Only the best for your feet
Walking barefoot
Nature intended humans to walk barefoot! Shoes have been with us for only a relatively short period of time: the world’s oldest discovered shoes date back 9,000 years, while the oldest shoes preserved in Europe, belonging to Ötzi, the famous glacier mummy, are “merely” 5,300 years old. By comparison, the oldest bone finds classified as Homo Sapiens are 300,000 years old.
Human feet are also naturally designed for walking long distances – provided they are trained to do so. Most people today move far too little, however, so that long walks are hard work for them. Many shoes also prevent the foot from rolling properly: high heels in particular greatly curtail the rolling movement, change the distribution of weight on the foot and can lead to shortened calf muscles and underdeveloped shin musculature. If the shoe then chafes uncomfortably or is too small, too high or too tight, at some point every step will hurt – a considerable limitation on everyday well-being. Good shoes that hinder the foot’s natural rolling movement as little as possible can help. Nevertheless, every shoe, no matter how good, will restrict the natural suppleness of the feet and cause the muscles to slacken.
Sound feet for a sound body!
Fortunately, something can be done: to strengthen the foot muscles, just walk barefoot from time to time and as often as possible: at home, on the beach, in the garden, across a meadow – experienced barefoot walkers can also walk in the forest. For children (and not just children!) such walking offers stimulating new insights, honing our sensory perception via our feet – and can be easily done at home using sand, pinecones, moss, wood, grass, water, etc. On natural ground, the effect of walking barefoot is that the foot muscles compensate for unevenness, strengthening them and keeping the foot in shape.
Barefoot walking thus helps prevent foot damage; improves motor skills; strengthens muscles, ligaments and joints; and relieves strain on the spinal discs. The many receptors located in the sole of the foot are stimulated, with positive effects on the internal organs, as are the foot reflex zones, which helps to regulate the blood pressure and thus boosts the body’s defences and the cardiovascular system. Reduced pressure on the blood vessels also helps avert thromboses and varicose veins. Finally, walking barefoot automatically slows you down, producing decelerating and relaxing effects.
Walking barefoot today is however not (anymore) so easy – because most of us have forgotten how to tread gently. But we can consciously train ourselves to walk properly and thus learn to do it again, so to speak: walking on our heels or on tiptoes, or on the outside or inside edges of the feet, balancing or walking backwards. Simple exercises such as spreading the toes, making circles with the feet or gripping objects with the toes can also give renewed strength to the foot muscles.
Going barefoot is not always possible – so good footwear is vital
About 98% of us are born with healthy feet that are resilient and hard-wearing. But our feet change as we age, with many people developing flat feet or fallen arches, while skewed or splayed feet or high arches may also develop. As many as 60% of all adults in industrialised countries complain of foot problems – and many have damaged feet that can only be treated by surgery. Although there are various causes, such as hereditary weakness of the connective tissue, experts agree that the wrong footwear is one of the main reasons. The widespread hallux valgus is in particular caused by tight shoes, so it is vital to think about your footwear before any pain or adverse effects occur. Feet are after all essential to our well-being – and the wrong shoes can throw the entire body out of balance. In addition to damage to the feet, other frequently seen consequences include tension, back pain and headaches, damage to veins and joints, calf pain, circulatory problems and swelling of the legs.
Feet, by the way, are not rigid structures: under stress they become longer and can optimally adapt to every form of strain. When we are standing, they are longer than when we are sitting – and, when we run, feet can lengthen by as much as 7 mm! This should in addition always be taken into account when buying shoes.
Well-fitting shoes, correct exercise, targeted foot gymnastics and regular foot care are all good for the feet (and thus for the entire body) and will help prevent many changes to them. What is clear, however, is that the most important of all is – regular barefoot walking!
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