How long until you're no longer a tenderfoot..?

Sorry if this has already been covered, I couldn't find it, but about how long does it take until the tenderfoot stage goes away? I've been barefooting it for about 4 days now, and would like to eventually be able to walk on just about anything and not have it phase my feet...I still carry shoes around with me just in case I come across something that hurts my toes...
Also, I've noticed that one of my heels is all dry and has cracks just under the outer most layer of skin (I can see them, but not feel them)...What do you think could have caused this and how can I fix it?

 

If you're barefoot mostly full-time, I'd say you're likely to be able to walk over just about anything within a month. The key is to push a little farther each day without injuring yourself, which would set you back. If you push too far one day, back off the next.

Of course, if you want to walk over just about anything, you have to test your limits from time to time. When you think you've mastered smoother surfaces, start trying rougher surfaces. You might be interested in checking out this thread and its link.

As for your heels, you don't mention whether you went from wearing shoes to being barefoot, but they're probably just adjusting to their new environment.

I find that if I don't take care of my feet, the skin thickens and pushes out from the heel. Then, it dries and cracks. Some of the cracks can go deep and be painful, so I do two things:

• Keep the edges of my heels rounded. (PedEggs work for me.)
• Use a skin cream to moisten my soles. (Look for urea as an ingredient.)

Do each as often as needed.

 

I think two weeks of constant barefooting should have you in good shape for most surfaces.

The calloused skin on your heels should be removed periodically with a pumice stone - that prevents the painful cracks.

Hope you enjoy your new lifestyle!

 

kazuya5611, thank you for that link, and as for my heel...well the left one has alwas been a bit funky and very badly cracked, but new skin has started growing over the cracks since I eschewed shoes (wtf?) and I was wondering if that is normal??? And my hubby just bought me a small tin of bag balm ($6 for an ounce!!!!)

 

Bag balm is a nice stuff, too - however, it depends on what your skin type is... since bag balm is made from fat, it serves good to conserve "living leather", since that is what bare soles tend to become as they toughen up. However, if your skin requires moisturizing, skin creams containing urea might be the better choice.

Anyway, enjoy your barefooting,

wiggling toes encouragingly,

~*Ganesha*~

 

I don't use foot cream or whatever makes my feet soft for a while. I want to keep my feet as natural as possible, and they can, unless you take a little care and - like kazuya5611 said- keep the edges of your heels rounded. Every week once seems to be enough for me.
Another reason I don't use cream is that I think if the cream disappears in your skin (sorry for the strange english), your skin will get dry again. Like that, it goes from moisturized to dry all the time. I don't think that's good for the development of cracks and all that stuff.
But that's my opinion ofcourse...

 

That's an interesting phenomenon. Walking barefoot does cause the skin on your soles to thicken (grow), but it seems odd that it would grow over the cracks. As long as it doesn't cause any problems, I wouldn't worry.

BTW what kind of reaction do you get to your barefooting in Tooele. I used to live on the other side of the Oquirrh mountains where I doubt it would be received very well.

 

well so far only one person really commented on it, some lady coming out of the laundromat said I was crazy, I just smiled; and I was in the kmart in bountiful and the manager saw my bare feet and smiled

 

iniminie wrote

I second that. It might depend on skin type or barefooting habits or whatever, but I rarely have anything but small cracks during summer months. It's when I start to wear the socks and shoes on and off again in the fall that the cracks start to show up. I do think it has something to do with the skin alternating between moisturised and dry. I might occasionally sand off the edge of my heels a little. On vacations, when barefooting all day in hot climate I use to apply just a little fat cream on edge of heels and at base of my big toes. I use a stick similar to the kind used for lips but mine is slightly more fat and firm.

bftEd wrote:

That's roughly my estimate too. It probably goes slow the very first days as you might need to take a little extra care not to step on something that might set you back several days. However, the speed of progress will be quicker in a week. In total, I'd say progress is very individual.

If your feet feel warm in the evenings and you experience a funny creeping senstation in your soles, then you have given them just about the right workout for the day and they will toughen up.

The more un-even the surface, the better the result in my experience. Asphalt and concrete is very abrasive but gives just a minimum of workout so skin will grow a bit slower.

Also, beeing able to cope with rough surfaces is a matter of not only the skin but the pads on your feet and state of mind. Barefooting is just as much a conditioning of the brain as of the feet...