Barefoot shoes?  

Isn’t that a contradiction?

How can you be barefoot if you are wearing shoes?

If you haven’t heard about the benefits of going barefoot, you are in for a treat today.

In my video I explain all of the benefits of going completely barefoot.

But understandably you might have some reservations about wandering around in your bare feet.  And that’s where barefoot shoes come in!

I explain all about them and show you my barefoot shoes in my latest video:

Why on earth would we want to run barefoot?

I’ll tell you where my obsession with barefoot running came from.

Quite a long time ago, might have even been 10 years ago, I read an amazing book called Born to Run.

(I’ll put links to anything I mention here at the end of this post as well.)

That book was an amazing book!

Even if you’re not interested in running, I would still say read that book because it’s just such a good story. It just sweeps you away to another land, to another world.

Basically, he went and he found a tribe, an indigenous tribe of ultra-runners who run very, very long distances.

They either did it with bare feet or they did it with minimalist sandals.

This book got me into eating chia seeds, as well, because they had these chia seeds which they would use on their long journeys, and it would stop their dehydration and fill them up as well, so that got me into eating chia seeds before they even became popular.

This book is amazing, so go and read that book.

I don’t think you’ll get to the end of that book without developing the same passion for barefoot running that I have got now.

Why on earth do we want to run barefoot?

We’re all so used to wearing shoes, it seems really weird to even mention the thought of being in your bare feet and not even putting your shoes on.

Basically, if you think about how things naturally should be, we’re not really designed to wear shoes. Shoes are not actually, really, very good for us at all.

Especially … We’re not even going to talk about how, I think, ridiculous stilettos and things like that are, and how they can cause so many problems, but let’s just talk about trainers, like sneakers.

The big thick padding on the soles of your shoes can actually cause you problems. It can cause you injuries, and it can cause long-term health problems like osteoporosis and osteoarthritis because …

The way it was sold to us, when these cushioned shoes first came out and they were marketed as, “This is a solution for injuries, and this will prevent injuries,” but actually, they’ve done studies now showing that the complete opposite is true – that they actually cause more injuries than they prevent, but because we’re all so used to wearing them, and because they feel nice and comfortable and spongy, it’s very, very difficult not to continue wearing them and because that’s the main thing you can buy in shops, these big, cushioned shoes.

They do cause a lot of problems. There’s quite a few problems with wearing shoes with the feet.

The other problem that they cause is that they have so much movement in them.

They have, like, 33 points in them where they bend and that is just a crazy number of points, but when you’re wearing shoes, they’re just flat, so they’re not bending at all.

When your feet are in contact with the environment and when they’re in contact with the ground, they’ve got sensors on them.

They’ve got acupressure points which help the health of the body, so they put pressure on the body, but they also sense the temperature and they sense the environment and the ground, and they send signals to the body, to move in a certain way or protect you in a certain way.

But when you’re wearing cushioned shoes, you just don’t get that same feedback and those signals. You just don’t get it at all!

That is a problem.

Another thing is you are not being grounded.

I will do a video soon in the future about grounding.

But if you’ve not heard of grounding, basically, if the earth is at a certain frequency and our bodies are at a certain frequency, and they’re supposed to be exactly the same.

So when we walk on the earth, our bodies get grounded to the right frequency.

But when we are in cushioned shoes, and we’re walking around in apartment blocks and we’re on trains and cars, then our bodies are not at the right frequency.

In fact, they’re at a frequency that’s causing us health problems.

It’s causing disease in our bodies.

The best thing you can do for your body is to get grounded, and this is what I was doing when I was sick with chronic fatigue syndrome.

I would go into the garden, and thankfully it was nice weather, but I would take my shoes and socks off and literally sit on the grass with my feet on the grass, grounding myself, and I felt so much better after doing that.

So even if you can’t walk, at least go outside and just put your feet on the ground outside. That is the best thing you can do, and you can also buy grounding mats.

I’ve got a grounding mat on my bed that grounds you while you’re sleeping.

You can get one for your computer, because computers cause us to be at completely the wrong frequency.

(I’ll put links to all of this at the end of this blog post, as well.)

Basically, it grounds you by walking or running on the ground in your bare feet.

It is amazing for your health!

I bet you are thinking that, “Oh, yes, that sounds really good in theory. That sounds nice. It sounds, kind of, okay. It sounds natural, but in reality I don’t want to do that. I don’t want to get my feet dirty, I don’t want to have my feet in contact with all kinds of … There could be glass on the floor, it could hurt my feet.”

Yes, I totally get that, and that’s why I don’t really go walking bare feet anywhere apart from my own garden.

There are also certain things called barefoot shoes.

I bought myself a pair of these barefoot running, or barefoot walking shoes, and these are called Vibrams, Vibram Five Fingers.

See the end of this post for an image and you’ll notice that the toes are all completely separate so they all bend individually, so all your toes can move.

It’s like putting on a glove and your toes can all move freely of each other, like when you’re wearing a glove.

The soles are very, very thin but they’re made of rubber and they are actually hard enough that it will stop glass or anything goes through those.

That’s the main reason that I wear these, because whenever I’m on a path, no doubt, there’ll always be a broken bottle somewhere along the path that kids have smashed somewhere, and there’ll be always broken glass, so that makes me a bit reluctant to go walking.

And I haven’t been running for quite a long time, although I did go running in these for a while, but I do go walking in them a lot, and they’re so comfortable that I just wear them for just kicking around in.

When I’m at home, I try and wear slippers or I try and just walk around in my socks if I’m cold or bare feet if I’m warm.

And I get my feet to be grounded on the floor and lay flat on the floor, because your muscles are just not working properly.

When you’re wearing normal, cushioned shoes, your muscles are not working at all.

You’ve got all these muscles in your feet and in your ankles, and they are designed to be used.

If you’re wearing cushioned shoes, they’re not used, so therefore your muscles are weak and that also causes injury.

When I’m at home I just try and go barefoot, or just in my socks, because, the thing is, if you look at your feet and look at your toes… and your shoes make your toes all curled around to the shape of the shoe.

I noticed this in my daughter’s shoes.

Her feet were fine until she started school, and then we made the mistake of buying these boots, and I didn’t realise, but the top of them were pointed, like pixie boots.

And for some reason her toes have been pushed up to the end and they’re now in the shape of a triangle.

So I’ve been encouraging her for all this summer to try and go barefoot as much as she can, so her toes can go back to how they should look.

Basically, your toes should be splayed out and there should be gaps between all of your toes, and they should all be sitting nice and flat on the floor.

And mine are pretty much almost like this now, thankfully, because I don’t squeeze them into uncomfortable shoes, because I’m looking if I can work at home now.

So have a look at your own toes and see what they should look like, and if they’re all curled up then you’re more likely to get an injury, basically, because you can’t balance properly.

You need them to be spread so you can balance and keep your balance and do things like climbing or walking with just your bare feet.

These barefoot shoes are brilliant!

I absolutely love them, but there are a couple of cautions though, about wearing the barefoot shoes.

A lot of people are running in cushioned shoes and then they going straight into running with barefoot shoes, and this is not recommended because your muscles have not got a chance to get used to the barefoot running first, and you’re putting too much pressure on it too quickly, and that can cause injuries.

What I would suggest you do is start off by just walking.

Just walk in the barefoot shoes until you get used to that, and then when you start to do some very, very light running, run for, say, five minutes, and then build up very gradually so that you can build up the muscles in your foot so that you can get the movement, the flexibility and the senses working again and so everything can go back to normal.

It might actually take a year or it might take a couple of years to get your feet working normally again.

But you can start the process by getting some of these barefoot shoes and by going outside into your own backyard or even in your own house and just walking around barefoot.

You can ground yourself, get used to it and you’ll really will feel the benefit.

Another thing is that shoes cause people to run in the wrong way.

A lot of people run by running and their heel lands on the ground first and because the heel is raised up a little bit higher in these cushioned shoes, the heel goes on the ground first before the toes, and that’s not how we’re supposed to run.

We’re supposed to run with toes first, then a slight touch of the heel.

I learned to run by reading a book called Chi Running, and this book made it so much easier for me to run.

I just couldn’t run at all before that.

I would find it exhausting to run, and this is when I recovered from chronic fatigue, the first time.

I started running for an hour a day, after reading this book Chi Running.

I’ll put a link to at the end of this post as well, so that you can have a look at that.

Basically, that book teaches you how to run properly and it teaches you how to lean forward very slightly so that your gravity propels you forward, and how to align your feet and your knees and be very conscious, do it consciously.

The book teaches you where the balls of your feet should be landing, so I highly recommend it.

Go and check out that book Chi Running, and also go and check out the book Born to Run. Get yourself a pair of Vibrams of barefoot running shoes, and let me know how it goes.

I would love for you to get these resources here, and share this video with other people who you think might be interested in barefoot running.

And also like this video

Leave me a comment… Let me know, have you ever delved into barefoot running? What do you think about barefoot running?

And subscribe to my YouTube channel.

I make videos like this every single week letting you know my own experiments with health, healthy living, healthy eating, healthy body, healthy mind, and I can’t wait to see you next week.

So take care, see you soon.

Resources mentioned in today’s video

• Born To Run Book

This book is one of the most entertaining, motivating, inspiring and educating books I’ve ever read.  I challenge you to read this book and not get passionate about barefoot running!  Click here to get your copy.

• ChiRunning Book

Before you start running, it’s a good idea to make sure you are running in such a way that prevents injury – regardless of the type of shoes you are wearing.  This book made running SO much easier to me.  Click here to get ChiRunning.

• Chia Seeds

When the tribes in the book Born To Run were ultra running for long stretches of time – they would take chia seeds with them as they are very filling and hydrating.  Get yours here.

• Barefoot Shoes

This is my favourite brand of barefoot shoes. I adore them as they are SO comfortable.  Be prepared to get some stares when you are wearing these shoes and for people to ask where you got them from.  Click here to see the barefoot shoes I love.

• Grounding Mat

Being grounded is essential for good health, and as we don’t spend much if any time walking barefoot on the earth, the next best thing is a grounding sheet.  I use one of these while I sleep and notice my sleep is a lot more restful and deep as a result. I love this grounding mat.

• Barefoot Running Step by Step Book

If you’re interested in delving deeper into the subject of barefoot running – this book is a must read.

Natural Healing Weight Loss Diet For Life: The Leaf System

The Leaf System is my unprocessed, gluten free, dairy free, refined sugar free, fast delicious weight loss system.

All of The Leaf System meals are calorie counted to ensure you lose weight while you shine from the outside in!

Even after one day you’ll notice more energy, feeling lighter with an actual desire to do more exercise and connect more with nature.

Best of all – I am giving you one whole month of FREE complete delicious meal plans, shopping lists AND all of the bonuses! 

Click here to get started.

Please leave a comment below and let me know what your experiences have been when you go on a strict natural diet? Thanks so much!

Katherine xxx

Are you struggling to lose weight and keep it off?

Are you feeling run down and are struggling with ever increasing health problems?

Green Thickies new 7 Day Detox will help you drop a dress size, improve your skin, your energy will soar and you are going to be so in control and proud of yourself.

You won't go hungry on this diet ... And better yet - it actually requires minimal time in the kitchen.

Get results like this...

I’m so excited to continue another week with this plan! Thankful Stephanie

Use this special voucher to get $10 off: WEBSITE (Add discount code WEBSITE at the checkout)

Click here to get started

• Author
• Recent Posts

Katherine Kyle @ Green Thickies

Founder at Green Thickies

Katherine lost 56 pounds and recovered from Chronic Fatigue Syndrome with Green Thickies.
Read Katherine's inspiring comeback story, From Fat and Fatigued To Lean and Loving Life In 4 Months.
Send Katherine a message on Instagram, Facebook, or email here.

Latest posts by Katherine Kyle @ Green Thickies (see all)

• How To Use Bananas For Sleep (Bedtime Banana Elixir Recipe) - January 14, 2022
• Why You Can’t Eat Your 5 A Day (And The EASY SOLUTION) - November 29, 2021
• 10 Second Banana Ice Cream Recipe (Using Only Bananas) - November 1, 2020

Free SMOOTHIE WEIGHT LOSS BUNDLE

For A Limited Time, Grab Your FREE 260+ Page Smoothies For Weight Loss Bundle so you can:

• Shed your excess weight without hunger or cravings
• Triple your energy levels without needing coffee
• Get glowing, clear skin without expensive creams

DOWNLOAD NOW