Photograph Courtesy of family+footprints.
Hand-in-hand with heading outdoors, is often the consideration of what gear to bring along for the ride. I have a backpack full of what comes with us almost every time. Weather checks help inform if we should bring rain gear, sunscreen, woolen layers, and so forth. But one thing I hadn't entertained much is leaving certain gear behind, at least not intentionally. While most gear has rightfully earned it's place in high regard, there are times when we might be better off without it. Here, we're going elemental. Shoes.
We recently had a reader ask us to share more about the benefits of being barefooted. The research for this post timed itself well with my personal life. As my family is currently camping across the country, we are outdoors in fair weather for extended periods of time - weeks at a time. We watch our daughter run barefoot with ease in places we can only hobble. My husband and I had already made a pact to challenge ourselves. Let's go barefoot more often to try and toughen our feet so we can keep up with our daughter.
Turns out, the benefits of being barefoot extend well beyond going - ahem - toe to toe with your kids. Health benefits abound. In fact, the scientific community even has a term for it that is not called barefoot. It's called earthing or grounding and it speaks to the positive health benefits associated with more than just giving our feet room to breathe; it's about the benefits we humans receive by reconnecting with electrons on the Earth's surface.
Sound wild? Read more excerpts from the Journal of Environmental Public Health about the study here.
But so what kind of health benefits are we talking about?
Here's a list from the study, combined with other benefits from a great resource, Barefoot and Paleo:
- Increased Physical Wellness
- Increased Psychological Wellness
- Better Sleep
- Increased Mobility
- Better Balance
- Increased Strength
- Better Posture
- Better Blood Circulation
- Increased Awareness
- Increased Immunity
Certainly, there are reasons we created shoes. Aside from looking fancy or feeling comfortable, they protect us from unfavorable weather and potential risks. Those realities still exist and are especially important when considering how and when we choose to go barefoot, same with any other informal risk assessment in which you engage when venturing outdoors. But these benefits to being barefoot are enough to challenge ourselves to kick off our shoes and see for ourselves.
Some folks do it for extended periods of time, others just little bits here and there. Take your pick and walk on. It may feel wild at first, but if science has anything to say about it, it'll feel better than ever before long.