Found a way to keep feet tough over winter

My college has a recreation center where I can work out barefoot (assuming no one is too forceful about the rule, since I already signed the waiver), by running and walking the indoor track barefoot, using the treadmills, and occasionally some light weight lifting. But if any of those assholes try to enforce the closed toed shoes rule on me, maybe I'll just say, "Lusten, I don't actually own any athletic shoes, and frankly can't afford them, either. Besides, I already signed the waiver releasing you from any liability if I happen to run with sloppy running form one day. Plus, I've been working out barefoot for a long time now, and pretty much know how to avoid injury. Actually, if I worked out in athletic shoes, I'd be at higher risk of injury, since my base will be weaker." If that doesn't work, then I guess I could wear my dress shoes until I'm out of sight of the staff, then take them off before working out, but I think wearing dress shoes would raise many more questions than my bare feet.

I have two days every week I can do these workouts (I could do more, but the two days are days where I'm already on campus, and have a long break between classes), but next semester, I'll have three days. I'm thinking of splitting it up between barefoot running one day, and then the other things like treadmill and lifting, maybe some elliptical and spinning, on tin other day. I don't want to do too much in one day. And I want to get in plenty of running, as that seems to be the best way to keep my soles thickest, treadmill following close behind, then lifting to help with overall foot strength, then spinning and elliptical to help with other areas besides the feet. Not that the other workouts won't benefit more than just my feet, but that's the nice thing about working out barefoot, is the feet also get a workout.

 

Yes, indoor areas, it's what I would've done. But please don't antagonize the other users, lest they have you kicked out. You'll want to be invisible, not visible.

Just a thought, but does your campus, or anything nearby offer barefoot sports, like martial arts or swimming? Consider joining maybe? You can't go wrong with swimming, it's the most barefoot activity there is.

 

That was my plan, was to be as discrete as possible (assuming discrete means on the down low) with my barefoot workouts, be nonchalant, and hopefully it doesn't bother anyone as long as I'm not "flaunting."

 

In the winter, we have a log fire. I just use my bare feet to crush the embers down and push new logs into them.

 

If only my soles were that tough yet.

 

Human skin is a lot more fireproof than most people realize. When we draft the fire with newspaper, I crush it out with my hands to stop it from sucking up the chimney. Because Jane does most of the cooking, she also pinches her cigarettes out when their is not an ashtray at a party and has never blistered her fingers. The only danger is getting burning plastic on your skin. It burns at twice the temperature of natural fibers and sticks like hot treacle.

 

True, true. I guess I'm not ready to try it yet, then.

 

It is never a good idea to try something that you are not completely confident with. Things that I have done have simply built up over a number of years. NEVER play with fire after a few drinks, people who do that normally end up in hospital. LOL.

 

No kidding, huh?

 

Over the winter months, it's natural to lose some of the toughness that you've worked hard to develop throughout spring/summer, since opportunities to expose your feet to the elements are largely compromised. However, by continuing to remain barefoot as often as possible (even if the majority of it is spent indoors), muscles, ligaments and tendons should retain their strength, as the feet are continually allowed to move as nature intended. For example, as I reply, outdoor evening temperatures in the UK are currently hovering around freezing, yet my size 8/9 feet remain bare indoors.

Granted, the skin upon your soles will soften over the next few months, but as already stated by other seasoned bare footers, much of the fatty protection, developed in your forefoot over summer months, will still remain.

Come Spring 2018, it may take a few weeks for your feet to re-accustom themselves to negotiating harsher surfaces. As a bare foot runner of almost ten years, however, experience has taught that it takes a matter of weeks before I'm able to enjoy covering 2-3 miles in my bare feet. As simply walking barefoot is far less evasive upon the soles, it's something you should be able to return to with relative ease (on the provision your feet remain absent of footwear as much as possible over winter).

Remember....repeatedly hiding your feet inside footwear results in reduced strength and endurance, since the soft/connective tissue of the feet goes to sleep when encased.

 

Right, barefoot as much as I can. Usually, what I do is wear shoes with plenty of room, but still won't flop around when I walk, and I do arch strengthening exercises within the encasements. And I use rubbing alcohol on my soles to keep them hard, so that it won't be tender when they come out of their cases in spring. Also, the gym staff there are complete Nazis about shoes. They will not allow me to exercise barefoot due to "hygiene reasons" which to me means they doubt their facility's cleanliness. So barefoot workouts are over now.

 

Just go for some of these. Should be shoe enough to satisfy them but still in the vicinity of bare feet.

 

They're actually real shoes; the sole is full rubber with siping when they flex. I have a pair of them, and it is definitely a different feeling than regular shoes.

 

I'm too cheap to buy them.

 

Just go used then, probably lots on ebay and clean them really well

 

this is every gym. it's a place where sweaty people go to use equipment that other people just sweated on. there's lots of room for fungus or other infections to grow.

 

They say hygiene, but also so someone doesn't drop a weight or anything heavy on their bare foot and try to sue them.

 

Like any workout shoe will protect against a weight being dropped on your foot.

 

^ to some extent it will. it will also protect against a toe flying across the room and hitting someone if it does happen.