Barefooting

Forsaken said:
And then you'll have MAN feet!

Broken glass? No problem!
Rusty Nails? Bend upon contact!
Molten Lava? Like a cool breeze on a nice summer day!

Couldn't think of any lame sale pitchy things.
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naw just because they 'toughen up" a bit doesn't mean you have man feet, lol.
 
Lee said:
I've been trying to not wear shoes since I noticed this topic when it was first created. It is not as easy as I first thought. My poor feet hurt without shoes on - I guess they are getting used to being free.
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Lee just do short periods within your own comfort capacity.
Walk indoors at first and only later on gentle surfaces outdoors (if your country is safe).
If the feet feel sore at any time, stop and cherish them with warm salty water, soak, dry off and cuddle them in sofffftie socks.
It does take a few weeks for the skin to "wake up" and remember its evolutionary job. There's no rush.

Barefooting is about pleasure - as Kier says Extreme Barefooting is a minority thing / I called it a bit macho. No problem for those that like it but the great majority like to barefoot in comfort.

You'll still be sensitive to pain don't worry. Just minor things like small bits of glass or stone become no problem - but only after carefully building up the habit.
Men also have a harder time of it because your shoes are generally stiffer, thicker and enclose the foot more. So male feet are more tender and unused to their natural work.

Oh and I've never had "man feet." My feet are female peasant from eastern Europe.They like velvet, silk, fur, fluffy rugs, wooden floors, thick carpet, smooth tiles, grassiness, warm stone, sandy beaches ... Just because the skin can cope with discomfort doesn't mean we go looking for it.
My son- a lifetime barefooter who is huge solid and burly - looked puzzled at the idea of "man feet" when I mentioned it. He shrugged, and commented kindly that having man feet is an option if that's the way you want to think about it.
 
Shelley said:
What is bare footing I hear you ask
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Till now I thought you were discussing your fetish porn fantasies or something. I see it's 27 pages long. I was like "No way there are so many perverts here". But, I get it now. Still it feels a bit fetishly though. ;)
 
Shanj said:
Oh and I've never had "man feet." My feet are female peasant from eastern Europe.They like velvet, silk, fur, fluffy rugs, wooden floors, thick carpet, smooth tiles, grassiness, warm stone, sandy beaches ... Just because the skin can cope with discomfort doesn't mean we go looking for it.
My son- a lifetime barefooter who is huge solid and burly - looked puzzled at the idea of "man feet" when I mentioned it. He shrugged, and commented kindly that having man feet is an option if that's the way you want to think about it.
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Your ability to sense humor seems to be a bit off.
 
Lee said:
I don't want leather feet though. I would still like to feel pain. :p
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My feet are just as sensitive as they ever were - it's actually a bit of a myth that the habitually unshod develop massively tough and insensitive soles.

What actually happens is that you develop a new, environmentally-aware, self-defending manner of walking, which allows you to walk over most surfaces without hurting yourself. The experienced barefoot walk involves tentatively placing your foot and testing the ground before you shift weight onto it, giving you the chance to quickly abort the step or move your foot before you press it down onto something hazardous. Of course, with experience and time this happens faster than is observable.

I recorded this very short and clip when I was walking back to the car at the supermarket to demonstrate how it's possible to walk over rough and variable terrain quickly and efficiently using this method. You'll have to excuse the astonishing cinematography ;)

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Forsaken said:
Your ability to sense humor seems to be a bit off.
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Actually I just enjoy extending the joke by appearing to take it seriously.
It's a girl thing maybe, or perhaps our famous dry Brit style - different kind of humour.

Kier said:
My feet are just as sensitive as they ever were - it's actually a bit of a myth that the habitually unshod develop massively tough and insensitive soles.
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Kier it's always a delight to see parts of your body. Very sweet feet.

I beg to differ from you somewhat. I totally agree there is an awareness of ground that builds up just as you say and that it becomes faster than is conscious.
Also I mentioned how spreading the foot in a relaxed way - letting go, softening, into the surface rather than denying it and holding back, is another barefoot skill that builds so that rougher surfaces become manageable. Very Tao.
But after all that the skin DOES toughen enormously. It becomes a kind of "footleather" that simply doesn't get as sore as a shod foot does. Especially the more delicate male feet.
I shouldn't have used the word 'toughen' because it carries so much rubbish baggage - macho .
 
I'm not denying that the skin does toughen up, I was just saying that it doesn't do it to the extent that some people think it does. I'm not going to be strolling happily across broken glass any more comfortably than a person who's worn shoes 24/7 their entire life.
 
Kier said:
I'm not denying that the skin does toughen up, I was just saying that it doesn't do it to the extent that some people think it does. I'm not going to be strolling happily across broken glass any more comfortably than a person who's worn shoes 24/7 their entire life.
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My son does. But then he's never worn shoes for more than a couple of hours on an unusual occasion. His feet are very tough which I assume is being barefoot from a baby. Not many of those in Western society.
Mine are much less tough but wouldn't notice a small splinter. I have had to wear warm fluffy boots on all except hot days due to long patches of illness. So my feet are much softer than his.

I so often wriggle with delight because XF is so NICE to use. I adore Georgia font so elegant but so much else - I love the priority of content over function.
 
Shanj said:
My son does. But then he's never worn shoes for more than a couple of hours on an unusual occasion. His feet are very tough which I assume is being barefoot from a baby. Not many of those in Western society.
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I spend the best part of my childhood barefoot, I was a very obstinate child and hated wearing shoes except when horse riding, even then I often rode barefoot just around not competing :p and for a time we lived in the country and it was acceptable to run around barefoot and so we did, even to school (yay!), the only downside is that as a result my feet are much wider than they would have been I think, makes shoe purchases quite difficult... they are all so uncomfortable! Not too much toughening of the skin though, which is good I guess, but I feel everything with my feet, if I step on even a tiny burr or bit of glass etc, I know about it.

I still hate wearing shoes, and shoe shopping is seriously my worse nightmare. I admire dainty feet, never had them though Kier has quite shapely feet :p I was going to say dainty, but I am not sure you would want your feet described as dainty :p
 
Dragonfly said:
I spend the best part of my childhood barefoot, I was a very obstinate child and hated wearing shoes except when horse riding, even then I often rode barefoot just around not competing :p and for a time we lived in the country and it was acceptable to run around barefoot and so we did, even to school (yay!), the only downside is that as a result my feet are much wider than they would have been I think, makes shoe purchases quite difficult... they are all so uncomfortable! Not too much toughening of the skin though, which is good I guess, but I feel everything with my feet, if I step on even a tiny burr or bit of glass etc, I know about it.

I still hate wearing shoes, and shoe shopping is seriously my worse nightmare. I admire dainty feet, never had them though Kier has quite shapely feet :p I was going to say dainty, but I am not sure you would want your feet described as dainty :p
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I hate shoe shopping as well. It's a difficult and hateful task. I have ugly feet. They're often referred to as "Flintstone" feet. Not from going barefoot either. But because as a child I was made to wear shoes that were too small for me, because after my dad died, mom found better things to do with our pension checks, if you get my drift.

So depending on the mood, the month, or the time of year, we had either no shoes, or too small shoes.
 
Peggy said:
I hate shoe shopping as well. It's a difficult and hateful task. I have ugly feet. They're often referred to as "Flintstone" feet. Not from going barefoot either. But because as a child I was made to wear shoes that were too small for me, because after my dad died, mom found better things to do with our pension checks, if you get my drift.

So depending on the mood, the month, or the time of year, we had either no shoes, or too small shoes.
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Thats sad Peggy.. but hey maybe we can form a flintstones feet support group :p You be Wilma, I'll be Betty!!!
 
Peggy said:
haha I'm all for that!
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Woot! break out that funky white dress and three rock necklace!

The-Flintstones-Wilma-and-Betty-the-flintstones-6386154-350-450.webp


Deeeelightfully barefoot you will notice :D
 
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