Question for barefoot people

Why do you like being barefoot... doesn't it hurt.. like what if you walk on glass accidently... and what about winter? Do you just walk on ice..?

I mean you can't go barefoot everywhere... can you?

:bobby:

 

Going barefoot has all sorts of benefits. It's good for your joints, stops your legs getting tired, is a lot more involving on a long walk as every step feels different, and far from hurting, it feels great. In my experience, glass is only a problem if there are points facing upwards, just keep your eyes open. If you do step on something sharp, your foot will automatically roll off it.
Start out by taking short walks on smooth ground, and graduate to longer walks on rougher ground, and your feet will adapt more or less painlessly.

 

I have wondered these same things?

Do you get those rough scaley heels?

 

Nope, a regular appointment with a foot file keeps them soft and tender.

 

well. first off , shoes can hurt as well. go ask a soldier. on the other hand (no pun) going barefoot will make your feet stronger, and i mean a lot more than you think. a lot. the way they should be when on duty. also it may cure some pathological situations. about glass and the other hazards, think that in the shod days of my other life i was practicing at the range and accidentally got a 3" rusty nail from a board on the ground near the target line piercing my combat boots, right to the flesh. thats to explain that the main rule is WATCH YOUR FRIGGIN'STEPS , barefoot or not, and being barefoot makes you very cautious...besides, glass is not a real issue. we know. anyone can walk on a carpet of crushed glass, the only hazard is bottle bottoms, or attempting to run on it. yes, urban barefooting sucks a lot because cities are filthy and filled with bad things including loose chemicals etc. and have been built assuming that everyone is shod but i bet that the majority of us lives in the country... poll ?
about winter and cold a few of us claim to be impervious to cold, personally i avoid staying outside barefoot in snow without a break more than half an hour because frostbite exists (where i live snow is rare and never lasts for more than one day, though). consider that allegedly being barefoot in snow is or was normal among Tibetan mountaineers, but genetics play some heavy role in this and i dont need to beat the Yeti on his ground.

 

What a lovely statement of lovely common sense!

 

The more often you go barefoot your skin will adapt to their environment. Many people make the mistake of barefooting all day on a hot day. Their feet get blistered and they swear never to do it again. Take it slow and easy. Know your limits. Everyone is different. Some people will develop uniformly tough soles, like leather. Others will grow callouses which protect the soles and yet others soles will feel soft and they will feel no discomfort even on searing pavement. I've seen all these back in the days when barefooting even in NYC was common. Glass and other hazards exist, but once you are used to barefooting you will also develop a keen sense of avoiding these. Once your soles toughen up, small shards of glass will not be a problem. At worst you may pick them out with tweezers. You won't know they are there unless you look

Some people are comfortable barefooting on snow or in cold weather. If it's right for you, go for it. Be careful on ice as you can slip and get injured shod or not. I met a couple of ex-girlfriends in Greenwich Village while we were both barefoot on the street.

These are clean, tough soles:
View attachment 46279

Soles of Madagascar person who never wears shoes:
View attachment 46280

Calloused soles of frequent barefooter:
View attachment 46281

Tough soles:
View attachment 46282

 

I just love the sensation of feeling the ground beneath my feet. Not having sweaty enclosed shoes on is so liberating and free. In terms of glass, shit or rubbish, just watch where you're walking .

 

I am one of those who go barefoot fulltime, and yes you can go barefoot pretty much everywhere. It doesn't hurt -feet get very tough very quickly, and even rough surfaces like gravel or those metal plates used sometimes in overpasses, metal stairs, bridges etc, it's more like a massage than pain.
In the fifteen years I've gone barefoot everywhere, including in city environments, I have NEVER cut my feet. I get a tiny splinter about once a year, no big deal. When I go to the recycle containers I leave my bike a few steps away from the glass bin but I walk right up there. I do this quite regularly, like once a week (I don't have much glass but the plastic bin is next to it), again no problem ever. Of course if there's a jagged bottle bottom I step around it but I'd do that with shoes also, you'd need thick-soled work shoes or hiking boots not to worry about that, same with pallets and other junk wood, stuff that may have huge nails sticking up out of it (loose nails generally lay flat and aren't dangerous), you would watch your step in trainers or sandals too. What flimsy soles can stand, doesn't do more than scratch the top layer of my callouses either.

In winter I also keep walking barefoot, by keeping the rest of my body dressed warmly, I can walk in snow and ice for a very long time. I do take footwear along when it's below freezing, just in case of emergencies -usually just flipflops, getting off the ice is more than enough to warm up- but most winters I haven't put them on at all. This winter and last I had to resort to them once -the unusual snow caused our public transport system to fail and I got stuck a couple times on train stations without heated indoor facilities with no idea how many hours it would be before I could get home. But I took several walks in the ankle-deep snow other days. The greatest problem is not the snow and ice but some of the chemicals used to melt it -last year I ran into one place that had used something that just burned when walking on it, even at a few steps, and this year I encountered more of it. Perhaps because of the shortage of road salt, as I mentioned for these two winters we've had much more snow than usual and many communities ran low, not salting anything but the most important main roads & some places probably tried out other things. There was even one incident of some fraudulent folks selling fertilizer as road salt, which was tracked into the store, caused fumes when it evaporated in the warmth, and the store had to be evacuated!

My feet aren't rough and scaly, I guess it's a combination of being barefoot full-time so the skin wears down slowly and never gets *too* thick, and the climate (moist and cool) , and perhaps my skin type also plays part although I have pretty dry skin on the rest of my body. I rarely use lotion, tried it a few times just 'cause people advised it as a preventative but my skin got too soft. Didn't get any serious cuts but I noticed an immediate increase in the amount of 'surface damage' (tiny nicks that don't even come close to penetrating the skin or bleeding, but show up when washing my feet as rough spots which are hard to clean). I own a foot file but I only use it when I get a rare rough spot on the edge of my heel or big toe, don't think I've used it ten times yet.

As for social pressure, I'm lucky I live in the Netherlands. While going barefoot is very rare here, there aren't as many negative biases about it as in the US either. Sure, people look, point and comment, and especially teenagers in groups laugh out loud, but they do that with any alternative appearance. When I had fiery red hair or when I wear some of my gothic outfits they do the same. We have none of the disproportionate bias against bare feet, nor any of the myths that going barefoot in stores, restaurants or while driving is illegal. Nor do stores have 'no shoes, no service' signs, I've never even seen such a sign here in the Netherlands nor when I traveled in Belgium and Scotland.

 

Its fun,its nice,its cool,its our culture...You get used to surfaces.Ans as a child having grown up barefoot and having gone to school barefoot,actaly...we were told in no uncertain terms that shoes at school was not allowed...we were forced to go barefoot,which was fun.And most kids that went barefoot like me,still go barefoot as adults.Its in your blood,and it's plain comfortable.One must just see where you walk and not tempt fate...but at times I have found myself walking through broken glass without injury...geus my feet are to tuff...besides,I never wear shoes,am always barefoot except to work....

 

I love going barefoot. It feels great and natural. The more you barefoot, as well as the places you go and various temps, you will build up a tolerance to things. Granted the cold winter suck but going barefoot in any weather or place will help you. I go barefoot a lot more in cold weather a d noticed that my feet don't get as cold as they used to when I wore shoes and socks or sippers in the winter.

 

I grew up going barefoot because I enjoyed it. Several years ago I lost my left leg in a car accident and now use crutches most of the time. I also enjoy still going barefoot as much as possible such that the sole of my foot has become very calloused and I can walk on almost any surface without any adverse effects. In the winter I have crutched barefoot in the snow but often wear a heavy sock when it is really cold.

 

My opinion-

I think that if you could wear shoes (except in the comfort of homes..etc.) you should because they're so many unfortunate people who don't have shoes.

 

I you saying I should be proud of my $150 sneakers and that by not wearing them I'm mocking poor people? There are many things I could do that unfortunate people cannot, should I do those too? How far do I take this philosophy?
Seriously though for most here it's a lifestyle choice. For us it's like the choice between jeans or shorts, it's just a preference.

 

Have you always been stupid?

 

Hi Shenna,

this probably would be just a good reason to go barefoot as an act of solidarity - and donate the money you save by not buying shoes to some development aid project.

Maybe you should try out?

Take care.

 

People that don't have shoes usually don't have a need for shoes. As has been shown by studies of runners from Kenya (barefoot), they don't have the incidents of hip, knee and ankle injuries that shod runners have.

Shoes force your foot into a heel strike stride, a stride that the 26 bones in your foot are not designed to have. When left unshod, feet act as shock absorbers and lessen the impact on your joints when running.

On a personal side, once you get used to going barefoot, the sensation is wonderful! Kind of like wearing gloves all your life and one day taking them off. You almost discover an additional sense that your body had almost forgotten about.

Am I barefoot 100% of the time? No, maybe 60% due to the nature of my work. But at least here in Egypt, I have had no problems with anyone refusing me service due to be being barefoot. I wish I could say the same about my BF expierences in the USA.

If you want an education as to the benefits of going barefoot, start here:

http://www.barefooters.org/

 

this makes absolutely no sense at all. so fasting is wrong because of ppl starving ?

 

Why not,and so what?

 

I do not for the life of me understand this reasoning...wear shoes because others don't,so I could molest a Child for others not being molested?Granted,there are many countries where poverty is rampant,and they cannot afford shoes,but walking barefoot mostly is a choice that needs no justification nor explanation,It is a choice,heck!That sure is silly reasoning...if you feel so strng about it,why don't you donate your shoes then and walk barefoot in support of them?