I think going barefoot is awesome! I've done it all the time at home for a while, and I've gone outside barefoot from time to time. I've also driven barefoot occasionally, but now, I think I'll do it all the time. I'm training myself to go barefoot by taking walks outside on the pavement and the grass. I started yesterday afternoon. What really sucks is that the pavement gets quite hot sometimes, and I burned a blister onto the ball of my left foot yesterday. But I popped it and kept the skin on, so it'll heal soon. The balls of my feet still burn a little when I walk for a while, but they appear to be getting tougher! I had an interesting thought... I recently started exercising to lose weight. After a few weeks into it, I got a little bit of plantar fasciitis. The typical stretches helped that problem. But what I'm wondering is if going barefoot more often will help prevent that from coming back. I really hope so...I've heard that barefooting helps strengthen the feet. I've also had flexible flatfoot forever...and I still have it now (I'm 23). I wonder if barefooting will also help fix that as well. It usually doesn't give me problems, but I suspect that my occasional plantar fasciitis from overuse is because of the flatfoot. Just out of curiosity, does anyone have any experience of minor foot problems like mine never coming back after starting to go barefoot all the time? (Or maybe even major ones?)
I don't know much about barefooting helping foot ailments, but I can guarantee it will prevent new ones from coming up. I'm sort of on the same level as you, except it's harder for me to do this because my parents are totally against it. They think I'll step "In/on something" (especially on). I got a gigantic blister on the ball of my left foot about a month ago that kept me kind of sidelined until now... Now I'm back at it again... Muahahaha!! Most people around here are pretty friendly towards me, but I haven't gone on an actual walk on the sidewalks without bringing foot torture devices with me or having them on part of the time because: A) I don't want to over-do it B) My parents might catch me before or after my walk I love how after you've just gone barefoot and you come back inside how soft the carpet feels and all that. It's just amazing. It also makes me feel closer to nature and even to God somehow. I don't know if it's the same for everybody else, but that's how I feel about it.
I'm glad you're at least getting to experience some of the positive aspects of barefooting. Hopefully in a few years' time, you'll have your own place and be able to walk to and from there barefoot without your parents anywhere nearby nagging you. That sucks about the gigantic blister, man. I know there's a lot of varied advice about what to do with blisters, but I personally pop them and keep the skin on. Washing up before popping the blister is always a good idea, and so is sanitizing the skin and the needle with some rubbing alcohol...especially if you tend to get sick a lot. Fortunately, my immunity is good, so I don't worry about that too much.
Congratulations and welcome to the wonderful world of barefooting! Although leading medical authorities advise against going barefoot on hard surfaces if you suffer from plantar fasciitis, I've always been one to question authority . Take it easy at first, and walk on softer surfaces such as grass or sand until your feet muscles develop and your gait adjusts. I can't help but think that the typical shod (heal-toe) gait can't be good for your condition. A more balanced barefoot gait is bound to be better. As your feet get stronger, move on to harder surfaces, but take it easy for a while. Eventually, you should be able to move to full-time barefooting with few problems.
Yeah, I probably should be taking it easier than I am Perhaps I'm overeager to train myself to become a barefooter. The plantar fasciitis isn't a constant problem, fortunately. It's hit me twice this past year, and it lasted about a week the first time and a couple days the second. I'm always hoping to find ways to prevent it, and barefooting seems like a possibility since it strengthens the feet
