fitbody
WALK THIS WAY
Step Up to Barefoot Benefits by Randy Kambic
B
arefoot walking conjures images of children playing in open fields and families strolling on a beach,
yet it can also embrace many other set- tings as part of a health and fitness rou- tine and lifestyle of optimum wellness. As Michael Sandler and Jessica Lee attest in their new book, Barefoot Walk- ing, “It’s not just physical; it’s soothing on an emotional and spiritual level.” In adults, many muscles in our feet
may have weakened and atrophied due to disuse from wearing shoes, which substitute the support and mobility that our bodies’ lower parts were created to provide. Years of wearing tight-fitting shoes or high heels can also hamper bone density and proper alignment of each foot’s 28 bones; produce aches and pains in knees, back and neck; and constrict circulation to legs and feet, a condition compounded by desk jobs. Here are some tips in preparing to
go shoeless: Work out feet.
Prevention.com
advises working to individually wiggle each toe; touch and rub each in its entirety; and flex and move both feet in as many different ways as possible. This will help them better absorb and distribute weight. Then, sug- gest Sandler and Lee, try “grabbing” exercises for toes, picking up round objects ranging in size from golf balls to baseballs. Also practice arch lifts, calf raises and ankle rolls.
26 Collier/Lee Counties
swfl.NaturalAwakeningsMag.com
Check it out. Walk around a room and note if the weight upon landing moves from the heel to the big toe right away; if so, try shifting bodyweight while walking so that the pressure proceeds from the heel to the little toe and then across to the big toe. This maximizes functioning of the entire foot and keeps the arch from collapsing inward. This subtle change helps support knees, the pelvic floor and even abdominal muscles. Fields, dirt trails and beaches are ideal sites to start walking barefoot. Repeated skin-to-ground contact also coincides with grounding, or earthing, a therapy that connects a being with Earth’s electrical field. The concept is that this allows negatively charged free electrons to enter and eliminate free radicals, the positively charged particles that may cause diseases and inflam- mation. When we’re in shoes, “We’re separated [from the Earth] by an inch of rubber, which is a fantastic resistor to electricity,” the co-authors point out. Because barefoot walking stimu-
lates foot nerve endings, it’s also a form of self-reflexology, helping to lower blood pressure and anxiety while bol- stering the immune system. For all these reasons, enthusiasts conjecture that it’s wise to follow in the natural footsteps of healers past and pres- ent that have chosen to walk this way. Sandler provides special tips on getting started for some specific groups:
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