Strengthen The Feet, Naturally
Feet are the foundation for our body to move and to go places. From standing to walking and running, our feet are constantly in motion, playing a crucial role in our daily lives and bringing us far in life.
This is why we believe that having healthy feet are essential for overall health and well-being.
One of the way that we can do to promote natural feet health is by wearing natural footwear.
With their flat, flexible soles and wide toe boxes, barefoot footwear encourages our feet to move and function just like how nature intended.
When our feet start to function naturally they can become stronger, our posture improves, our balance gets better, and let us become more mindful of our surroundings by forging a deeper connection with the earth. For most people, they feel even happier.
But just like any other part of our body, our feet require exercises to stay strong and healthy. As we age, the muscles and ligaments in our feet can weaken, leading to issues such as decreased mobility and stability, and also pain.
Barefoot footwear allows the intrinsic muscles in feet to move and strengthen. Recent studies suggest that strong intrinsic foot muscles help maintain the foot’s health, and intrinsic weakness may also contribute to painful foot conditions - including running-related injuries, obesity, flat foot, and plantar fasciitis. Stronger feet are related to less-pain feet.
Hence, barefoot shoes alone are sometimes not enough. By doing exercises that focus on the feet and wearing natural footwear that allows movement, we could help maintain the health of our feet throughout our lives.
(Source: The Foot Collective)
Train Your Feet Now
Transition to Barefoot Footwear Safely
Transitioning to barefoot footwear takes time for your feet to adapt, especially if they have been adapted to the support from cushioned shoes.
For this, we have partnered with The Foot Collective, a global community with a shared mission to train and help your feet restore to their natural foundation – the things they have been working toward for a decade.
To support your transitioning journey, you can download The Foot Collective free e-book: A Guide To Freedom (PDF).
More than that, you can also check their website and social media accounts to get more resources and information about natural foot health. Here we have gathered some informative videos from The Foot Collective that you can watch:
Always remember that embracing a (almost) barefoot lifestyle takes some time and effort. It’s not an instant fix-it-all for your feet but rather a journey for your overall improved health as well.
And although we live our lives mostly almost barefoot, we love what Jean-Francois Esculier, MSc, PT, vice-president and director of research and development for the Running Clinic, said:
“The golden rule should always be to listen to your body—if an exercise or type of shoe is causing pain, then it’s time to pause or even stop.”
Indeed, our body is our best guru.