:) I'm willing to bet that it feels very relaxing and easy going? More in tune with the Earth?

I would agree with you on that one ma tsmukan, I feel more aware of my surroundings whilst I don't have shoes on, its quite a weird sensation

But it's so cold almost all year around and there are always pointy sharp things lying on the ground just waiting for you to step on them.

I don't know how you people do it, I even wear shoes indoors because it's always so cold and to protect my fragile feet.

Definitely. It's best walking over grass bits, but most of my area is just pavement and road, and even then, it feels good.
I also notice I walk differently without shoes.

In what way??

Kind of more walking on the front of my feet, and dragging my feet on the ground less.

As for how it feels great, I think part of it is doing something so many people don't do, I've had a few people look at me weirdly, which was certainly fun :P

Now all I'm going to think of is Jake's head tilt whenever someone looks at me funny. :D You're awesome Apollo! :D

I found I sorta spring myself off the front of my feet more than if im wearing shoes, I can run faster and am more agile without shoes, it has also improved my balance considerably, have you noticed your feet hardening up yet? I can run on sharp gravel now with no discomfort

Having people looking at you in that *wtf are you nuts?* kind of way is really funny, because all I can think of is that they don't know what they are missing. I would like it very much if less people wore shoes though, society would be quite different without them. I think we would be more, equal because it wouldn't matter anymore about what kind of shoe you wear you know?

Why don't you just start with walking around with no shoes on the carpet?? then as you get used to it move to grass then wooden surfaces then concrete then gravel, by that time you should be able to walk everywhere with no shoes on

When I was young I used to go barefoot during summer, and I always remeber that eventually my feet would get tougher. The problem was always that once I'd get a cut or some other wound, it would never heal because of the constant scraping due to walking barefoot. After that it was so painful to walk, that ever since I've used shoes where ever I go.

Besides it's so cold most of the time, that it's not possible to go barefoot anyways, because I'm extremely sensitive to cold. Not to mention the hazards of urban environment such as broken glass bottles on the pavement and other nasty things.

I haven't had a chance to for a couple of days at the moment, but I know they are already a better than when I started. When I was young and I used to be barefoot quite a lot on the beach etc (used to live right near a really stony beach) I could run barefoot over the beach or pavement without any problems. Last time I went out barefoot a few days ago, I did notice my feet were tougher, but they're certainly not good yet.

When I was a kid, I would run around barefoot outside. But I quit doing that after I stepped on a bee and got stung. I still walk around barefoot in my house, but not outside because I'm afraid I'll step on something that will hurt my feet.

The more you do it, the easier it gets. Both physically and mentally.

Or you can wear Five Finger shoes when you can't go barefoot but want to.

^ This. :D *high fives* :cool:

:shock:

Now that's interesting! :D

Do you have the thread or the article with you? I'd love to read it!

Oh, I was off the weekend and missed all this ! :S

But yes, I do this quite often too, and love it! :)

I've been trying this out now that the weather has been pleasantly warm, and I must say it's quite odd to say the least. I get this feeling that I should be walking without my heels touching the ground for some reason.

This is my first post
Hello

I almost never go barefoot. I'm afraid of stepping on something, I guess.
If you want to call me a tenderfoot, so be it.

Shoes and socks.

Besides, if you only go barefoot, you wouldn't be wearing heels, and I enjoy it when women wear heels. Especially boots.....
;)

Here you go my friend

http://http://www.tree-of-souls.com/...our_brain.html

I just got a pair of the Five Fingers for a present...they are *awesome*! :D I'm barefoot as much as possible anyway, but now...I may never wear normal shoes again! :party:

I googled those Five Finger shoes. They look like they would be very comfortable. But unfortunately, I can't afford them.

Same here :(

Maybe one day I'll get some.

I went barefoot two weeks ago on that weekend where some wilderness schools presented themselves. Some of the people from the schools did so, so I said to myself why not. It was a bit cold at first (we're still way below 20°C here) but I got used to it and it was fun. Last weekend on my medieval camping trip however I could not - it was something like 10° and wet and I was already freezing... Sadly I can't do anything but solid shoes at work for safety though. One of the greatest feelings btw is to put bare feet on moss in the forest. It is soft and a little rough and spongy and even if it is wet it still feels warm...

It doesn't work :'( Was it deleted? Lol

It works. http was just put in twice in the link.

It takes a while to get used to it. Like said above, five finger shoes rock ;)
Btw, Welcome to Tree Of Souls ! :)

I just walked around in my front yard for a few minutes without shoes on. It felt pretty good. I rarely used to go outside.

I took a few kilometer walk today - barefoot. I had to watch where to step all the time, but I still enjoyed it :P

Yeah that is the only downside... becasue you have to watch where you walk, you can't take in any of the scenery :S

There's no real scenery here, so it isn't a huge loss. I usually watch where I walk anyway, as I don't want to step in something, even with shoes on.

It's always tempting to look at people who you KNOW are staring at you like 'ah, whut.' though :D

Fixed for you :)

Ahh that's a bit unfortunate, but like you say, at least you're not missing out on anything much.

And yeah I know that feeling too. I love catching people out when they're staring and they look away quickly. It's funny! :D

Hah - I had some nice barefoot walks by the river this weekend. Topped by cooking some fish on a fire by the river. So a couple of people looked funny, but after some minutes, we also met another guy who went without shoes. Seems this trend spreads :lol:
But I definitley like loam and mud better than gravel - especially the industrial gravel put in potholes or used for construction of paths. Guess I'm just not used to it ;)

I was running around today without shoes on trying to be sneaky like Ney, surprising meh sisters with a squirt gun. I felt like a boss, feeling the damp grass under my feet.

It was fun, then I slipped and bashed my knee. But I had to continue or I risked being sprayed by the hose. :) My knee didn't hurt too much because I was having too much fun feeling the grass. :)

hehe, nice :P

I haven't had much chance to go barefoot much recently, only done it a couple of times in the last few weeks, I should try to make more chances to...

We have a nice backyard, so I go out barefoot, walking around outside, sometimes up to 2 1/2 hours a day.

I NEVER wear shoes inside my house. I occasionally walk out the front, or run down the street like an idiot barefoot. If I go to other areas or the shops though, I wear shoes.

I haven't worn shoes this whole week and this brings a Jake quote in my mind:

"My legs are getting tougher"

as in, it no more hurts at all. I can run full speed even on asphalt (Though i still prefer soft grass :P ). This is awesome! :D

Yeah, I love that feeling :D

So the barefoot season is getting a bit tough nowadays. It is getting quite cold. I still persisted and did not use shoes on a wilderness festival I went to (it was muddy anyways and who wants wet feet inside wet shoes if you can skip the shoes ;) ). That was fun. There was about 10 peopl of 250 who did this.
But now it really takes some guts to keep it up at temperatures well below 20°C. :( I think the day will come I cant do it and then I call the winter to be here.

Anyways - is there a way to deal with gravel. We have a lot of gravel roads here, usually pebbles up to some inches made for agricultural machines to drive over. I trained my feet now all summer long, but still cannot handle these roads properly. Usually a pebble will be at some place below my feet, worst case in the middle - and I will stumble. Also, I cannot really walk fast there.
Another thing is dead plants. When walking over a field that had large grasses on it, there are these stumps of dried grass that stick out. If I get them below my soles, no problem, but if they get between my toes - ouch!
Any experiences here?
Just avoid pebble roads and areas with thick grasses, I guess, huh?