Why barefoot?

Any of you who have seen me will know I am a big fan of being barefoot. It is my preferred way to be, year round. Barefoot shoes are minimal, foot shaped shoes that give you the benefits of being barefoot whilst protecting your feet from the risk of injury. I have been wearing barefoot shoes for 14 years, and now find normal shoes really uncomfortable. The main benefit that I have found from wearing them is reduction in pain in my toes, which had started to develope osteoarthritis. This might seem counterintuitive but being barefoot enables the foot to develop protective muscles, strengthen ligaments and gives improved proprioception, all of which are weakened by normal shoe use. This extra strength, agility and balance in the foot was clearly demonstrated when on a walk in Wales, coming down a rocky hill from a waterfall, I was wearing trainers (for the first time in a long time) and had to take them off - I coildnt feel where my feet were going. Without them on I could look ahead instead of down at the floor, and move more quickly and steadily over the rocks.

What features do barefoot shoes have? Well, they are foot-shaped - the heel is narrower than the toe box. As an exercise, get a bit of paper and draw round your bare foot (no socks - they compress the toes as well!) Then get the shoes you wear the most, put them on top of the foot outline so the heels line up, and draw round those in a different colour. Then say sorry to your feet!!

Our feet are our foundations - we need them to be as healthy as possible. Babies and children especially should be completely bare foot as much as possible; they need the sensory feedback about their environment and will learn to roll, crawl, and walk better without their feet being restricted. (And while I’m at it - they need their hands uncovered too! The hand-to-mouth movement is pretty much the most important movement for them to master).

There has been a massive increase in the number of companies producing barefoot shoes recently. You can’t really go wrong - some will be better made and last longer but I wouldn’t worry about spending loads to start with. Try it and you will be converted!