6 reasons to wear barefoot shoes, and what “barefoot” means

Walking, Movement and Health Selecting and Maintaining Barefoot Shoes

Why start wearing barefoot shoes? Read 6 reasons that will convince you to buy your first pair of barefoot shoes – from comfort to health.

Barefoot shoes mimic walking barefoot. They provide plenty of room for your toes and are highly flexible and lightweight. At the same time, they protect your feet from dirt, cold and injury – and unlike bare feet, they’ll also match your outfit. Aside from a few details, they look just like regular shoes.

First, let’s clarify what all these terms actually mean:

Barefoot = barefoot

Barefoot footwear = footwear that simulates walking barefoot

Barefoot walking = walking barefoot, i.e. without shoes

So these are shoes that have something in common with walking barefoot. Which raises the question: why not just go completely barefoot? Simply put – walking entirely barefoot isn’t for everyone.

Barefoot shoes are comfortable, they protect your feet, and over the last few years they’ve come a long way in terms of design too. With many models, nobody will even notice your shoes are “different”.

At the same time, there are plenty of myths and misconceptions around barefoot shoes. If you’re new to the topic, it can seem like just another fashion fad. Many people also worry whether barefoot shoes are actually comfortable – or even whether they might damage their feet.

Main benefits of walking in barefoot shoes

1. Natural width

Barefoot shoes naturally follow the shape of a healthy foot. That’s why they have a wider, anatomical toe box. It gives your toes plenty of space, doesn’t squeeze them as you walk, and instead allows them to spread, stabilise and push off properly.

For a quick comparison, try standing on top of your shoe: if your foot – even slightly – overhangs the edge, the shoe is too narrow for you.

2. Flexibility

Go on – take off your shoes and socks, look at your foot and try moving it around a bit. Easy enough, isn’t it?

Now put your socks back on, slip into your shoes and try moving your foot again. Suddenly it’s almost impossible, right?

That’s exactly the issue with conventional footwear: because of the stiff sole, it doesn’t allow your foot to move naturally. Barefoot shoes, on the other hand, are extremely flexible and bend beautifully in every direction, so your foot can move as freely as if you were completely barefoot.

3. No drop (no heel)

The term “drop” may not be as widely used as “heel”, but in practice it means the same thing. The drop of a shoe is the difference in height between the heel and the toe – and in barefoot footwear it’s zero, meaning none at all. Our bodies are naturally well designed – if we needed a heel, we’d have grown one.

You can see what a heel does to the body in the image below. Even a small heel changes your posture with every step. Zero drop, on the other hand, supports natural, upright walking. As a bonus, it strengthens immunity, improves blood circulation and supports the lungs in using their full capacity when breathing.

Source: naBOSo, (https://naboso.cz)

4. Thin sole

Touch is one of our important senses – and yet we hardly use it through our feet. We’ve left it to our hands, which is a real shame.

When we have a thinner sole and can feel what we’re walking on, we give our brain clear information about what to prepare for. If we’re walking on a hard surface, the body can prepare for it. If we’re walking on a cold surface, the body can respond. If the ground is unstable, the brain sends a signal.

Why do we need that? Have you ever walked in hiking boots and stepped awkwardly on a stone in a way that made your ankle crack? If your foot had sent the information in time that the ground was unstable, your body could adjust your leg position so it wouldn’t happen.

5. Low weight

They say we should walk at least 10,000 steps a day. One conventional adult shoe weighs around 0.7 kg, which means we end up lifting roughly 7 tonnes of weight every day. That turns an ordinary walk into a pretty decent workout, doesn’t it?

Barefoot shoes, by contrast, are wonderfully light. One adult shoe weighs on average 250–300 g – and we promise you’ll really feel the difference in your legs on longer walks.

6. Zero arch support

Have you heard the opinion that we must have support under the arch, otherwise we’ll end up with flat feet? The arch is made up of bones together with muscles and tendons. Bones alone don’t hold any shape – for the arch to function properly, we need muscles and tendons. When we don’t prop up the arch, we strengthen the muscles that nature gave our feet as we walk.

When we do support the arch, we replace the job of the muscles that are meant to hold it. Yes, the arch will look “correct” inside the shoe. But what happens when you take your shoes off?

A foot that’s confined in a shoe won’t work as it should, and the muscles in the foot can then start to weaken until the arch collapses completely. That’s why it’s worth strengthening your arch through barefoot walking itself.

Barefoot and flat feet

Arch support can also negatively affect, for example, blood flow towards the toes.

Most arch problems arise precisely because the muscles and tendons aren’t working as they should. Barefoot shoes can help a lot with that. Of course, you need to start gradually – literally step by step. And if you have more serious issues, consult a physiotherapist and add foot exercises.

So what should you expect from barefoot shoes?

Let’s sum it up: a barefoot shoe is a shoe that doesn’t do anything.

It might sound surprising, but when the world’s biggest brands compete over which shoe can “do” more – more cushioning, more bounce, more ankle support – isn’t that a bit odd? Our bodies are already brilliantly designed.

The only things we want from barefoot shoes are: