No shoes No service!

No shoes No service!   Remember that store sign?  was that for status or hygiene?  are flip flops more hygienic than bare feet?  I don't really know, just asking.

Know when kids are sent shoes overseas? their feet are stronger without the shoes, but somehow squeezing your foot into a pointy object that squishing all your toes together is a status symbol. I wonder how that happened.  I am sure protecting the foot, had something to do with the start of shoes... but also MONEY.  running shoes in the 70's and spiky heels have contributed to all sort of misalignment issues... maybe not right away, but it does catch up to you.

My mom told me not to wear spikes in high school, but i had to look cool - so now i have bunions, very attractive i might add, yeah, not so much.   I used to have to add an extraordinary amount of padding to even wear shoes.

Now since going more minimalist (after your feet and calf muscles build up) my hips are aligned better, my legs and feet feel great, posture is much improved.  it is amazing how we get used to being tilted forward in our shoes.  There are studies about flats and how they hurt your feet.  Here is my theory.  When your foot in stuffed in a shoe it can not spread out and distribute the weight correctly, so yes there is foot pain. if your shoes are too tight, even with flats.  Rigid soles also contribute to the foot not being able to move.

With all that said, we live in a society with shoes - so we have to wear them.   And shoes are the things we should wear, if we need them for more risky activities.

A lot of the foot conditions can be improved by going barefoot google your condition and add barefoot to it.  That is how I found out about how to help alleviate hip/hamstring pain when running.

TIPS to start:

• As soon as you get home, ditch the shoes, your house should be safe to get in some barefoot time. (You might have to rinse them off before bed if your floors are dusty, smile)
• Find some minimalist shoes (especially for winter) to build up your foot muscle. (See link below)
• If you wear heels, stretch out your calf muscles and the edge of a step, at least 30 seconds per leg.
• Use a tennis ball and when standing up, rub your foot along the tennis ball on the floor. This myofacial release feels great afterward and will temporarily relieve tight muscles.

I love the vibrams for working out!  Good and grippy. 

I also made huaraches which I wear around now, where shoes are required. smile. My toes are not cramped up, love the free-ness in the summer.

Search Amazon.com for barefoot shoes

Created Barefoot

Yes I had to say it, CREATED BAREFOOT! I came into the world with bare feet, and won't take my shoes with me when I go!  Smile.   I love what I have learned about being barefoot and wearing minimalist shoes.  I am new to this about a year and a half into it,  I can run with no hip pain now. (Though you have to be super patient with yourself when you first start, or you will have some serious sore muscles in your calves and feet.)

My two cents....
We are all obviously coming from a different place of learning, and mine is a designer, a masterful craftsman, pure genius are the "human" words I can assign to it.  Created!   Though a lot of the science is accurate, like how we are aligned, the way the joints are supposed to absorb shock without padded tennis shoes, way we can be grounded to the earth, etc... I believe we are created this way and in my mind coming from some nothingness, just doesn't compute in my head.  Just like I am sure to someone who believes in evolution thinks I am blind.   I want to be one of those few people who steps outside the box and goes against society by eating whole foods, running and walking naturally, and believing I was designed by someone a lot smarter than I.

 I know I am created special and unique in God's image, so I want to eat God's food.  I did not evolve from a crawling thing, I am designed to stand up and pick an apple off a tree and enjoy it.   I love this fact, that someone designed me!  The more I learn, the more I want to get back to a more natural style of life and enjoy the natural laws that God has put in place for us to have balance, health, and life to share with others.

My  ability to learn was designed by God, the Bible says I have the mind of Christ. It is hard for me to learn about this good stuff and have it all be about evolution. My heart always sinks a bit, so this writing are for those of us who can embrace this lifestyle and know we were created for this.

Proof text: Isaiah 44:24 (a few different versions)
God, your Redeemer, who shaped your life in your mother's womb, says: "I am God. I made all that is. With no help from you I spread out the skies and laid out the earth."

Israel, I am your LORD. I am your source of life, and I have rescued you. I created everything from the sky above to the earth below.

Thus says the LORD, your Redeemer, and the one who formed you from the womb, “I, the LORD, am the maker of all things, Stretching out the heavens by Myself and spreading out the earth all alone,

"Thus saith the LORD, thy redeemer, and he that formed thee from the womb, I [am] the LORD that maketh all [things]; that stretcheth forth the heavens alone; that spreadeth abroad the earth by myself;"

If you have questions about creation www.creationmoments.com  is an awesome scientific resource.