Of Being Barefoot

Whenever I hear the word "barefoot", I could always remember the times when I was still in my Mom's province in Masbate where the luxury of having a shoe or slipper is not on top of our priority. In fact, most of the Pupils and Students in Elementary and Secondary goes to school with barely nothing on their foot but the thick mud. And I got to experience the same thing in my 3 years of stay in Masbate.

Aside from walking and running, climbing trees, stepping on the thorny "makahiya" plant (Sci. name: Mimosa pudica Linn, or Bashful Mimosa in English), trekking mountains, chasing the farm animals, these are but some of my experiences back in the province of being barefooted. So what did I get from this experience? A desensitized foot-sole (lol, not really that much), but with a strengthened and developed lower leg muscle.

Image Courtesy of MilesBehindMe.com

Now, I know most of the runners, if not all, have already heard and been curioused about barefoot running. I have also been asked by some of my blog readers (yes, I have SOME sweet readers) about the word "barefoot running". And all I can say is running without any shoes on or any protective gear on. But what does it have for you with being barefoot? To quote from BarefootWearInc:

"...when barefoot, movements become the movements of a child — playful and sensitive, yet purposeful and confident. A person experiences the unbound joy of stepping, hopping, and running across any surface on earth, simply to get from here to there. This is the reason why a lot of sports enthusiasts prefer to deal with their activities barefoot.... training without shoes allows you to run faster and further with fewer injuries. Motion studies demonstrate that when running barefoot, one naturally lands on the forefoot, directly below the center of gravity. This results in optimum balance, increased stability, less impact, and greater propulsion."

But you might say, "barefoot running is not recommended in my area since a lot of debris such as sharp objects, rocks, broken glasses, and even dog poops might get into my feet." Well this is my answer, that's part of the experience when you choose to walk or run barefoot, lol! Kidding aside, it's a good news to know that some footwear are developed to mimic the feel and freedom of being barefoot, but still protects our feet from the many possibilities of injury. One of this footwear, and is already getting four thumbs up from every individual runner/athlete is the Vibram Five Fingers or VFF.

I'll be posting more about the FiveFingers on the coming days, or hopefully a few mileage after I get to have a good opportunity to review and road test one. So, keep posted.

This great footwear is already here in the Philippines and has a store located at Level R1 Bridgeway in PowerPlant Mall, Rockwell. For inquiries, you may call (02) 513-1449 or e-mail marketing@barefootwearinc.com.