Why Barefoot Time?
Do you struggle with back strain?
Do You Walk in Shoes or Sneakers with lot’s of support most of the time?
If so, I am glad you are listening.
My name is Andrea Legatt Carvin I am an Occupational Therapist, Coach & Brain Based Movement Trainer helping people move better in ways that are anything but average.
Much like Babies need Tummy Time
To help their nervous system grow, In general, adults can benefit from barefoot time to help our nervous system too.
The feet have lots of nerve endings that give information to our brain about where we are and how we are moving.
Over the years, the more we wear shoes, we weaken all the little muscles and dim the signals from our feet to our brain. Imagine if you wore mittens over your hands all the time. You wouldn’t be able to efficiently do all the things your hands are able to do.
Disclaimer, If you like this idea and have any concerns about your health and walking barefoot, consult with your healthcare team. If you have diabetes and neuropathies or foot drop, please discuss this idea with your movement healthcare providers. There may be ways to do this safely and this may not be right for your body. Interested in learning more? Schedule a free call at http://bit.ly/2RfOdvY
Self-Help Information
Let’s go a little deeper into this topic. If you look at your feet, you will see there is a similarity in the way the bones and muscles of the feet and hands are organized. Try this, open and close your hands and see how they easily do this.
Now as an experiment, see if you can do this with your feet. Most of us have lost this ability. Little kids can. While we don’t need to pick up stuff with our feet, having weaker feet will start to limit the types of activities you do over time.
Think about how little kids are often seen climbing on curbs and balancing. Do you ever see adults trying to do this? This is a great balance activity and very hard to do with weak feet muscles.
There are lots of exercises you can do. My recommendation is to keep it simple, you do enough, just start to give your feet barefoot time every day for a little while. You can do this on rugs, hardwood floors, tile the more textures the better. Notice what feels best and keep doing it. Keeping feet strong is great fall prevention.
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