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I'm currently in college and last quarter for my journalism class, one of our assignments was to write a feature article about any topic of our choosing. Having started what is known as "barefooting" earlier this March, I decided to write my article on that.

My article focuses a lot on studies and research that has been done in the matter of going barefoot and it argues in favor of going barefoot from what you could call a "scientific" approach. Think of it as a compilation of the many sources of information that I found while I was conducting my research all put together into this article. I also included several sections that aren't so scientific where I argue for "barefooting" from a social and cultural perspective while throwing in some of my own opinions.

Here it is: http://www.squidoo.com/barefoot-is-best

Several of my non-barefooter friends whom I showed the article to really liked it and I think it better helped them understand why I and others decided to go barefoot as a lifestyle.

What do you guys think of this idea of "barefooting"?

You have to remember that people didnt use to walk on concrete/ashphalt/marble etc way back when people didnt wear shoes.

Also remember that people did a hell lot of (any kind) of physical activities during the Greek/Egyptian etc and i dont think concrete was made yet (?). I think Romans wore sandals (?)

Read a bit of it and loved it til it got to the running barefooted part, that's just dumb, you are talking possible high speed impact with sharp objects unless of course you do it somewhere you know not to be plagued by anything dangerous but that's a different subject than the one that comes to minds when you proclaim the phrase "runnning barefooted" in an article of praise to the lifestyle.

Impact with "sharp" objects is not as dangerous as it sounds when barefoot. Studies have been made on the matter which I talked about in the article (probably after where you stopped reading) that demonstrate plantar skin is quite resilient.

As for whether or not running can be considered to be part of a lifestyle is something that I believe varies from person to person and I respect your opinion on the matter. Thanks for the input.

You don't need studies to tell you that stepping on an acorn while running barefoot hurts like a son of a bitch.

I like shoes too much.

Stopped reading after the first rhetorical question, if you really haven't researched the opposing side enough such that you have to resort to idiotic, watered down, hollow representations that barely even pass as a strawman of the side you're debating against the rest of your article is likely crap.

Also, for all the research you say you did, you have 0 citations and 0 outgoing links to sources you've used.

Unless you're talking about Rosie Huntington running around an annihilated city in her stilettos, going around barefooted poses more danger than it prevents. Indeed, it does distort the natural order of things but it also provides us with benefits. I have to agree that it is an interesting article but it completely ignores the opposing arguments - some of which people might call common sense. Bodily harm is one thing, but you also have to account to the higher chances of introducing infection. I don't know if you're aware of this but in hospitals, the staff, except for the podiatrist, is forbidden to clip the toenails of patients - mainly because of diabetic people. Among other things, a minor injury to their extremities may lead to diabetic gangrene and eventually, an amputation. To note the significance of this, there are 25.8 million children and adults in the US alone, who have diabetes, according to the American Diabetes Association.



Yes, the stratum corneum in the foot is relatively thicker than the rest of the body. However, it is not an impermeable barrier that would protect you from all sorts of objects such as sharp rocks or broken glass. In addition, the center or the part that covers the arch of the foot does not have the same thickness as the rest of it, therefore making it more vulnerable to penetrating injuries.

All in all, going barefoot, setting aside the social stigma that comes with it, is impractical in most cases. If you want to go barefoot within the premises of your household - provided you don't have sharp objects lying on the floor, then by all means, go ahead. However, doing so outside would not only expose you to injury but also, increase the chances of infection.

Meh.. xD

Damn... YOUR Observations are Important!
So please share your observations with us! well let's say, "around February?" lulz

Note that a big part of the freerunning/parkour community take part in barefoot training. Yes, you might step on some glass or other sharp objects but after a while of going barefoot outdoors the skin under your feet will get tougher and prevent most injuries.
The human body can withstand much more than one thinks.

Yeah it's true, but how long will it take?
Well, go ahead and walk outside barefoot lulz but someone will step on your toes "Sooner Or Later"

It being a feature article, citations aren't commonly used in the same way they would be in a research paper (ie including a works cited page). Instead by including information about the particular study (name of people involved, place, etc), it's considered the same thing as citing a source in the journalism world.

I bought a pair of Vibram's in the spring. I wont run or work out in anything but them. Once you get used to them, there is no going back. You'll find yourself walking on your toes in regular shoes. I had some trouble to begin with, but after 2 or 3 months it is amazing. It's kind of like losing weight. You only succeed if you really want to. It takes some self-determination to see it through, but the end result is fantastic.

Anyone interested in barefooting needs to take a look at Christopher Mcdougall's "Born to Run". He writes for some outdoors magazine and has a lot of foot problems. A guy tells him about about the Tarahumara - a group of indians that run ultra distance runs (100 miles +) and seldom get injured.

The book is about him going there and trying to discover their secrets, then bringing them back to the US to completely pwn a couple races.

It talks about how the human body is essentially made to out run, over long distances, any other animal on earth. Because of our ability to sweat, we can chase down cattle or deer until they pass out from heat exhaustion. We are born to run and shoes **** it up for us.

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He starts off with a boring anecdote. Then gets into the pack hunting idea and ends with running barefoot.

is that why i feel like i got a huge pen1s when i run like motherfu.cker?

Completely agree with him. Good video dom!

TBH i really dont think a human can even outrun a dog..
The thing about the Tarahumara is that (im guessing they dont have modern hospitals) the weaker die off and only the stronger humans live while in the more developed world theres more chance of survival (?)

Running barefoot does feel faster though, probably cause you arnt wearing anything tho ;p

You didn't watch the video. It's not about out running a dog with speed, it's about chasing it until he overheats. Dogs can't breathe and cool down at the same time. Humans can.

There's a small group of people still hunting like this in the Kalahari. They use shoes though.

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Most of the studies that are pro-barefoot talk about how wearing shoes doesn't build the strong feet and legs that we used to have. We are prone to injury because of the lack of foot development. That makes sense to me but i'm not a scientist nor a runner.

In his book IIRC, there was a group of oympic runners that trained barefoot (or maybe it was just a college in the US?). They developed strong feet and legs and had a really low rate of injury.

My Personal experiences with going Barefoot show that Id rather not run into another closing door or drop a 2x4 on them bare. That just sucks. Plus, with as much as I see people spitting on the ground around here, that's disgusting.

If you could control what was on the ground you were walking on, I would definitely go bare foot. However, I cannot and I do not know what I could step in.

Also the ground around here gets hot. 110+ degree sun beating down on it heats it up quick. I'm sure my feet would get used to it over time and become thicker, but I feel like personally the pain from getting to that point is not worth it.