Going Barefoot

I just returned from a conference in San Antonio and have to share a few thoughts on bare feet. Being a people watcher and a foot watcher, I couldn’t help but notice how frequently people go barefoot. Now, mind you, I have no objection to being barefoot. In fact I’m barefoot as I write this post. However many people are taking this a bit farther than I’d choose to do.
     I noticed several people walking barefoot through the hotel lobby. This was a large upscale hotel in downtown San Antonio. Around the lobby, in the elevator, and through the hotel’s public areas—it didn’t matter where. Then I noticed someone in the airport walking around the terminal in bare feet. On the plane coming home were several people in their seats with bare feet. One young lady walked up and down the aisle and into the plane’s lavatory in bare feet.
     A great and informative website on going barefoot is Barefooters.org. This is the home of the Society for Barefoot Living. Give the site a look. There is a wealth of information and a state by state listing of regulations and correspondence about going barefoot.
     What Barefooters.org wants you to know is these four points:
•    It is healthy for your feet to go barefoot.
•    It is not against the law to go barefoot into any kind of establishment including restaurants.
•    It is also not against any health department regulation.
•    It is not against the law to drive barefoot.
    Several other sites are worth reading too. Parents for Barefoot Children is a great site for parents wondering how going barefoot affects their children. Natural and Healthy Barefoot Activities is also informative and includes a page of barefoot gymnastics.
    Besides the possibility of cutting your feet on glass or metal, if you have any cuts or open skin on your feet, you take the risk of picking up an infection. Another concern to be watchful for is skin that calluses over. These calluses can split into fissures, cracks in the skin. This opens the inner layers of skin to a greater risk of infection. If you step on something sharp and get a puncture wound, seek out medical care. Puncture wounds typically close up and this seals any debris, germs, or contaminants inside the wound.
    If you choose to go barefoot in public places, it’s smart to know the law. It’s also smart to take care of your feet. There is no point in getting an infection through carelessness.

Comments

[Rex McCallum I]

I have been a barefooter for the last 26 years out of 42. This includes most places and surfaces. Gravel, hot and cold pavement, driving and every store/business you can imagine. I definitely live a barefoot lifestyle and have never had an infection or major injury. Shoes have caused more foot problems than going barefoot ever has for me. Keep 'em bare!

[Footcare]

I would like everyone who has heel pain, heel spurs or plantar fasciitis to know that there is Instant help for your heel pain. There is a new shoe cushion called "Heelbillys" and rightfully so because they are not your typical orthotic, but believe me they work and there is nothing on the market like them.
They can only be bought online at; www.heelbillys.com and cost only $15.00.


They are tall, soft cushions made out of a special foam and they fit inside your shoe right under your heel and feels like you are walking on a pillow. They give instant relief.
I have been wearing them now for over 3 months and my heel is so much
better that I can now walk without them but today's shoes are so poorly
cushioned that I don't take the chance because I don't want the excruciating pain that I had to come back. Today’s shoes are so poorly cushioned that even people who don’t have heel pain should get them to avoid heel pain problems, especially if they walk a lot. Sometimes the simple things work better than the expensive things that are just designed to cost a lot of money to make it seem like they are effective. Heelbillys are simple, and inexpensive but they are effective. You owe it to yourself to try them, and you won’t be disappointed, you can get instant relief.