5 Barefoot Running Benefits That’ll Finally Set Your Feet Free
If you are in the process of shifting to a barefoot life, you need to be aware that there are quite a few muscles, ligaments, and tendons around your feet and ankles that need to build up strength slowly as you move away from the shoe life. Take a look at my latest article on Barefoot Training to learn more about how to prepare your feet for barefoot life and stay injury-free.
Barefoot is a word relating to activities performed both with bare feet and in minimalist shoes. Your feet are either firmly against the ground or separated by a very thin sole and very little arch support, keeping them in close contact with the ground.
5 benefits of barefoot running:
1- About 80% of cushioned-shoe runners are heel strikers, while 80% of barefoot runners are forefoot to midfoot runners.
Studies show that heel striking increases the load on your joints, muscles, tendons, ligaments, and/or fasciae, from your shins, knees, hips all the way to your back and neck.
2- Running barefoot boosts your focus and sense of the ground.
Your feet come out of the coma and back to life, giving you more awareness and focus throughout your runs. With little cushioning between your feet and the ground, you will feel, with each step, how your foot is landing on the running surface.
3- Running barefoot activates every tiny muscle in your feet, ankles, legs, and hips, which is the reason for improved balance and coordination, bringing more control, stability, agility, and balance into your runs.
4- With a higher activation of your feet and ankle musculature, running barefoot contributes to the strengthening of your feet.
The less you cushion your runs, the more you use your Achilles tendons, your feet, and calves muscles. Over time, you will build strength in those areas, reducing injuries, such as tendinitis and muscle strains.
In the course of your first few runs after tossing out your shoes, your feet and calves will get sore. This goes to show that the more cushioned your shoes, the more dormant your feet. Ditching your conventional running shoes could help you improve your running form and prevent injury.
5- When you run barefoot, you bring your feet arches back from the dead, giving them the chance to start compressing and bouncing back again with their natural elastic rebound.
Studies show that by awakening your feet arches, you decrease the strain on your feet muscles and start feeling so much lighter, which improves your stride frequency and hence your pace.
Shifting from shoe running to barefoot running, without preparing your feet first, is like sprinting full throttle without warming up; injury is bound to happen.
Extra bonus!
5 tips to help ease you into barefoot running and avoid injury:
- If you live close to a beach, hit the sand, take off your shoes, and try out your naked feet on the hard-packed sand.
- Start baby-style: put your bare feet to the test with a short run, 1 minute up to 5 minutes only. Test your ankles, your knees, and see how everything feels.
- Forget about going fast for a bit. Be patient with your pace and focus on gradually increasing the time you run barefoot. If any discomfort arises in your ankles, knees, tendons, or others, cut your run short.
- Your feet and calves will get sore after your first barefoot run. Be kind to them, stretch and massage them to get the blood flowing and reduce the soreness time. One of the best tips I can give you is to love your feet. I show you how to bring them back to life with this excellent routine!
- Run light, as if you are running on hot coal. The impact against the ground can take a toll on your joints.
Testimony — My experience with barefoot running:
When I first tried barefoot running, I had received a pair of Vibram FiveFingers as a gift. I was still skeptical about running barefoot but thought: “They’re free, why not try them.”
My first run lasted 5 minutes before my knee started hurting. I stopped and walked back home. I increased the time gradually — 4 weeks later, I was running for 30 minutes without any pain, anywhere. That was 12 years ago.
Since then, I have been running barefoot endlessly — with bare feet, when I am beach running and the sand is not boiling hot, everywhere else with my Vibrams. I have run on-road, off-road, hiked, and gone canyoning for hours in my Vibrams with no pain and no discomfort whatsoever, but rather enjoying a better grip, better control, more stability, balance, and agility.
I used to have pain shooting through my right ankle after each run, no matter how short or long the run was. That pain disappeared when I shifted into barefoot running.
Would you believe that I cannot wear the classic cushioned running shoes anymore? They cause my feet to cramp and ache. And that’s the truth! 🙏🏼
CAUTION:
- I would not advise you to run with naked feet on hot sand or pavement; you will get painful blisters (I have been there) and could even burn the skin off the soles of your feet. Better wear minimalist shoes on hot summer days.
- Running barefoot, with or without minimalist shoes, leaves your feet vulnerable to cuts from sharp objects in your path, even stones. This is one of the reasons why staying focused and running light are primary.
By Ritta Wakim, founder of The True Vegan Body, who helps people over 40 build a knockout body and get addicted to healthy plant-powered eating.
