Lux vs. Low: MakeupJul.19.2020
There’s just something about strolling along the beach barefoot. Yes, it’s annoying to get sand in your shoes for starters, but feeling the sand on your soles can feel almost cathartic in a sense. How many times have you enjoyed the simple pleasure of taking off your sandals at a park? You know, just to feel the cool grass beneath your feet. Walking around barefoot can just be plain enjoyable. But, did you know that it can come with quite a few health benefits? Yup, lovely sensations on your footsies aside, going sans shoes can actually be good for you. Let us tell you how.
Some of us might have a shoe addiction, but footwear can actually do a real number on our feet. Basically, constantly wearing footwear tends to make our feet “soft”. When we walk in shoes, other muscles are used than when we go barefoot. While we are still fundamentally relying on our feet to get us from here to there, the shoes are keeping our feet rather tightly, but softly, confined. The result of all those soft surfaces means our feet become less flexible and strong. This can all lead to poor posture. Poor posture can lead to back, knee, and neck pain. Without shoes, our posture improves, and we have a more natural gait to our walk.
As touched upon above, walking barefoot works muscle groups that just don’t get any love while you’re wearing shoes. Your leg muscles actually get a better workout when you’re sans footwear. Your feet and ankle joints can also enjoy a better, and correct, range of motion. Tendons and ligaments also profit. Even your core gets a better work out. While we certainly don’t advise hitting the gym without bringing your favorite sneakers, some outdoor exercise (like yoga or jogging on the beach) without shoes can go a long way.
There are a number of intriguing studies out there that say walking barefoot may just help you sleep better, or even help with insomnia. Letting your feet come in direct contact with the earth has proven to be something which actually induces relaxation. Other studies have concluded that individuals who walk barefoot regularly get better sleep than those who do not. The reasoning behind the findings is that doing so helps to stabilize our circadian rhythms. Many devotees swear that a 15 minute walk in grass, soil, sand, or water helps them sleep better, if they leave the shoes at home.
Exposure to negative ions have been shown to calm, detoxify, relieve inflammation and even improve mood. Lucky for us that one of the best ways to pick up some exposure to these ions is to walk around barefoot. When you stand barefoot on the earth itself (think soil, sand, grass, water, or even rock), you can actually enter into an electron exchange. This is part of the reason why waking barefoot is sometimes referred to as “grounding”. Your body is capable of absorbing and donating electrons to the areas within it that need immune support. Studies have suggested that some of those needed electrons can come right from the earth itself.
