Take Your Feet Out For a Walk
Flip flops are the simplest of footwear. When it comes to increasing foot health, the key to understanding the role of flip flops is to realize that in and of themselves there is no direct causal positive effect of wearing flip flops and having healthier feet. What keeps feet healthier is to lose all if not most footwear. Go “shucked and nekkid,” and wear just your “birthday suit” below the ankle. This increases foot happiness. And when, practically, you need some protection from surface earth, wear flip flops. I’ll explain.
Archilles’ Heel
The Greek goddess mother dipped her infant in the magical pool to wash away his vulnerabilities and in fact his mortality. The infant’s father was the mortal man Peleus. She dipped her infant by holding onto his heel. This one spot, his heel, was not doused by the water, and it was there that later he was mortally wounded.
You get the point. We all have vulnerabilities and pains and limitations, but blessed be you if you have the privilege of being able to wiggle your toes or stand on your feet or stroll along the surf.
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Feet Are Under Pressure and Attack.
Perhaps feet are most abused and neglected part of the body.
- Feet provide the support and propulsion for most movement across space. We are bipedal and unless we are crawling, swimming, or swinging from vines, the feet do it all.
- Feet absorb and distribute force from the standing position to multiplied many times over the force required for running, jumping, and cutting.
- Out of 206 bones in the entire human body, each foot has 26 bones, as well as 30 joints and more than 100 muscles, tendons and ligament. The Achilles tendon is the largest tendon in the body.
- The treatment of feet: It’s a specialty in medicine! Hello, podiatry.
- Stress fractures, plantar fascitiis (inflammation of tendons), heel spurs, and neuropathy (numbness) plague so many people.
- Many problems are caused by overuse and repetitive activity
See a doctor. Many times a doctor’s recommendation will include rest (particularly avoidance of repetitive use), exercise for feet, and physical therapy. You can see where this is going: Relax, and walk on the beach or path, barefoot. Use and strengthen your natural foot muscles, stretch your toes, massage them, and put your feet up. Get acupuncture and a professional foot massages. Get healthy feet.
Barefoot is Best(or nearly)
- the ballet dancer
- the yoga master
- the MMA fighter
- the tai chi, kung fu, or karate sensei
- the track sprinter
- the wrestler or boxer
These professionals of human movement go barefoot, or nearly so.
Wearing Flip Flops IS Exercise
Wearing flip flops is not a dance in the park. With flip flops, you may have protection from surfaces, but you will walk like you are barefoot (which is not like walking wearing a shoe). Unless you pay attention with flip flops, you may very well stub your toe. You may trip and fall flat on your face. Understand, flip flops, while not quite barefoot, are almost that. AND, you have to hold your flip flops onto your feet with a purposeful scrunch of your toes around the thong connected to the sole pad. This is exercise for the foot. Great. But practice it. When you get your first flip flops, don’t try running in them yet. You have to practice wearing them, holding them to your feet with the constant contraction and relaxing of your toes. Don’t worry. In a few days, after a few hours, your muscles will learn and it will become second nature muscle and foot memory. Don’t worry if you slow down a bit in your pace as compared to a tennis shoe. Isn’t this the point? Fresh air on the toes, and more of a ramble than purposeful stride.
Go As Natural As Possible
Many foot problems are caused by overuse and repetitive activity. If you need to stand all day, don’t wear flip flops all day. If you repeat an activity, such as long stints of standing, walking, jogging, or running, then don’t wear flip flops for that activity. For repetitive activities, yes, DO shield your feet from the activity. Use good shoes and boots. Shoes and boots may help avoid the worst of foot problems. But the solution to foot discomfort is ultimately to decrease the repetitive and overuse of feet, to adopt as much as possible a beach and barefoot or nearly barefoot lifestyle.
I am suggesting to increase your movement that is neither repetitive nor taxing.
Losing the shoe or boot will move you closer to healthier feet and a healthier life. Go barefoot! Or at least wear flip flops, if you need protection from the surfaces. Increase your natural foot muscles and circulation and possibly overall health by going natural as much as possible.
Please write to me with your insights on health and bare feet and flip flops.
Can flip flops be a happy gateway from shoe to barefoot?
See you on the beach!