Running Barefoot

I know what you’re thinking: (a really big) Bigfoot, right?

No… This is just a public service announcement to scare the crap out of you that when and if you run Barefoot, you’ll need a wheelchair soon.

Actually, it’s quite the opposite in this case… not all forms of paranoia are justified… if justified at all.

Running barefoot has its benefits… believe it or not… and yes, this is for the folks who have seen people’s feet bleeding from marathons or from anywhere else.

Sometimes all our deepest fears can be cleared if we take a look at history.

Do you think cavemen wore Nike running shoes as they chased their quarry in the jungle?

Even though we’re big followers of Darwin, I’m sorry, we haven’t evolved as much as we’d like to think. We still have two hands and legs, one stomach, take a dump through our colon, and perhaps the only improvement we have made is our use of language from hand gestures (that sometimes works better than the former).

Why?

George Carlin once said that you’ll meet three kinds of people in your daily lives. The first type is the really stupid ones (read: numb), the second: full of shit (read: numb), and the third: fucking nuts (read: numbnuts). And some of them carry the distinction of combining these delightful attributes from all three kinds. And that’s why people are scared of germs, obsess about diseases that never really make it in the real world, and won’t expose themselves to hazardous conditions…Er… for example, running barefoot!

What happened to that famous quote by Franklin Roosevelt: “We have nothing to fear but fear itself.”

If that doesn’t get your wheels turning, nothing will.

Now, since I’m done making my point here, let’s get on with business… shall we?

Benefits

So, the benefits –
1) The relaxing feel
If you recall the last time you were barefoot, it would’ve been on a beach, at a park, or perhaps in your backyard. How did it feel to touch the ground at that time? And for those who aren’t the touchy-feely types, it has been proved scientifically that in running barefoot, we develop a better perception of our contact with the ground (as opposed to wearing shoes), which helps to have better timing in making contact with the ground and adjusting our body weight more precisely.

2) Muscle Strength
The groups of muscles in your feet with the related muscles of the legs and hips are strengthened compared to when wearing shoes.

3) Releases psychological stress
When our feet touch the ground, our body experiences the reduction of electricity charges due to the ‘earthing’ available that acts as a kind of lightning rod. Any nitwit should presumably be aware of the fact that the electric impulses that run through our body contribute to our emotions… namely stress… and this form of grounding seemingly helps you stay calm and in control (as opposed to shooting yourself with drugs of the recreational or medicinal kinds).

4) Bye, bye Varicose veins
Running barefoot can actually help prevent vein problems. Why? The motion you get from your unrestricted foot helps the leg muscles pump blood back to the heart, which might not be the case when working out with running shoes.

5) No blisters, hot, sweaty, or cramped feet
I think this one’s rather obvious after about seven hours of standing and running around… thanks to your temping assignment that requires you to stand all day in front of a bunch of hormonal, uncontrollable, and spoilt (for lack of a better word) teenagers that consider their raison d’etre to be giving you a miserable time.

See… it’s not all that bad! There are two sides to every coin, and just like there are advantages to running with shoes… there are plusses to running barefoot too.

Take a look at this video, where the person running feels a sense of freedom while doing so (watch his feet).

So, are there any other benefits of running barefoot that you can recall?

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