So, I've always loved barefootin.. makes yah feel good (except for at work when the boss yells at yah.. happened to me the other day!). But, how do you get your feet to toughen up quicker? My boyfriend has very prickly weeds in his yard and they hurt so bad to step on. I make him carry me over the grass (and the hot rocks... they have black rocks in the drive way that get so hot!) I need some tips! I've always taken very good care of my feet and kept them silky smooth. Especially in the winter when it's too cold without shoes, I lotion them up all the time. So, they are so tender now! Plus, I don't want to get calluses... I don't find them attractive at all! So, lotion is almost necessary. I guess I'm in a catch 22!
i'll give you my address and you mail me all your shoes, BUT it won't really be my address so your shoes will be lost forever. other than that.. just know your limits right now.. barefoot as much as you can, but not if it's gonna hurt 'til you can't walk. a pumice stone can keep them smooth while barefooting... i really need one.
Just go barefoot as often as feels good to you. Your feet will toughen up the more you keep them bare and active on a variety of surfaces. Try to enjoy the hot black rocks. Think of it as acquiring a taste for hot spicy food. Food for the feet, that is. Going barefoot often will always make ones feet look healthier and more attractive, IMHO.
dixie_pixy - the only way to toughen your feet is to go barefoot more...but I agree with you that there are drawbacks in how it makes one's feet look. But people get calluses from shoes just as much if not more (calluses are different than the toughening of one's skin). This is the reason that I wear flip flops year round - it allows me to have the feeling of freedom without making my feet too tough. I can slip out of my flops whenever I feel like it which is more and more lately. And I know I'm in the minority here, but the fact that you work at keeping your feet silky smooth is something that I wouldn't change. I like women's feet to be soft and smooth! ;-)
Same here. I like it that way for theirs, as well as ours. For whatever reason. It's just the way I am on thls.
i think it might be genes too. i'm part cherokee, as my mom, and we both have very tough feet, even in the winter when we don't barefoot. aaaand big feet. ~_~ but there's a drawback to everything i suppose
I happened to find a geat way to keep my soles tough in the winter months when barefooting is difficult to do, due to very cold temperatures. I found a gym with an indoor track that is made of tough rubber. The surface is not smooth, so it helps to keep my soles tough. At first they let me do it barefoot, but someone complained, so now I use my soleless moccasins, so the tops of my feet are covered, but my soles are free. The soles of my feet after are black, but tough and ready for the warmer months. I walk it 4-5 times a week for 2.5 to 3 miles, and working towards longer distances. In this track's case 12 times is equal to a mile.
Ive been a full time barefooter now for about a year and a half and what everyone else is saying about barefooting as much as possible is pretty much true. Your concern about callouses though is really not anything to worry about. I used to have vert bad thick callouses from my shoes and they were very isolated, dry and ugly. Since I've been barefoot they went away and the bottems of my feet got nice and tough but look nothing like a callous. There is a little dryness and thicker parts around the edges of my heels which I take off with pummice stone and I always apply lotion to compensate for the dryness I experience since my feet are always aired out. I guess you should just do it (as nike says) and pay attention to your feet and thier needs and you'll enjoy barefooting more and more as your feet get conditioned. Just be patient and enjoy.
[Alan33466]Could you post a link were you found those moccasins...Thanks Hi Alan, The soleless moccasins that I'm referring to are ones that I had made specially for me a few years ago at L.L.Bean in Maine. Because I have big feet they were custom made. I wore the soles of them out, but kept them to be able to wear something to cover the "No Shoes,No Service" that so many establishments require today. As I said the beauty is that my soles are still bare, just the tops are covered. They have never failed me
What everyone is saying about going barefoot more to toughen up the feet is so true. Before I went barefoot a lot, I wore shoes all the time. When I started walking barefoot around the house, the floors were rough on my feet and hurt. Now, hot pavement, gravel, stones, no problem. It just takes time and walking and a lot of attention to the needs of your feet.
i have started to go barefoot now for about a week on and off wearing sandles when i see broken glass or have to go into an establishment , i want to go barefooted in the winter and other places like with my mom to fancy places . yet i know that for her i let it slide . i read the artical on barefootedness and now i am doing and i was wondering about the toughnesss thing thanks .. u guys are great
welcome to the forum, holy ancient megumi. your feet and the earth will be much happier now that they are connected. mother nature will make your feet tougher and stronger depending on how active you are. just remember to adjust your walking style- less weight on the heels. practice walking on mountain nature trails and unpaved country roads. after a while more blood will circulate in your feet and they will stay warmer in the winter. i think you are going to love your new lifestyle!
Step on places you'd rather avoid with shoes on, like mud, wet soil, puddles, wet grass and moss, old leaves ... just for the fun ... helps you to feel connected to your feet + the ground you touch (which is not just socks, or shoe soles). And as you're getting used to run around shoe-less - less protective - your feet become pretty clear in what they want (and don't) ... after a while, some old shoes won't fit anymore ... now this is literally true as well.
