My advice on barefoot training

I would like to start off by saying that barefoot running is not for everyone. I would advise anyone who wants to try barefoot running to do your research first. One of the first places that I started my research was on you tube. I would recommend watching a four part lecture by Larry Maurer, DPM on barefoot running to start off with. There are other videos and posts on you tube that you can research as well. Take in as much information as you need to take in. Will all that information make you a better barefoot runner? Probably not. Reading about it and watching videos of others demonstrating barefoot running is all good and well but it amounts to nothing until you put your foot to pavement. I simply started out by walking barefoot at my local park. I simply walked on the road and sidewalk in my neighborhood to get to the park which wasn't very far from my house. Once I was at the park, I had several options of where to walk. My park has a very solid asphalt path that leads around a large body of water. I started by walking what I would consider to be half and half. I walked half on the pavement and half on the grass. I would advise you to know your park. The park that I visit frequently is also a dog park. You can see where I am going with this I hope. Always look around and at your next step. People don't always pick up after their dogs so beware. I am always asked if I am afraid of stepping on something in the grass. Well of course I am. Who wouldn't be afraid of stepping on something besides the grass and the ground. Like I said, know your park well if you are going to try and walk on the grass. To start off with, walking on the grass was very enjoyable. If your park has trails and no hard paths then stick to the trails, don't wonder off into unfamiliar ground. You basically don't want to go to any place that you wouldn't go if you were wearing shoes. My advise is just to get out there and experience all the different surfaces under your feet. You want to let your feet get reacquainted with sensing the ground beneath you. Our feet have become desensitized due to wearing shoes all the time. Reintroduce your feet to the abundance of nature. I had to become familiar with the world underneath my feet once again. I had been desensitized to the feel of the earth's surface as well. Just become one with the world as much as possible. Soak all the information that you can up through your feet. Let your feet be your conduit to the earth's heartbeat. Respect your feet, listen to your feet, respect the earth and listen to nature that is all around you.
I will talk about tips and techniques that I use to introduce barefoot running into your running or exercise routines on the next blog. I hope that you stick around and become interested in taking up barefoot walking/running. Please feel free to leave me your comments and feedback of what you would like to know or have questions about.

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