barefoot (ie. are they overblown or reasonable)... especially for those of us who raise chickens or other animals in our backyards.
Its overblown for most people but it a real concern on farms. Thankgod barefoot shoes exist and give most benefits of being barefoot while also protecting your feet.
Not saying this as an "uhm akshully", and I recognize this is entirely anecdotal, but I grew up without wearing shoes on our chicken farm. I went inside the coop all the time, I got a lot of splinters but not really any parasites. Was I just... really lucky?
I will caution; I switched to zero drop shoes, and within 6 months got achilles tendinitis. If you want to adjust to bare feet, go slow and be very careful about how you're working your muscles and tendons
Ironically I used to have plantar fasciitis after I started my internship as a doctor Turns out as someone raised in Asia (Arabian, not Asian) I am not used to my foot squished in a shoe all day Because from age 0 to 25 my shoes are limited to school and college, where I am mostly sitting “ and of course occasions like visiting someone, holidays or weddings” While in the hospital I need to walk and walk and walk in those shoes so as someone who been barefooted my entire life I found myself squishing and crushing my foot inside those shoes so that give me a PF that didn’t heal until I switch to barefoot shoes. Since the first day I put them in they felt so right. Didn’t have feet pain ever since
If I wear any height heel at all, my knees get very sad. And if my knees get sad, it's not long after that my hips get sad. To the point of debilitating pain. So I wear zero-drop or barefoot style shoes everywhere and for everything now. Going barefoot at home or wearing barefoot style shoes has not restored the arches in my feet - they are still VERY flat - but I feel so much better. In fact, I've avoided plantar fasciitis returning, and all my joints love it! I'm in my 50's and barefoot / zero drop shoes are a key part of my strategies to avoid the knee replacement surgeries that my mom had in her 60's.
As someone with calluses on her feet from being used to walking around barefoot, I would like to point out that also in this case, you should look for a healthy middle ground. Not too little and not too much. Calluses can develop such sharp edges that you may end up hurting yourself or others or you may even cause tears in fabric touching your feet 'cus they grow so rough. Take care of yourself, y'all. :)
I fixed my hip en knee issues with barefoot shoes. It re-taught me to walk properly, it turned me into a middel/fore-foot walker. (Instead of heel). My joint pain hurt so bad I had to pull myself up on something if I had to squat or pick something off te floor. Today I have no issues at all even its been a couple of years since I wore my barefoot shoes. I just got around to buying a new pair. It take a while to get used to the sensitivity as I can feel everything under the soles, but I feel more connected with nature, and it makes traversing mountain paths easier. I have more grip and can better feel the stability of the surface. I have rekindled my love for barefoot shoes!❤
I've been a fan of going barefoot forever! When I was a kid, I went barefoot as much as my mom would let me, and as an adult I NEVER wear shoes at home and sometimes outside. After watching this video, I think I may understand why I tend to land on the ball of my foot when I'm walking. And I prefer shoes with as thin a sole as possible and no heel. Thanks for explaining the benefits of barefooting!
@@ArawnOfAnnwn The barefoot shoes I've seen don't seem to be too much like socks. Do you have particular socks in mind that someone could consider that would perform similarly?
I wear swim shoes a lot because they have very thin soles with absolutely no heel. They aren't very expensive, so they fit my budget. If my feet are cold indoors, I wear slippers that I've crocheted
@@Reepecheep If you're used to walking barefoot outside on hard ground, glass shards and stuff isn't as dangerous as it seems if. You'll develop a thick sole to the point that if there's something that's actually dangerous it's going to hurt you even if you wear thin shoes. Though I still wouldn't recommend it, since the risk is still higher than using hard-soled shoes.
I walk around barefoot at home and wear thin-soled minimalist shoes outside the home. I'm a walking paraplegic and it's just easier for me to walk with bare feet or minimal footwear because I can better feel the ground and it let's me feel "rooted". Regular shoe soles feel like balancing on wobbly pillows to me and I hate them.
Vibram's Five Fingers FTW! I only wish that somebody could make a similar style shoe but higher quality, more durable, and waterproof. Vibram's essentially has a monopoly in this specific category of shoes. Without competition there is less incentive to improve. Having some with differently size toe pockets would be nice too. The four lesser toes are made longer for people with gross feet. I have short stubby toes that don't fit too will in their pockets. But I still love them. I've had them since the end of high school, or for 14 years. Before that I largely walked barefoot whenever I could. I hated regular shoes that would cram in all the toes and restrict their movement. When I found Vibrams it was like a dream come true. They were everything I wanted in a shoe.
Well, my grandfather did enforce his children to walk barefoot for at least 2 hours per day. When they started having jobs, it was reduced to only 1 day a week. The result was that all of his grandchildren born in Surinam could exert grip with their feet while climbing trees.
Been wearing barefoot shoes for ten years - after seeing some proprioception research - and I’ll never go back. My oldest daughter has always hated shoes and can walk on *anything*, but I’m personally still not going barefoot over sharp rocks. Barefoot / minimalist shoes are a great compromise. I also have six horses that I slowly transitioned away from steel shoes. (Some were fine, some needed temporary “barefoot shoes” on certain surfaces, as years of steel shoes had greatly reduced the natural capacities of their hoof). There are many compelling reasons to spend more time barefoot - or barefoot shoes - and for both myself and my horses, it was studying mechanoreceptors that actually pushed me over the edge to get rid of “normal” shoes here. My husband needed more convincing, but then some famous golfer commented that he wore only barefoot style shoes, and that was that 💁♀️. No normal shoes in our home, and our living room includes trays of river rocks to stand on.
Steel hooves are really only necessary if you intend to take those horses on rocks, hard gravel, or above all else paved roads. The natural wear of hooves on dirt, assuming they have a wide pasture to run in, is more than healthy. It's how they evolved to function. Just got to keep an eye on them. :v
That's interesting because the only time I don't wear barefoot shoes is when I'm around horses so I get that extra protection, and it's a lot harder to ride a horse without a heel (unless you're riding bareback, but most horses I know aren't used to that and would struggle). I do remember a relative of mine getting in trouble for not wearing shoes, even as an adult, but he was so tough, and could climb any tree. I like my Vibram Spyridon MR (now discontinued) for anything that's more rough, like hiking in areas with lots of rocks, gravel, or even if I'm in the city where there's frequently broken glass. I don't know what I'll do when they wear out, because I like the sole, and I don't think they make that specific type anymore. It's a chunky grip rather than the more minimal type. I find they're a good middle ground between the extremely minimal 2-3mm thick soles, and a more conventional shoe. I also find Xero shoes to be a good middle ground because they look like regular shoes so I don't get the weird comments, and they're a bit more protective, while still allowing you to feel the ground and have that extra width that helps a lot.
@@AimlessSavant I know in my area, the police horses obviously need metal, but I've seen some different options when in rural areas. Unfortunately I didn't really keep up with horses because a disability I'm still waiting for testing on made it too hard to care for them, or even have proper posture. I'm hoping to ride again this year after I've done lots of physio.
@@joylox tbh I do think sometimes about whether I should still *ride* in boots-with-heel…it’s been so drilled into me from childhood. And sometimes if I remember, I’ll put them on to ride. But I don’t worry about working on the ground and being stepped on (which ofc happens and OUCH 😣), because unless I’m in steel-toed boots- which I never was - my heavy-duty Vivo insulated trail runners offer just as much protection on top of my foot as my Ariat paddock boots. I do know a lot of riders today who are also riding in Vivo/Xero, but some do use front cages on their stirrups. I’m quite safety-conscious (helmet 100%), but I’m still making a calculation that for the riding I do, it’s extremely unlikely that I’ll be in a situation for which a heel would be the thing that saved me.
@@AimlessSavantThere are certainly reasons a horse might need shoes, I agree, but nothing that justifies *steel*; thankfully composite nail-on (or glue-on) shoes are now becoming more widely available and more farriers are trained/willing to use them. I still have *boots* for one of mine for gravel, but he was in composite shoes for a couple years. Just like the human barefoot shoe market is growing and we will all have more options (and not have to spend a fortune), the non-steel horseshoe market is growing, albeit way too slowly. The only friends of mine with horses still in steel shoes simply cannot find a farrier willing to use even the nail-on composites. But that’s slowly changing…
Shoes were invented as protection from injuries and excess dirt or to help keep warm in body, if they weren't needed, they weren't used, now they are also a fashion item, and became social standard in most developed countries (also as mentioned, most people feet are too soft and sensitive now to straight jump into boing bare).
A missed opportunity here, not mentioning how wearing shoes has reshaped near enough everyone's feet for the worse. Your big toe? Its supposed to point straight, an extension of the bone inside the foot to which it is attached capable of footing some serious force. Your Achilles tendons? Should look straight and vertical from behind, not bowed inwards. Shoes make feet weak, prompting specialist recommendations for even more expensive shoes meant to provide the support shoes robbed the feet of in the first place.
My big toes do point straight, but my achilles tendon does bow in a little. I went barefoot as often as allowed as a child...and still do as a 50+ year old
Much to my mother's annoyance, I grew up barefoot. I had shoes, I just hated them. I'm 57 now and still spend all indoor time barefoot (except in other people's houses. Though my kids don't mind. I let them choose what they wanted when they were growing up). As a kid, during the warmer and dryer weather, I'd try to escape the house without shoes (in the UK - it was on typically paved paths; hardly soft, warm ground!) My third child (adult...) is as bad as me for hating shoes!
ive personally given up on shoes in all but the most formal situations, or when weather would otherwise cause more harm than the shoe. it gives me a better feel of my surroundings, as it opens up a whole avenue of touch we're sobbed of in our day to day: the main hangup is the sensitivity of the skin when you're not used to barefootedness
Just what I needed to hear after getting weird looks from other parents at the playground while my barefoot preschoolers were using their grippy bare feet to climb up the slides.
Happy to read this! My son is usually barefoot on the playground, and other kids see that and take off their shoes, then their mothers insist on putting their kids' shoes back on. I'm just like, why? Clearly there is no danger for kids to be barefoot, and there are so many benefits!!
when they start talking about gate and they show the beach runner around 3:30 or so you can see that the beach runner lands on their forefoot only twice and only on their right foot while every other step is on their heel or slightly in front of their hips. I know they're on the beach and it doesn't matter a whole lot but its a weird example to use.
Humans have evolved barefoot and the feet are well-equipped to handle any problems they might encounter on the ground. Aside from accidentally stepping onto something that might be painful (e.g. a Lego) you’ll be fine. In fact, it’s much healthier to go barefoot, than to let your foot sweat inside your shoe, creating a dark, damp and warm environment, perfect for the growth of bacteria and fungi. Aside from that, your average modern shoe is too narrow for the human foot, meaning it will compress and eventually deform your foot causing all kinds of issues ! I was born to live barefoot : 🦶🏻🦶🏻 - the best shoes ❗😊
I can remember being 6-9 and able.to.walk on the blacktop parking lots of se Florida beaches barefoot, were talking 140f+ went around mostly barefoot and hardly ever got sick and my toes were more like fingers. I later went to go work in almost cryogenic enviroments -32f 64 below freezing and it dropped my immune response by 75% and left my feet with a very large amount micro fractures. My body forgot how to handle bacteria and fungal infections and my feet almost rotted off, I was left with a few options take a medication that would damage my liver but save my feet or risk losing my feet and let nature do what it was gonna do, took almost 3 years but saved my feet and liver.
I lived in a rural town with dirt streets and very few sidewalks. Some sidewalks were wood. I sent the girls to the grocery store barefoot many times. Got into Divorce Court and I found out I was ABUSING my children by letting them run around without shoes. So who's right, Sci Show, or my psycho ex and her Minneapolis Lawyer?
People will cry abuse at the most ridiculous things. Then when actual abuse happens, they'll cower off and say its none of their business. Child runs around without shoes? Abuse. Child walks in rain without an umbrella? God forbid they melt or something, abuse! Child smells like they haven't bathed in 2 months, is covered in rashes, and is emotionally unstable? Kids these days act so helpless and sensitive, they're probably fine!
The issue in studying this is the focus on populations that, while wearing less shoes, is several time more active than the average person. Especially when it comes to running
I had to wear shoes as a young child. I was born with crooked legs and needed orthopedic shoes with weird sole things. After that, at age six I started practicing Tae Kwon Do. Barefoot of course. I haven't stopped and I'm almost 40 💜
I wear Archie's sandals 24/7. They've got arch support for my flat feet, but are open and let me still feel the ground and such fairly well. My toddler doesn't wear anything but cloth or leather shoes, though, and won't be except in snow.
Late Spring to Early Fall is usually still warm enough for barefoot unless you are up North a ways, so most of us get about 1/3 of the year to enjoy it. 🇨🇦
I find it hard with snow too. But I got a pair of boots from Xero Shoes, and soaked them in waterproof treatment I found at the fabric store, and so far so good as long as it's not slush. Although I'm also one of those weird people who wears 5 toe shoes, and the Vibram Trek Ascent is the single best shoe I've ever tried for walking on solid ice. Unfortunately they do get wet if I walk in snow, so that's not good. Even after I switched to barefoot shoes, the two things I can't replace are my giant Timberland snow boots, and my Canadian made rubber boots.
I only recently just realized my little toes are kind of squished under my other toes because I could never find shoes that are wide enough. I've now switched to barefoot/minimalist shoes which don't have this problem.
You could also take into considerdation areas like really big cities where people buy shoes of the wrong sizes and then stuff on socks to fill out and walk in their shoes for most of the day even indoors. the rates of feet issues in those places are huge! "new york studies are many for this reason"
Zero drop or minimalist shoes are the next best thing to barefoot walking and running. It allows your feet to do most of the work while still providing some cushioning and protection from debris.
In Australia being barefoot is more common. I never really wore shoes when I went to the shops or park when I was young and I still rarely wear shoes at 18. Shoes make my feet hurt, sweat, stink, and feel numb to the environment. I wear them for work, school and when I like to feel dressed up but I hate the idea of forcing my self or my future children to wear shoes when it’s totally unnecessary
Footballers and cricketers use shoes and that to with spikes when they can play barefoot, barefoot is fine if it's soft grass or beach/river sand not hard or jagged surface.
When I was young my mom always made sure I had a bunch of arch support in anything I wore. I would demand room for all 5 of my toes from as far back as I can remember but I always had excruciating pain in my arches until I was about 8-11. That’s when I started walking around the golf course in bare feet. Usually I did it after I couldn’t stand my arch supporting shoes after the first couple holes. I also rebelled and would only wear vans as a teenager, which are flat, and would still demand width for toes even if it meant going 1.5 sizes up. Now that I’m an adult I can spend 8-10 hours walking around at work or golfing and have zero foot pain ever unless I get a blister. And as long as my little toe has room I’m not picky about shoes, from Dunlop work boots to Jordan’s.
I once ran 4 kilometers bare foot. I was used to walk bare foot then, but a smooth transition is : Not living in a city because it isn't cool to walk on asphalt bare foot, and wearing little shoes to run / just walk without shoes.
I don't really mind going barefoot, but it's hard to let my kids roam around the neighborhood when people litters not just plastic but basically anything including rusty nails
All my life (including before I was 6) I've taken off my shoes any time I can, because my feet are happier bare. Due to this, I tend to walk/run in digitigrade fashion rather than plantigrade. My heels get really sore if I have to wear shoes for more than 5-6 hours at a time. Also, my feet are REALLY wide just before the toes separate, & REALLY narrow at the heel -- they're almost like triangles with toes. Thank you, Rose Bear Don't Walk!
I raised myself barefoot allowing my toes to splay and give more balance, and when I got older I always wore wide toe shoes to maintain this advantage. I've never rolled an ankle even though I trail run 40 miles a week
In India, we prefer sandals and flippers the most. Shoe is only meant for offices, ceremonies and outings. Some people even wear sandals in those places as well. We prefer to stay barefoot inside our house, because we don't like our floors to be dusty or muddy from outdoor footwears. In winter though, we might use indoor flippers or else socks if someone cannot tolerate cold floors
Barefoot is the only way i can run without knee pain. Running on the pad of the foot functions as a spring and cushion my knees when i contact the ground.
After a while you’ll get used to it. Your feet aren’t used to walking on rocks or rough terrain. When I was a kid it didn’t bother me but after years of walking in shoes as an adult it’s made my feet very sensitive
There are lots of barefoot shoes. I'm in Canada, we get snow, and obviously if it's all snow and ice outside, going barefoot is a bad idea. So I wear a pair of boots from Xero Shoes, and they're great! They're flatter and wider around the toes compared to a standard boot, and I like that they're a lot lighter, but still offer grip and protection. I don't dare go outside barefoot, but I wear shoes that are much closer to the experience.
As a young child in the South in the early 60's, I don't think I wore shoes except on Sunday morning to go to church. Even after I started school they came *off* my feet as soon as I got home. I have very high arches.
When I was a kid, I walked outside during the spring without a coat and shoes and people judged my parents for it. Now we are all finding out that we should walk around barefoot and without coats more.
While i do like to walk around barefoot at home (inside and outside) i always struggled with how sensitive my soles are. Even as a child i would cry easily when the floor was too hot, too cold, or simply too painful on a rocky flooring. I may not be the norm, but i do find that this is a major issue as our streets imo arent clean enough (including trash lying around) for me to want to walk barefoot anywhere but inside my own garden or the beach. Im amazed when i see people even in high summer, that wander around barefoot in the city. I do see them though. And good for them too, if that works for them.
I have flat feet when standing, but I have an arch when my feet are off the ground. A foot doctor told me there are different types of flat feet and mine will never be a problem, because of the bone placement. So all flat feet are not problematic! And I'm barefoot whenever possible. When I was a kid, my callouses were so thick, I could walk over pebbles and even bits of broken glass with no problem!
ever since I was a kid i've never worn shoes unless I absolutely have to. I'm the only one in my family that has never had to deal with foot fungus, bunions, or ingrown toenails. sure, ive stepped on holly leaves dozens of times, but that just builds character. I firmly believe its not good for your feet to have them crammed into shoes 24/7
I never used to wear shoes as a little kid, I absolutely hated them. Until one time at a playground--with loose woodchips as the flooring stuffs--I ran up to a ladder and tried climbing up it. I felt something hitting the bar along with my foot. At the top, I discovered I had a long wood chip shoved halfway up into my foot. It's wild that I didn't feel it happen, and the pain didn't kick in until I saw it, but it was one of my most vivid early memories. It was a public park so basically all the kids gathered around to watch me cry as a helpful adult got the woodchip out. I did not run barefoot in nature after that. :P Of course, woodchips are an unnatural human-made setup, but still. Memory stuck!
Reason why I always ran faster without shoes, I remember when I was younger and we would race, we would slide out of our shoes midway like it was a torque button 😂 always worked
I often wear no shoes, and sometimes no socks too, but I often at least wear socks (when inside, or when using shoes). I got this from my uncle who doesn't really wear shoes a lot. So when I am home (in the garden, etc), or walking short distances I don't wear shoes. It's when I have to go to work, go to a city, or a longer walk I use shoes (because work, and because people really like breaking glass on the ground). Not wearing shoes can prevent something that we in my country call "plattfot", it's when your foot becomes completely flat because your shoes dampen everything. (I live in Norway btw)
I'm from the countryside and only ever wore shoes for school, work, wherever required shoes really. All other time it's barefoot or sandals. Ive been told I have high arches but my one ankle is weak due to a break as a kid
As a child I almost ALWAYS go barefoot! Whenever I can! I’ve noticed my pinky toe sticks out more, that also means whenever I have to wear shoes (school, going out) I am uncomfortable as my pinky sticks into the side of the shoe, also my dad also hates wearing shoes.
I grew up not wearing shoes in the summertime, parents saved on foot wear/$. When I went to school, my parents got me shoes. That said, I hated school, and wearing shoes. Now as a retired adult, I go shoelaces when ever possible, and only buy zero drop, big toe box shoes and boots. Yes there needs to be some transition time going this route. However, since I had muscle memory of not wearing shoes,the transition was easy.
Played ultimate frisbee barefoot for a couple of summers. I can confirm, at least anecdotally, that my foot and leg strength both greatly improved during that time. Not only could I run faster, but I also became more agile, and my jump height increased. Having flat feet, it was strange not wearing shoes since I'm used to the support that they provide. But after some acclimation, I found it was much better on my ankles.
As someone who was always barefoot as a kid, I hated the slow switch to almost always wearing shoes, not only do I require an extra wide shoe otherwise risking that I cause myself pain, but most shoes don't go well with my super high arches. Obviously there are many situations that require shoes for safety and hygiene, but otherwise they shouldn't be so necessary. Do yourself some good and walk barefoot in the grass once in a while. That's what being natural really means
I started wearing shoes in the house (Canada) due to foot issues and won’t go back to just socks. Floors and roads are hard. Which is why we invented shoes.
At 53, I still go barefoot whenever I can. I just love the feel of it, always have. But no one - kid or adult - is going barefoot here in Cleveland in January. While we’re talking about whether it’s “okay to wear them”, let’s not forget that shoes serve an actual purpose.
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I spend a lot of time barefoot, even doing parkour and hiking too. Obviously it has its drawbacks, but it's a lot of fun.
It seems to me the ideal compromise would be to develop a lightweight form of footwear that was basically just a super-thin loos-ish semiporous bag over the foot (sort of like how ancient people used to just wrap leather around their feet and tie it with thongs or laces, just not with leather) to create something that would give total (or as close to total as we could manage) foot freedom of movement while still putting a barrier between our feet and the things we don't want our feet to come in contact with (dirt, sharp objects, hookworms etc.)
I used to look at how mashed under older ppl's little toes were as a kid. I avoid shoes when I can and have high arches, so I'm glad I lost my shoes a lot as a kiddie.
I grew hating to wear shoes. As a kid my feet grew thick callus on the bottom and I could run across almost all surfaces, gravel could still be ouchy and hot blacktop could burn if I stood still for long. As I was growing up, I also noticed that I would walk toe to heel. This all changed when I started having to wear shoes everywhere. I started walking heel to toes. As I got older my arches started to flatten. Now in my 50's my feet are flat and I have to have special insoles or after a while it becomes too painful to walk.
I come from New Zealand and loved growing up not having to wear shoes around the house and at primary school. The side affect was my feet grew wide and short. and finding wide shoes when most are made for narrow feet is hard. Shoes are always to small or big
I recently learned that the reason why I've always been prone to tripping/twisting my ankle is because I was born with warped metatarsals. The only way to fix that, especially as an adult, is to break the bones and reshape them. Learn something new every day.
I've noticed those who wear shoes often have toes which are crushed or squashed together, whereas mine are all separate. I've been barefoot for most of my life!
I switched to minimalist footwear 14 years ago. I went from having constant foot pain and flat feet to completely pain free feet with some arch. I’ll never go back to conventional shoes
Nature has developed our feet over thousands and millions of years, and now in a few hundred years we suddenly think we know better. There are of course reasons to wear shoes, but I take mine off whenever possible.
During warmer days I always walk barefooted around the house. It's just more comfortable. Walking barefoot in the city is dangerous because streets are full of trash that can cut or pierce your feet and cause an infection. Glass bottles, torn metal cans and syringes are the worst. Heck, even rural areas not completely safe because some people are just pigsties and leave their trash around (or throw it out of the window, in case of drivers)...
My friend's parents let them run shoeless, I had trouble when I reached the gravel on the driveway. I think I went shoeless at home too, but our yard had more grass and I stepped on a bee before I was in school, which made me more careful in our yard
Anicodally I would say that after switching to barefoot shoes I get more small injuries that go away within a week but feel way more comfortable and I feel like my balance is better
I have flat feet. And also have strange hips, from birth, where I technically never lost the crawling thing. I can still walk, and have an unusual gait. This video kind of helps understand a bunch of things related to that.
I don't wear shoes at home. No socks either. Doesn't matter if it's winter or summer, whether heating is turned on or off. I find it uncomfortable. My parents used to scold me for that, but I feel best bare foot. Doesn't mean I'm crazy to walk without shoes at work or anywhere else. There's a lot of stuff laying around which can serioisly injure your feet, all thanks to the kind people who break glass or throw whatever wherever.
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0:47 years of age has 😅😮
All I know is that stepping on gravel barefoot sucks, walking on hot asphalt or concrete barefoot sucks, walking across grass and stepping on one of those prickle plants barefoot sucks.
All of which can be avoided with a simple pair of shoes.
i also will say that for non runners, walking in a manner where you land on the toes of your foot and slowly apply pressure to the rest of your foot is just far more stable than landing on the balls of your feet which means if you have issues balancing, learning to do what many japense swordsman learn as a basic honestly is probably the best call and speaking from my own experience, despite having a weak left ankle from repeated strains, i have only twisted my ankle once even while only wearing sandals whenever i do go outside with its been about 3 years since than.
Surprised you didn't cover the toebox problem most modern day shoes have that end up squeezing the feet (just like ballerina slippers), causing their own sorts of health problems like bunions.
same, it definitely causes problems like disfigurement, mortons neuroma, ingrown nails, etc…
That's why I switched. First of all, I'm weird in that I can't stand my toes touching each other when they get sweaty. So in the mid 2000s when Crocs became popular and I was in elementary school, all I'd wear was Crocs. They had holes so the air would help me be less sweaty, and they were much wider than anything I'd seen. I even had the boots without holes because rubber boots were heavy and squished my toes. Then one day in high school, I came home and found my mom had a surprise for me. Vibram Bikila, the first pair of toe shoes I tried. I had seen them because someone I went to summer camp with had them, but I wasn't expecting to like them so much! I've always loved toe socks and had ones with Disney characters on them as a kid, but having shoes that would fit the extra width without feeling squished was great! I now wear barefoot style shoes as much as possible, the only things I have that aren't wider, are snow boots, and rubber boots, because those are necessities in Canada, and I haven't found a better option.
@@joylox It’s not weird to not like that feeling, it can actually lead to infection if there is too much friction between skin in a damp, warm environment. Yes toe socks are a great solution, I like softstar shoes, they have some good minimalistic shoes. The problem with water proof shoes is that it sacrifices on breathability which is more important imo.
i worked in a nursing home. some of those poor womens feet. toes all squished together. i never wear shoes at home. sandals when i go out. you never know what you'll walk into around here.
I grew up like most modern Americans, feet tightly ensconced in shoes most of the time. Around the age of 30, I bought a pair of trek sandals with a toe loop before spending a year in SE Asia. They hurt like hell at first, but they totally reshaped my feet - big toes straightened, foot widened. Only problem is now searching for EEE shoes to accommodate my reformed feet.
Concrete also plays a large factor. Pavement is BRUTAL. I grew up rural and ditched my shoes whenever it was safe to do so - including woods hiking and tree climbing - and have only had issues with my feet now in my mid-thirties, citybound, walking and exercising on concrete more often than not.
Im a rural kid and shoes are only worn when going out some where i have to wear shoes and in winter but i dont even do slippers in the house in winter
Silly question, have you gone bare foot in town ?
I only ask because when i was a kid staying with family over the hoildays in town , id still go bare foot as much as possible, i hate shoes as a rule because i have little broad feet but still got the arches a bellet dancer would kill for and getting correct fitting shoes is still hard to this day .
But no matter if its concrete or a lose stone path that would have most people hopping , i take in my stride as its that ball of your foot and the way you instinctively kind of just relax your feet to spread out the weight is the important part .
Im 49 years old now and i can walk bare foot anywhere, even hot roads in summer, you just have to get the first serring of your feet out of the way and your all good ... lol
The running joke in my family as im part austrailan aboriginal but im very white passing compared to the rest of my family .
Well the joke is , my feet are the most aboriginal feet in the family , all my cousins may be darker than me but you want to see them city slickers sook like white fellas walking across gravel.. lol
Kick them shoes off as much as posable, you dont use it , you lose it ... take ut from the barefoot old lady 👍
I think most kids remember accidentally dragging their toe along the concrete while running barefoot once or twice lmao That's a lesson you don't soon forget
Funny thing is, I found walking in the city painful in 'normal' shoes from brands like Adidas and Puma, but when I switched to barefoot, it was fine. Just before that, I'd had a pair of Campers, which I thought were _nearly_ barefoot, and my feet hurt especially in those after a lot of city walking, so I briefly thought that 'proved' barefoot was no good on concrete. Nope. Those shoes still had heel elevation and a less flexible sole.
Barefoot shoes with the insole in, especially, I find way more comfortable than regular sneakers. It's sort of the feeling I was looking for from them all along.
@@jaded9087 But aboriginal ppl never wore footwear before the the " white fella ' came?
Agreed. Tree climbing simply can't be done well with shoes on. Bare feet can grip and contour to the surface of the branches. Trying to climb trees with shoes on is like trying to type with leather mittens on.
As a Brazilian (that doesn’t live in São Paulo) I can confirm that almost everyone grows up barefoot or in flip flops
I grew up in the United States and barely wore shoes all summer long!
Even in São Paulo we largely use flip flops, especially at home, where 99% os us is either on flip flops or barefoot.
Heck, I even do groceries with flip flops, after all, weather here is not kind with closed shoes.
@@durrwooddude same. I am 64.
Same here. Although now i am trying to think of any occasion that I ever wanted to fall on the ball of my foot first unless I wasn't sneaking in or trying to do precise jumps
Ditto. Grew up in South Africa.
not wearing shoes is so nice, it pisses me off so much when people see me with no shoes and act like it's gross, like oh no my feet have dirt on them, meanwhile your feet are covered and marinated in more and more sweat and bacteria every step you take in socks and shoes
In New Zealand, being barefoot most of the time is the norm, especially when it comes to children, and especially in summer, when many people even go shopping, etc, in barefeet. Wearing shoes most of the time, especially when in your own home, is somewhat strange to us.
It's illegal in most places in the US to enter a store barefoot. They don't want to to step on broken glass or something and get hurt. You can't walk into a place shirtless either. "No shirt, no shoes, no service".
@@PhantomQueenOne I guess that's what comes of corporate accountability being litigation-based.
I go barefoot around the house and yard, but am definitely worried about picking up infected cuts from broken god-knows-what on the streets.
@@PhantomQueenOne That's the problem with having to be on alert for any situation that might involve someone getting sued. We have a no-fault, government-funded, compensation scheme that covers all kinds of situations involving injury, which negates the need to sue for compensation.
Bro. I literally only put on shoes when I wanna get into a bar or club
So basically Hobbits 😂
and I've been reprimanded for not landing on my heels when running or walking, turns out that's what supposed to naturally happen if it weren't for shoes anyway.
Walking heel first is a very natural thing to do. It's really running or jogging where it's an issue.
Heelstriking is faster, but palm striking is more efficient, and safe.
@@CoryPchajek I had an injury that required me to relearn to walk when I was a teenager. I was trained to walk heel first by the doctors and yes my friends tell me they always know when I'm coming because they can hear the thump. I also have foot issues that require orthotics now, unsure if those things are related.
@@unknownhours It's normal for your heel to touch down about the same time as the side of your foot, but punching the ground with your heel with every step is not normal. Look at a regular shoe - the heel is raised, so when you put your foot down your foot's natural position is going to push that raised heel into the ground first. Without the raised heel, your foot's actual position wouldn't change much, but your step would be different, and more of your foot would hit the ground at the same time. It's all classic physics.
I've been told my whole life that I walk weirdly (on my toes) so it makes so much more sense now knowing that it could be related to how I spend most of the day, every day barefoot.
Feeling the ground barefoot is like a whole extra sense that so many people give up. I go barefoot whenever I can
I agree with that, perhaps the feeling in feet has become strange for people too. I like the feeling of grass between my toes and running in soft earth, but a lot of people don’t
When I was in college, one of the buildings had a portion built over a driveway. When walking along the hallway above that, I really enjoyed the difference in sensation (basically temperature) as my path transitioned from walking over offices to walking over the driveway portion. Yes, I generally went to class barefoot.
Found Toph
I’d rather be barefoot too
Minimalist sandals are the best of both worlds. I can't wear anything else now!
Grew up on a native reservation, my parents worked their butts off all summer for us to have shoes during school and for boots during winter. Summer time was bare feet and cheap flip flops and we also do not wear shoes in the house (its disrespectful). I was always embarrassed for not wearing closed toe shoes during the summer and finding this out makes me feel better knowing that helped my family have healthier lives. That's awesome to know, thanks for the video!
Wearing shoes inside is disrespectful where I live as well (Sweden, but the same holds true for most of the northern world). I don't wear socks at home either since I have no problem with cold floors.
Dude what, down south EVERY kid was barefoot, by choice, during the summer lol Its unfortunate you felt embarrassed, cuz when I was a kid we all took our shoes off to run faster and would get screamed at about catching ringworm 😂
@@GlorifiedGremlin Yeah I'm from the north and flip flops was standard footwear in the 90's early 2000's growing up. Idk anyone who wanted to wear tennis shoes in the heat and humidity!
I purposely avoided wearing shoes as much as I could as a child, too. I didn't like wearing "foot coffins" at all.
Credit to Xero Shoes for the term, "foot coffins".
Eh, it's okay, sandals and flipflops feel very good in summer heat. In fact, at my own house when I go outside, I usually go barefoot. I rarely use shoes in my yard. Maybe on the 4th of July or if we're working. Whenever I leave the house, unless I'm running (in which case I have running shoes) I just have flipflops.
i went to school in New Zealand and half the kids had no shoes and we were allowed to climb trees. I just assumed everyone was broke but I think the teachers were pretty wise
I think it's worth noting that shoes are also protection for your feet against puncture wounds and such from rough terrain. Wearing shoes less often may be beneficial, but there is still a place for shoes as foot armour against random debris on the ground.
But your feet get tougher over time, so too much protection makes your feet weaker.
@@austinhernandez2716 Surely, what you say is true! However, I think no amount of skin toughness is going to protect you from standing on an upright nail or broken glass, snake fangs or other puncture hazards. Which is why shoes are important, at least in certain contexts. Using shoes less to make our feet tougher is good, as long as we're doing it in the right circumstances.
Use your eyes to not walk on glass, nails, dog poop...
@@cloudytea3121 Sorry, this is a dumb response. Saying "use your eyes" is not a real way to manage the risk of foot injury. People make mistakes, they will still accidentally step on harmful things even if they are generally careful and observant. That's why we have crumple zones in cars, seat belts, bike helmets, Personal Protective Equipment, etc. When hazards are present, mistakes will happen. Plus, foot hazards are often hidden under grass or other ground cover, such as the infamous snek.
@@liamcullen3035 minimalist foot wear. Aka flipflops, sandals, and many more
I enjoy taking walks around my large apartment complex barefoot. The connection between feet and earth is so refreshing. I walk on concrete, dirt, gravel, even mud sometimes. It just feels GOOD. People look at me weird sometimes but I don't care. I have hurt my feet before walking in sharp stones or whatnot, but mostly it works out ok.
Get well soon Hank ❤️
Ya man. U know too? Poor guy got cancer. Was devastated when I saw his vlog channel.
Cancer. So sad
This makes a lot of sense to me. I have Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, and wearing closed-toed shoes always has made my knees and hips hurt worse, even as a young kid. I would always insist on sandals or bare feet. I never really figured out why. This would explain a lot! The increased impact on my knees and hips from running heel-to-toe (as I was taught to do) would make those joints hurt more as they jostled around more. And when I walk quickly (I can't really run anymore because of hip instability) I always walk on the balls of my feet.
i have eds too! do you also find walking in heels (not a stiletto, just like a boot with a 1" heel or smth) MUCH more comfortable than flat shoes?
@@Kelly_C Yup! But anything with high arches makes me unable to walk at all. I can do heeled boots, but not Nikes
Hypermobility here, possible EDS. I'm with you on a lot of this. My foot wear was always high brand, because my feet couldn't deal with low quality shoes even as a kid. Pretty early in my teenhood, I started wearing heeled shoes, because those are formed in a way, that shifts weight on the front of the foot. I also usually went from winter shoes with a lot of interior stuffing to sandals. Canvas, sneaker, chucks - they were hell. I have so sensible feet, it''s ridiclious - additional to the sole thing my skin tears into blisters the moment there is a minimal pressure point made. I walked my feet bloody so many a time...
I also always have "a spring in my step" because heel-to-toe just feels wrong and beliefe me, when I say my family wanted to change to that healthy habit.
Now-a-days I do wear primarly one brand of sneakers, as they have arch-support and memory foam soles in combination to some flexible outerior material. Sadly my knees took a real hit during my compensating with "high"-heels phase in my teens. Still prefer heeled (2 to 4 cm) over a flat sole.
Always nice when a childhood thing finally makes sense!
I'm so sorry that you all have to deal with this. Mayo Clinic says it's rare...
*reading
Wow, it Sucks :(
I have EDS too and always tend to walk on the balls of my feet for that exact reason! I hated Nike and preferred skate shoes as a kid and teen. I mainly wear converse when wearing a sneaker but I don't love them either because if I run my hips start to hurt. Maybe I should give those barefoot shoes a try? Have you ever tried those?
I came from a rural area in South Africa and never wore shoes except for school until I started working. After teaching in Korea for 6 months I went barefoot when Spring came around. It was an amazing feeling. I hadn't realised how much I missed it
Both of those countries have parasitic worms in the soil that can burrow into your bloodstream through bare feet.
Barefoot or minimalist shoes have damn near changed my life. It's unfortunate that it wasn't mentioned in the video but, this type of foot wear can be more comfortable than a standard shoe. I noticed an immediate difference after the first day of wearing them. I can't understate how awesome barefoot shoes feel. Literally try it for the meme of it and you won't regret it.
They are the most comfortable shoe because it feels like you have no shoes on. The feel of needing to take your shoes off when arriving home doesn't exist here because they are not constraining your feet.
The problem is that it is like doing exercise, you know that you are going to feel better if you do it, but it takes effort and knowledge on how to correctly transition.
Yeah, I got into them because I was developing foot pain and realised my toes were constricted. After one day in them I tried putting on an old pair of traditional sneakers. I realised right away I never wanted to wear such things again. And after about two weeks in my barefoot shoes, all my foot pain went away.
Agreed. I've been wearing minimalist "toe shoes" for over a decade. I live in Canada, so climate dictates the need to don proper winter boots every now and then (I'm on Vancouver Island, on the west coast with the mildest winters in Canada). Anytime I need to wear conventional footwear, I cringe. Barefoot shoes are so liberating; and the groundfeel is unparalleled. Added bonus - barefoot shoes can be laundered.
@@jasonarthurs3885 Do none of the many barefoot boots work for you? Some of them are very sturdy,, warm, water-proof or water-resistant, and have good treads.
Theyre the perfect solution
Theyre great for your feet because of how little invasive they are but you still get the protection of shoes
I'd be interested in a video about the concerns around flatworms and other parasites for kids running around barefoot (ie. are they overblown or reasonable)... especially for those of us who raise chickens or other animals in our backyards.
I got ringworm on my feet because I went into the coop barefoot.
@@megmcguireme Thanks for pointing that out. Luckily ringworm is relatively easy to identify and treat.
Its overblown for most people but it a real concern on farms.
Thankgod barefoot shoes exist and give most benefits of being barefoot while also protecting your feet.
Highly dependent on what part of the country/world you're in as well. But yeah, anywhere around livestock is going to have a lot more parasites.
Not saying this as an "uhm akshully", and I recognize this is entirely anecdotal, but I grew up without wearing shoes on our chicken farm. I went inside the coop all the time, I got a lot of splinters but not really any parasites. Was I just... really lucky?
I will caution; I switched to zero drop shoes, and within 6 months got achilles tendinitis. If you want to adjust to bare feet, go slow and be very careful about how you're working your muscles and tendons
Seriously. This is a big change, take it slowly!
Ironically I used to have plantar fasciitis after I started my internship as a doctor
Turns out as someone raised in Asia (Arabian, not Asian) I am not used to my foot squished in a shoe all day
Because from age 0 to 25 my shoes are limited to school and college, where I am mostly sitting “ and of course occasions like visiting someone, holidays or weddings”
While in the hospital I need to walk and walk and walk in those shoes so as someone who been barefooted my entire life I found myself squishing and crushing my foot inside those shoes so that give me a PF that didn’t heal until I switch to barefoot shoes.
Since the first day I put them in they felt so right. Didn’t have feet pain ever since
If I wear any height heel at all, my knees get very sad. And if my knees get sad, it's not long after that my hips get sad. To the point of debilitating pain. So I wear zero-drop or barefoot style shoes everywhere and for everything now. Going barefoot at home or wearing barefoot style shoes has not restored the arches in my feet - they are still VERY flat - but I feel so much better. In fact, I've avoided plantar fasciitis returning, and all my joints love it! I'm in my 50's and barefoot / zero drop shoes are a key part of my strategies to avoid the knee replacement surgeries that my mom had in her 60's.
As someone with calluses on her feet from being used to walking around barefoot, I would like to point out that also in this case, you should look for a healthy middle ground. Not too little and not too much. Calluses can develop such sharp edges that you may end up hurting yourself or others or you may even cause tears in fabric touching your feet 'cus they grow so rough. Take care of yourself, y'all. :)
I fixed my hip en knee issues with barefoot shoes. It re-taught me to walk properly, it turned me into a middel/fore-foot walker. (Instead of heel).
My joint pain hurt so bad I had to pull myself up on something if I had to squat or pick something off te floor. Today I have no issues at all even its been a couple of years since I wore my barefoot shoes. I just got around to buying a new pair. It take a while to get used to the sensitivity as I can feel everything under the soles, but I feel more connected with nature, and it makes traversing mountain paths easier. I have more grip and can better feel the stability of the surface. I have rekindled my love for barefoot shoes!❤
I've been a fan of going barefoot forever! When I was a kid, I went barefoot as much as my mom would let me, and as an adult I NEVER wear shoes at home and sometimes outside. After watching this video, I think I may understand why I tend to land on the ball of my foot when I'm walking. And I prefer shoes with as thin a sole as possible and no heel. Thanks for explaining the benefits of barefooting!
Try barefoot shoes for outside the house activities, you will thank me
@@ArawnOfAnnwn Also nothing separating your feet from glass, needles, or other nasties you'll find randomly in city fields or streets.
@@ArawnOfAnnwn The barefoot shoes I've seen don't seem to be too much like socks. Do you have particular socks in mind that someone could consider that would perform similarly?
I wear swim shoes a lot because they have very thin soles with absolutely no heel. They aren't very expensive, so they fit my budget. If my feet are cold indoors, I wear slippers that I've crocheted
@@Reepecheep If you're used to walking barefoot outside on hard ground, glass shards and stuff isn't as dangerous as it seems if. You'll develop a thick sole to the point that if there's something that's actually dangerous it's going to hurt you even if you wear thin shoes. Though I still wouldn't recommend it, since the risk is still higher than using hard-soled shoes.
I walk around barefoot at home and wear thin-soled minimalist shoes outside the home. I'm a walking paraplegic and it's just easier for me to walk with bare feet or minimal footwear because I can better feel the ground and it let's me feel "rooted". Regular shoe soles feel like balancing on wobbly pillows to me and I hate them.
Vibram's Five Fingers FTW! I only wish that somebody could make a similar style shoe but higher quality, more durable, and waterproof. Vibram's essentially has a monopoly in this specific category of shoes. Without competition there is less incentive to improve. Having some with differently size toe pockets would be nice too. The four lesser toes are made longer for people with gross feet. I have short stubby toes that don't fit too will in their pockets.
But I still love them. I've had them since the end of high school, or for 14 years. Before that I largely walked barefoot whenever I could. I hated regular shoes that would cram in all the toes and restrict their movement. When I found Vibrams it was like a dream come true. They were everything I wanted in a shoe.
Well, my grandfather did enforce his children to walk barefoot for at least 2 hours per day. When they started having jobs, it was reduced to only 1 day a week. The result was that all of his grandchildren born in Surinam could exert grip with their feet while climbing trees.
Been wearing barefoot shoes for ten years - after seeing some proprioception research - and I’ll never go back. My oldest daughter has always hated shoes and can walk on *anything*, but I’m personally still not going barefoot over sharp rocks. Barefoot / minimalist shoes are a great compromise.
I also have six horses that I slowly transitioned away from steel shoes. (Some were fine, some needed temporary “barefoot shoes” on certain surfaces, as years of steel shoes had greatly reduced the natural capacities of their hoof).
There are many compelling reasons to spend more time barefoot - or barefoot shoes - and for both myself and my horses, it was studying mechanoreceptors that actually pushed me over the edge to get rid of “normal” shoes here.
My husband needed more convincing, but then some famous golfer commented that he wore only barefoot style shoes, and that was that 💁♀️. No normal shoes in our home, and our living room includes trays of river rocks to stand on.
Steel hooves are really only necessary if you intend to take those horses on rocks, hard gravel, or above all else paved roads. The natural wear of hooves on dirt, assuming they have a wide pasture to run in, is more than healthy. It's how they evolved to function. Just got to keep an eye on them. :v
That's interesting because the only time I don't wear barefoot shoes is when I'm around horses so I get that extra protection, and it's a lot harder to ride a horse without a heel (unless you're riding bareback, but most horses I know aren't used to that and would struggle). I do remember a relative of mine getting in trouble for not wearing shoes, even as an adult, but he was so tough, and could climb any tree. I like my Vibram Spyridon MR (now discontinued) for anything that's more rough, like hiking in areas with lots of rocks, gravel, or even if I'm in the city where there's frequently broken glass. I don't know what I'll do when they wear out, because I like the sole, and I don't think they make that specific type anymore. It's a chunky grip rather than the more minimal type. I find they're a good middle ground between the extremely minimal 2-3mm thick soles, and a more conventional shoe. I also find Xero shoes to be a good middle ground because they look like regular shoes so I don't get the weird comments, and they're a bit more protective, while still allowing you to feel the ground and have that extra width that helps a lot.
@@AimlessSavant I know in my area, the police horses obviously need metal, but I've seen some different options when in rural areas. Unfortunately I didn't really keep up with horses because a disability I'm still waiting for testing on made it too hard to care for them, or even have proper posture. I'm hoping to ride again this year after I've done lots of physio.
@@joylox tbh I do think sometimes about whether I should still *ride* in boots-with-heel…it’s been so drilled into me from childhood. And sometimes if I remember, I’ll put them on to ride. But I don’t worry about working on the ground and being stepped on (which ofc happens and OUCH 😣), because unless I’m in steel-toed boots- which I never was - my heavy-duty Vivo insulated trail runners offer just as much protection on top of my foot as my Ariat paddock boots.
I do know a lot of riders today who are also riding in Vivo/Xero, but some do use front cages on their stirrups.
I’m quite safety-conscious (helmet 100%), but I’m still making a calculation that for the riding I do, it’s extremely unlikely that I’ll be in a situation for which a heel would be the thing that saved me.
@@AimlessSavantThere are certainly reasons a horse might need shoes, I agree, but nothing that justifies *steel*; thankfully composite nail-on (or glue-on) shoes are now becoming more widely available and more farriers are trained/willing to use them. I still have *boots* for one of mine for gravel, but he was in composite shoes for a couple years.
Just like the human barefoot shoe market is growing and we will all have more options (and not have to spend a fortune), the non-steel horseshoe market is growing, albeit way too slowly.
The only friends of mine with horses still in steel shoes simply cannot find a farrier willing to use even the nail-on composites. But that’s slowly changing…
Shoes were invented as protection from injuries and excess dirt or to help keep warm in body, if they weren't needed, they weren't used, now they are also a fashion item, and became social standard in most developed countries (also as mentioned, most people feet are too soft and sensitive now to straight jump into boing bare).
Surprized that you never mentioned the high heels that we wear!
Anyone who wears high heels values fashion over their health.
A missed opportunity here, not mentioning how wearing shoes has reshaped near enough everyone's feet for the worse.
Your big toe? Its supposed to point straight, an extension of the bone inside the foot to which it is attached capable of footing some serious force. Your Achilles tendons? Should look straight and vertical from behind, not bowed inwards.
Shoes make feet weak, prompting specialist recommendations for even more expensive shoes meant to provide the support shoes robbed the feet of in the first place.
My big toes do point straight, but my achilles tendon does bow in a little. I went barefoot as often as allowed as a child...and still do as a 50+ year old
*All the barefoot shoes people emerge from the shadows, snapping rhythmically*
Much to my mother's annoyance, I grew up barefoot. I had shoes, I just hated them. I'm 57 now and still spend all indoor time barefoot (except in other people's houses. Though my kids don't mind. I let them choose what they wanted when they were growing up). As a kid, during the warmer and dryer weather, I'd try to escape the house without shoes (in the UK - it was on typically paved paths; hardly soft, warm ground!) My third child (adult...) is as bad as me for hating shoes!
ive personally given up on shoes in all but the most formal situations, or when weather would otherwise cause more harm than the shoe. it gives me a better feel of my surroundings, as it opens up a whole avenue of touch we're sobbed of in our day to day: the main hangup is the sensitivity of the skin when you're not used to barefootedness
Just what I needed to hear after getting weird looks from other parents at the playground while my barefoot preschoolers were using their grippy bare feet to climb up the slides.
Happy to read this! My son is usually barefoot on the playground, and other kids see that and take off their shoes, then their mothers insist on putting their kids' shoes back on. I'm just like, why? Clearly there is no danger for kids to be barefoot, and there are so many benefits!!
Kids are supposed to be barefoot. Don’t let the Karen’s get to you
Well I guess I hit the bad luck lotto then, I have flat feet AND I grew up barefoot and in a rural area lol.
when they start talking about gate and they show the beach runner around 3:30 or so you can see that the beach runner lands on their forefoot only twice and only on their right foot while every other step is on their heel or slightly in front of their hips. I know they're on the beach and it doesn't matter a whole lot but its a weird example to use.
There’s a middle ground called Minimal shoes. I’ve worn them for a few decades now. Never had issues. I love them.
Humans have evolved barefoot and the feet are well-equipped to handle any problems they might encounter on the ground. Aside from accidentally stepping onto something that might be painful (e.g. a Lego) you’ll be fine. In fact, it’s much healthier to go barefoot, than to let your foot sweat inside your shoe, creating a dark, damp and warm environment, perfect for the growth of bacteria and fungi.
Aside from that, your average modern shoe is too narrow for the human foot, meaning it will compress and eventually deform your foot causing all kinds of issues !
I was born to live barefoot : 🦶🏻🦶🏻 - the best shoes ❗😊
I can remember being 6-9 and able.to.walk on the blacktop parking lots of se Florida beaches barefoot, were talking 140f+ went around mostly barefoot and hardly ever got sick and my toes were more like fingers. I later went to go work in almost cryogenic enviroments -32f 64 below freezing and it dropped my immune response by 75% and left my feet with a very large amount micro fractures. My body forgot how to handle bacteria and fungal infections and my feet almost rotted off, I was left with a few options take a medication that would damage my liver but save my feet or risk losing my feet and let nature do what it was gonna do, took almost 3 years but saved my feet and liver.
I lived in a rural town with dirt streets and very few sidewalks. Some sidewalks were wood. I sent the girls to the grocery store barefoot many times. Got into Divorce Court and I found out I was ABUSING my children by letting them run around without shoes. So who's right, Sci Show, or my psycho ex and her Minneapolis Lawyer?
you were robbed at gunpoint of the law
@@captainfraser3827 Yeah, it's tough being a member of the Oppressive Patriarchy.
People will cry abuse at the most ridiculous things. Then when actual abuse happens, they'll cower off and say its none of their business. Child runs around without shoes? Abuse. Child walks in rain without an umbrella? God forbid they melt or something, abuse! Child smells like they haven't bathed in 2 months, is covered in rashes, and is emotionally unstable? Kids these days act so helpless and sensitive, they're probably fine!
*broken glass, nails, asphalt and bicycle spokes have entered the chat*
The issue in studying this is the focus on populations that, while wearing less shoes, is several time more active than the average person. Especially when it comes to running
I had to wear shoes as a young child. I was born with crooked legs and needed orthopedic shoes with weird sole things. After that, at age six I started practicing Tae Kwon Do. Barefoot of course. I haven't stopped and I'm almost 40 💜
*Glass has entered the chat*
I wear Archie's sandals 24/7. They've got arch support for my flat feet, but are open and let me still feel the ground and such fairly well.
My toddler doesn't wear anything but cloth or leather shoes, though, and won't be except in snow.
Barefoot hiking has always relieved my lower back pain. To me, the rocks, pebbles, etc have always been natures reflexology.
Sadly I live in Canada so until we develop anti-frostbite spray we need our boots
Late Spring to Early Fall is usually still warm enough for barefoot unless you are up North a ways, so most of us get about 1/3 of the year to enjoy it. 🇨🇦
I find it hard with snow too. But I got a pair of boots from Xero Shoes, and soaked them in waterproof treatment I found at the fabric store, and so far so good as long as it's not slush. Although I'm also one of those weird people who wears 5 toe shoes, and the Vibram Trek Ascent is the single best shoe I've ever tried for walking on solid ice. Unfortunately they do get wet if I walk in snow, so that's not good. Even after I switched to barefoot shoes, the two things I can't replace are my giant Timberland snow boots, and my Canadian made rubber boots.
@gilliantohver3225 outside of the jokes I was one of those kids who spent most of their summers barefoot outside
I only recently just realized my little toes are kind of squished under my other toes because I could never find shoes that are wide enough.
I've now switched to barefoot/minimalist shoes which don't have this problem.
You could also take into considerdation areas like really big cities where people buy shoes of the wrong sizes and then stuff on socks to fill out and walk in their shoes for most of the day even indoors.
the rates of feet issues in those places are huge! "new york studies are many for this reason"
Zero drop or minimalist shoes are the next best thing to barefoot walking and running. It allows your feet to do most of the work while still providing some cushioning and protection from debris.
In Australia being barefoot is more common. I never really wore shoes when I went to the shops or park when I was young and I still rarely wear shoes at 18. Shoes make my feet hurt, sweat, stink, and feel numb to the environment. I wear them for work, school and when I like to feel dressed up but I hate the idea of forcing my self or my future children to wear shoes when it’s totally unnecessary
Aboriginals managed without them 🤔
I gave up flipflops and bought sandals, best buy ever, my physical therapist recommended me that advice because of medial arch injury
Footballers and cricketers use shoes and that to with spikes when they can play barefoot, barefoot is fine if it's soft grass or beach/river sand not hard or jagged surface.
I grew up rural and never wearing shoes in the summer. I remember my soles were so thick id brush pickers out of them without feeling it
Switched to zero rise or low rise shoes with foot shaped shoe and what a world's difference its made on my ankle pain
When I was young my mom always made sure I had a bunch of arch support in anything I wore. I would demand room for all 5 of my toes from as far back as I can remember but I always had excruciating pain in my arches until I was about 8-11. That’s when I started walking around the golf course in bare feet. Usually I did it after I couldn’t stand my arch supporting shoes after the first couple holes. I also rebelled and would only wear vans as a teenager, which are flat, and would still demand width for toes even if it meant going 1.5 sizes up. Now that I’m an adult I can spend 8-10 hours walking around at work or golfing and have zero foot pain ever unless I get a blister. And as long as my little toe has room I’m not picky about shoes, from Dunlop work boots to Jordan’s.
I once ran 4 kilometers bare foot. I was used to walk bare foot then, but a smooth transition is : Not living in a city because it isn't cool to walk on asphalt bare foot, and wearing little shoes to run / just walk without shoes.
I don't really mind going barefoot, but it's hard to let my kids roam around the neighborhood when people litters not just plastic but basically anything including rusty nails
All my life (including before I was 6) I've taken off my shoes any time I can, because my feet are happier bare. Due to this, I tend to walk/run in digitigrade fashion rather than plantigrade. My heels get really sore if I have to wear shoes for more than 5-6 hours at a time. Also, my feet are REALLY wide just before the toes separate, & REALLY narrow at the heel -- they're almost like triangles with toes. Thank you, Rose Bear Don't Walk!
Most of my childhood was bare foot I played football(the real football) on the street no shoes
My feet had a natural armor 😂
But now it’s gone 💔
I raised myself barefoot allowing my toes to splay and give more balance, and when I got older I always wore wide toe shoes to maintain this advantage. I've never rolled an ankle even though I trail run 40 miles a week
In India, we prefer sandals and flippers the most. Shoe is only meant for offices, ceremonies and outings. Some people even wear sandals in those places as well. We prefer to stay barefoot inside our house, because we don't like our floors to be dusty or muddy from outdoor footwears. In winter though, we might use indoor flippers or else socks if someone cannot tolerate cold floors
I think we should correct feet shape by hitting them with hammers
It fixed my 'puter . Even the cracked screen is np more 😂
In California, during the summer, the sidewalks and roads are blistering hot. Shoes are required. Also, stubbed toes are possible. OUCH!!!!
Barefoot is the only way i can run without knee pain. Running on the pad of the foot functions as a spring and cushion my knees when i contact the ground.
So, if you have sensitive feet like myself, you're doomed.
After a while you’ll get used to it. Your feet aren’t used to walking on rocks or rough terrain. When I was a kid it didn’t bother me but after years of walking in shoes as an adult it’s made my feet very sensitive
Oh, but there are barefoot style shoes that still give you the barefoot action, but protect your feet from rocks and painful pokey things.
There are lots of barefoot shoes. I'm in Canada, we get snow, and obviously if it's all snow and ice outside, going barefoot is a bad idea. So I wear a pair of boots from Xero Shoes, and they're great! They're flatter and wider around the toes compared to a standard boot, and I like that they're a lot lighter, but still offer grip and protection. I don't dare go outside barefoot, but I wear shoes that are much closer to the experience.
As a young child in the South in the early 60's, I don't think I wore shoes except on Sunday morning to go to church. Even after I started school they came *off* my feet as soon as I got home. I have very high arches.
This explains why my feet aren't as flat as my mom's were. She had completely flat feet. I don't like to wear shoes.
When I was a kid, I walked outside during the spring without a coat and shoes and people judged my parents for it. Now we are all finding out that we should walk around barefoot and without coats more.
While i do like to walk around barefoot at home (inside and outside) i always struggled with how sensitive my soles are. Even as a child i would cry easily when the floor was too hot, too cold, or simply too painful on a rocky flooring. I may not be the norm, but i do find that this is a major issue as our streets imo arent clean enough (including trash lying around) for me to want to walk barefoot anywhere but inside my own garden or the beach. Im amazed when i see people even in high summer, that wander around barefoot in the city. I do see them though. And good for them too, if that works for them.
I have flat feet when standing, but I have an arch when my feet are off the ground. A foot doctor told me there are different types of flat feet and mine will never be a problem, because of the bone placement. So all flat feet are not problematic! And I'm barefoot whenever possible. When I was a kid, my callouses were so thick, I could walk over pebbles and even bits of broken glass with no problem!
ever since I was a kid i've never worn shoes unless I absolutely have to. I'm the only one in my family that has never had to deal with foot fungus, bunions, or ingrown toenails. sure, ive stepped on holly leaves dozens of times, but that just builds character. I firmly believe its not good for your feet to have them crammed into shoes 24/7
I never used to wear shoes as a little kid, I absolutely hated them. Until one time at a playground--with loose woodchips as the flooring stuffs--I ran up to a ladder and tried climbing up it. I felt something hitting the bar along with my foot. At the top, I discovered I had a long wood chip shoved halfway up into my foot. It's wild that I didn't feel it happen, and the pain didn't kick in until I saw it, but it was one of my most vivid early memories. It was a public park so basically all the kids gathered around to watch me cry as a helpful adult got the woodchip out. I did not run barefoot in nature after that. :P
Of course, woodchips are an unnatural human-made setup, but still. Memory stuck!
Reason why I always ran faster without shoes, I remember when I was younger and we would race, we would slide out of our shoes midway like it was a torque button 😂 always worked
Grounding also called earthing. As adults, we need to do this more often! Also look up japanese forest bathing!
I often wear no shoes, and sometimes no socks too, but I often at least wear socks (when inside, or when using shoes). I got this from my uncle who doesn't really wear shoes a lot.
So when I am home (in the garden, etc), or walking short distances I don't wear shoes. It's when I have to go to work, go to a city, or a longer walk I use shoes (because work, and because people really like breaking glass on the ground).
Not wearing shoes can prevent something that we in my country call "plattfot", it's when your foot becomes completely flat because your shoes dampen everything. (I live in Norway btw)
I'm from the countryside and only ever wore shoes for school, work, wherever required shoes really. All other time it's barefoot or sandals. Ive been told I have high arches but my one ankle is weak due to a break as a kid
As a child I almost ALWAYS go barefoot! Whenever I can! I’ve noticed my pinky toe sticks out more, that also means whenever I have to wear shoes (school, going out) I am uncomfortable as my pinky sticks into the side of the shoe, also my dad also hates wearing shoes.
I grew up not wearing shoes in the summertime, parents saved on foot wear/$. When I went to school, my parents got me shoes. That said, I hated school, and wearing shoes. Now as a retired adult, I go shoelaces when ever possible, and only buy zero drop, big toe box shoes and boots. Yes there needs to be some transition time going this route. However, since I had muscle memory of not wearing shoes,the transition was easy.
Played ultimate frisbee barefoot for a couple of summers. I can confirm, at least anecdotally, that my foot and leg strength both greatly improved during that time. Not only could I run faster, but I also became more agile, and my jump height increased.
Having flat feet, it was strange not wearing shoes since I'm used to the support that they provide. But after some acclimation, I found it was much better on my ankles.
As someone who was always barefoot as a kid, I hated the slow switch to almost always wearing shoes, not only do I require an extra wide shoe otherwise risking that I cause myself pain, but most shoes don't go well with my super high arches. Obviously there are many situations that require shoes for safety and hygiene, but otherwise they shouldn't be so necessary. Do yourself some good and walk barefoot in the grass once in a while. That's what being natural really means
Even in the middle-ages, the shoes had very little sole thickness, and they walked "indian style" (toe-heel) rather than heel-toe.
I started wearing shoes in the house (Canada) due to foot issues and won’t go back to just socks. Floors and roads are hard. Which is why we invented shoes.
At 53, I still go barefoot whenever I can. I just love the feel of it, always have. But no one - kid or adult - is going barefoot here in Cleveland in January. While we’re talking about whether it’s “okay to wear them”, let’s not forget that shoes serve an actual purpose.
I spend a lot of time barefoot, even doing parkour and hiking too. Obviously it has its drawbacks, but it's a lot of fun.
It seems to me the ideal compromise would be to develop a lightweight form of footwear that was basically just a super-thin loos-ish semiporous bag over the foot (sort of like how ancient people used to just wrap leather around their feet and tie it with thongs or laces, just not with leather) to create something that would give total (or as close to total as we could manage) foot freedom of movement while still putting a barrier between our feet and the things we don't want our feet to come in contact with (dirt, sharp objects, hookworms etc.)
I used to look at how mashed under older ppl's little toes were as a kid. I avoid shoes when I can and have high arches, so I'm glad I lost my shoes a lot as a kiddie.
I grew hating to wear shoes. As a kid my feet grew thick callus on the bottom and I could run across almost all surfaces, gravel could still be ouchy and hot blacktop could burn if I stood still for long. As I was growing up, I also noticed that I would walk toe to heel. This all changed when I started having to wear shoes everywhere. I started walking heel to toes. As I got older my arches started to flatten. Now in my 50's my feet are flat and I have to have special insoles or after a while it becomes too painful to walk.
I come from New Zealand and loved growing up not having to wear shoes around the house and at primary school. The side affect was my feet grew wide and short. and finding wide shoes when most are made for narrow feet is hard. Shoes are always to small or big
I have always hated wearing shoes and now the science finally has my back!
I recently learned that the reason why I've always been prone to tripping/twisting my ankle is because I was born with warped metatarsals. The only way to fix that, especially as an adult, is to break the bones and reshape them. Learn something new every day.
I've noticed those who wear shoes often have toes which are crushed or squashed together, whereas mine are all separate. I've been barefoot for most of my life!
as someone that walks without shoes, stepping on thorns is real, and get one stuck in the tuff part? yeeeebaby thats good to keep walkin on
I switched to minimalist footwear 14 years ago. I went from having constant foot pain and flat feet to completely pain free feet with some arch. I’ll never go back to conventional shoes
Nature has developed our feet over thousands and millions of years, and now in a few hundred years we suddenly think we know better.
There are of course reasons to wear shoes, but I take mine off whenever possible.
During warmer days I always walk barefooted around the house. It's just more comfortable.
Walking barefoot in the city is dangerous because streets are full of trash that can cut or pierce your feet and cause an infection. Glass bottles, torn metal cans and syringes are the worst. Heck, even rural areas not completely safe because some people are just pigsties and leave their trash around (or throw it out of the window, in case of drivers)...
My friend's parents let them run shoeless, I had trouble when I reached the gravel on the driveway.
I think I went shoeless at home too, but our yard had more grass and I stepped on a bee before I was in school, which made me more careful in our yard
Anicodally I would say that after switching to barefoot shoes I get more small injuries that go away within a week but feel way more comfortable and I feel like my balance is better
I have flat feet. And also have strange hips, from birth, where I technically never lost the crawling thing. I can still walk, and have an unusual gait. This video kind of helps understand a bunch of things related to that.
I don't wear shoes at home. No socks either. Doesn't matter if it's winter or summer, whether heating is turned on or off. I find it uncomfortable. My parents used to scold me for that, but I feel best bare foot. Doesn't mean I'm crazy to walk without shoes at work or anywhere else. There's a lot of stuff laying around which can serioisly injure your feet, all thanks to the kind people who break glass or throw whatever wherever.
I grew up in the countryside and spent most of my childhood barefooted. I've walked on concrete and asphalt barefooted too.