Wellness EquippedBarefoot shoes will be the future. |
You may or may not have heard about the revolution that is becoming of barefoot shoes. Some of you may not even know what a barefoot shoe is. Generally speaking, a barefoot shoe is a shoe designed with a zero drop design, that is to say there is no height difference from the front of the shoe to the back, a wide toe box, and there is also minimal padding. Some people even like to add another rule that they must be able to be rolled up into a ball. The overall goal is to get as close to a barefoot feeling while still wearing a shoe. How did I get invested in this concept?As I was listening to one of my favorite podcasters, Peter Attia, I stumbled across this episode. Peter interviews Irene Davis, a professor of physical medicine and rehabilitation at Harvard Medical School. In that discussion, it is discussed how the evolution of running shoes have caused arguably more problems than benefits, sure cushion when you run is great, but at what cost? Let me help you understand this a bit better. Go grab your favorite pair of shoes, put them on and try to bend down and touch your toes while only balancing on one foot. Now try and do it again barefoot. I guarantee you it will feel different. When in the shoe, you are mostly at mercy of the insoles ability to allow your foot to grip into the ground, as you will naturally notice when you are barefoot (I notice it most in the toes, as they kind of try to dig into the ground for grip and balance). You probably noticed now in hindsight how much your foot wobbled around in the shoe? This is why it is suggested to become more strong in the foot. Age gracefully.Think about the life you want to be living at age 80. What can you accomplish physically? Now I am not talking miles of running a week or anything, I am talking about simply getting up off of the ground when playing with your grandchildren. Studies show if you suffer from a fall that puts you in the hospital at age 65+, you have a 60% chance of being dead in 12 months. (I do want to make a note here I heard this on a podcast awhile back so the exact numbers may be off, but I am pretty confident it is close to this). So what causes these falls? Well a bunch of things, but mostly lack of muscle and bone density to keep the body upright or stable during transitions. Where does this movement come from? The foot. The arch of your foot has 4 layers of muscles alone. The foot bone structure is one of the most dense and complex in the human body. This is all for good reason. Barefoot shoes attempt to alleviate this by bringing your foot closer to the ground and provide a more true balance to your everyday movement. In fact, I am writing this post right now with some cheap (cheap in cost, not in quality) and comfortable barefoot shoes I got off of Amazon on my desk treadmill. So why go barefoot?This is the question of the day. Let's go over a few mechanics of running to help exemplify. When you run and are a heel striker, that is to say you land on the heel of your foot, think of the chain of force that is applied to your body. โ We all know the term shin splint. When you heel strike you are putting the stopping force on the front side of your lower leg, your shin. But what if we had a better, more robust muscle structure to land on and spread that force around? We do. The calf. When you are a forefoot striker, you tend to land even or potentially a little more on the ball of your foot, which allows your calf to handle all of that force from the landing. Let's do another example. Kick your foot into the ground, once from with your heel landing first, and once with the ball of your foot. Where do you feel the pressure in your lower leg when you do each? In fact, when I just did this earlier, when I struck with my heel it even skipped and didn't get a grip on the ground but the ball of my foot stuck right away with vigor and a good grip. I am not trying to convince you to become a forefoot striker, but I just want you to understand the mechanisms your body undergoes with each step you take. Let's get ancestral.Shoes have been around since 7000BC or so. But they surely weren't what you see across the world today. There are a bunch of topics about becoming more ancestral I want to dive into as time passes, from grounding to squatting, but today with this topic, shoes began as protection rather than what you see today with comfort in mind. We should be running barefoot like our ancestors did. Sure it is made more difficult with the surfaces man has created with asphalt and even track surfaces, but the closer we can get to living in some regards more like our ancestors, the more apt our bodies will be to handle change and adversity as we age, which is part of equipping yourself with wellness, and being a graceful 80 year old not one who can't even get out of a chair without a motor to push yourself out of it. That is my goal for you. Are barefoot shoes for you? Maybe, maybe not. They do take a minute to adjust to, so if you do go buy a pair, ease yourself into them. I only wear barefoot shoes today and can say after nearly 6 months on continuous use, my balance and dexterity from my feet is greatly improved. If you have any questions about this or want my personal recommendations, feel free to email me! โ -Dids ๐ช๐ง Disclaimer: This newsletter is created with the intent that it is not to be taken as medical advice. For any desire to approach anything discussed within the confines of this newsletter, please consult your local healthcare professional. I am not a doctor or licensed professional of any kind and am not claiming to be with this newsletter. I am only creating this to bring you zero cost information into all things wellness that I am personally curious about. Only you are responsible for your own health. No client patient relationship is formed through the means of this newsletter. Links provided in this newsletter can be affiliate links which do provide slight kickback at no additional cost to you. โ
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