What About Bare Feet?

You know, I like walking around barefoot. I do it around the house quite a bit, and sometimes outside.

There’s actually something to the idea of letting our feet out of our shoes to feel the surface beneath them. And I dare anybody to tell me that taking those darn shoes off at the end of a hard day isn’t one of the best feelings in the world.

A lot of research has looked at whether increased sensory information from the bottoms of our feet can help with balance.

Well, I think so, and personally, it just feels good.

Carpet. Hardwood. Tile. Grass. Your feet have to react to those different surfaces.

But here’s where some common sense needs to enter the picture. Barefoot doesn’t automatically mean safer.

If your balance isn’t good, if you have reduced feeling in your feet, or if there are things around the house that you can trip over or step on, a properly fitted shoe with good traction may be the much safer choice.

And where I live, walking barefoot outside can get downright stupid in the summer. Sidewalks and pavement get hot. So I’m not suggesting everybody take their shoes off and start marching down the street. What I am suggesting is that our feet were designed to feel things. Maybe we shouldn’t completely insulate them from the world.

Then There’s Balance

This is where walking becomes about more than getting a little exercise.

Falls are a big deal as we get older.

More than one in four older adults reports falling each year. A fall can mean a broken bone, a head injury, reduced mobility and sometimes a loss of independence. That’s something worth paying attention to.

Walking helps keep the legs, ankles and feet working. But walking isn’t the entire answer. Strength and balance exercises are important too.

The point isn’t to become an athlete. The point is to keep doing the things that help us remain mobile.

How Much Walking?

I’m not particularly interested in turning my morning walk into a mathematical equation.

I usually walk for about 30 minutes. At my pace, I’m doing roughly two miles per hour, or about a mile in 30 minutes.

That’s not exactly Olympic speed. I don’t care. I have a couple of little hills along my route. There are inclines, declines and flat stretches. One or two of those hills are enough to get my heart working harder for a little while. Then the ground levels out, I keep walking, and everything settles back down.

That’s exercise. It doesn’t have to happen in a gym.

And of course, walking does a lot more than exercise your legs. It also works your core and the muscles that help support your back, improves endurance and circulation, and helps keep joints moving. Even your arms and shoulders get involved when you walk naturally. It really is a pretty good whole-body exercise for something so simple.