Wear Shoes? Here’s Why You May Want to Go “Barefoot”.

Chances are, the shoes you wear on a daily basis are messing up your feet. When you pay close attention, the clues can be quite obvious. Our feet look like this, but we squeeze them into shoes that look like this. Our feet are flexy and bendy, but most shoes are relatively rigid. Our feet have a high density of nerve endings and sensory receptors, just like our hands. We don't wear clumsy padded gloves for no reason, yet most shoes have unnecessarily chunky soles. Our feet are our foundation, and they play a bigger role in our posture, mobility and overall well-being than many of us realise. We didn't used to think much about our choice of footwear, since we thought we already spend so much time barefoot at home. But then travelling picked up after the pandemic. We went on trips where we walked 20,000 steps a day in conventional shoes, and that's when I really felt it. On one trip, I packed a seemingly harmless pair of canvas shoes. My feet were in pain by the end of the first day. It was as if, after years of being barefoot most of the time, they have become deconditioned and no longer fit well in a regular pair of shoes. But that's the problem. Our feet have been conditioned to fit inside of modern shoes, instead of shoes moulding and adapting to our feet. After diving into the world of foot health and barefoot shoes, I started to realise and pay attention to all the little flaws of the shoes I owned. Most people are able to spot a shoe that's obviously bad for our feet when they see one. The most glaring example would be a pair of pointy high heels. Women know how uncomfortable it is to walk around in high heels, and even men could probably imagine the pain to some extent. But it's not just high heels that have an elevated heel. In fact, most modern shoe designs have some form of elevation, often for non-practical reasons. It may not seem like a big deal, but remember that that subtle shift is accumulated over millions of steps in our lifetime, which will have an effect on our feet and the rest of our bodies. One of the biggest issues with regular shoes is the narrow toe box. I'm still surprised I thought that walking 20,000 steps a day in these, with my feet all squished, would be a good idea. On most shoes, the narrow toe box design serves no practical purpose other than aesthetic appeal. That narrowness isn't just uncomfortable, it also prevents the toes from spreading naturally, which over time, contributes to problems with the musculature and joints of the foot. It's also a catalyst for the development of bunions, which many mistake as simply an unavoidable, inherited condition. The human foot has 33 joints, more than our hands. They are flexible structures, have a bunch of nerve endings and sensory receptors, and are capable of fine motor control. Yet so many shoe designs have unnecessarily chunky, rigid soles that dull our senses and dexterity. Sometimes, it's in the name of support or protection, which is totally understandable in the right circumstances. But unnecessarily limiting feedback and the amount of work our feet have to do all the time, is only slowly diminishing their function. And that was, very briefly, some of the problems that the world of barefoot movement and barefoot shoes tries to address. The term barefoot shoes can be somewhat vague. It's a white umbrella covering footwear that shares a few common characteristics, including relatively thin and flexible soles, a white toe box, and a completely flat, aka zero heel-to-toe drop. From our experience, even though the potential benefits of barefoot shoes may sound good in theory, many still have their reservations or objections to trying these odd-looking shoes. The first is simply a casual dismissal. Some may think barefoot shoes sound like a gimmick, or that their feet feel fine with regular shoes. But something that has been tolerable for years doesn't mean it's not doing damage. Just a couple of years ago, we were also dismissive of the idea, thinking it wasn't necessary for us since we're already barefoot most of the time. But waiting for things to go south before paying attention to it isn't the wisest, as some damage can be hard to undo or straight-up irreversible. Just like any other aspect of health, the best thing to do is to prevent rather than cure. The second objection is that barefoot shoes are ugly. It's true, the minimal barefoot aspects of it means it's difficult for the shoes to look sleek and stylish like these. Except, these are barefoot shoes. In our quest to find the most normal-looking barefoot footwear that would blend in with our outfits, we found the Codside Canvas Shoes and the Trailstar Sandals. At our request, Fieldgrounds and Shama have kindly supplied us with a couple of pairs to test out, so a shout-out to them. These shoes, in our eyes at least, show us that barefoot shoes don't have to look like the ugly clown shoes that many of us expect them to be. There are stylish options out there that are also good for our feet. The third objection is regarding comfort. Some may be worried that barefoot shoes lack the support or cushion they think they'll need, or that it'll be painful walking on imperfect or rocky surfaces. And they're perfectly valid reservations. We're not here to convince or claim that all barefoot shoes are going to be suitable for everyone, especially for those whose feet have been compromised, or those who work in demanding environments, where they may want certain features in their shoes to bring relief for their feet. One can argue that barefoot shoes are not as comfortable as regular shoes in a conventional sense. But better comfort doesn't always mean it's better for our bodies. It's the same logic as to why we sit on the floor instead of on an expensive ergonomic chair. In the short run, one may look like it feels less comfortable, but actually conditions your body to become stronger, which in turn keeps it more comfortable in the long run. Our thought process is that we prefer getting stronger over becoming weaker. We also prefer being comfortable over being uncomfortable, but not at the expense of becoming weaker in the process. So here's a balanced suggestion for you to consider. Think of your footwear choices like a healthy diet. It doesn't have to be perfect, you just have to make healthier choices most of the time. Personally, we think there's a place for all kinds of shoes, depending on the occasion or activity. There are still situations where I would make the conscious decision of choosing a more conventional pair of shoes, but those should ideally be treated as indulgent desserts in your diet and not the main causes. So what can you do to start paying more attention to your foot health? There's no need to replace all of your shoes with barefoot options immediately. You can start with just a few small improvements, such as spending a little more time barefoot than you're currently doing. You can be choosing to go barefoot at home, or spending more time barefoot outdoors, such as at the beach or at the park. Strengthen your feet to undo the effects of being in shoes all day. Simply spending time barefoot is one way, but you can also start going for shoes that have a little less cushion or support than you're used to. This way, your feet can gradually do more of the work they're supposed to be doing, helping them to maintain or regain strength. Be more considerate about the designs of the shoes you wear. Make an effort to pick shoes that fit you correctly, getting the correct size, choosing a wider toe box design, or pick flatter shoes that are not as elevated. And lastly, you can still wear your favourite, most painful and uncomfortable pairs of shoes if you wish. Just try to reserve them for special occasions only. If you do decide to go right ahead and dive into the world of barefoot shoes, remember to take it slow, and give your feet some time to transition and adapt in a healthy manner. We'll be putting more miles on our barefoot shoes, and we'll be making a follow-up video about our barefoot experience in general, as well as our thoughts on these specific pairs of barefoot footwear. We hope you'll look forward to that. Happy feet!