Walking barefoot has been scientifically proven to offer numerous health benefits and is also considered an alternative healing therapy. One of the reasons for this is that walking barefoot allows you to connect more closely with the Earth, thereby absorbing energy from the Earth to improve your health.
To understand this better, it’s important to know that the heart, brain, immune system, nervous system, and muscular system of a person are all part of an internal system that operates within a “bioelectrical” body. The environment around us contains a significant amount of electromagnetic fields (EMF).
Walking barefoot brings many health benefits. (Photo: kupiskidku.com)
When you are exposed to these EMFs, it increases the number of “free radicals” created in the body due to natural metabolic processes or absorption from the environment. These positively charged free radicals then trigger inflammation and various other diseases.
Meanwhile, the Earth is regarded as an infinite source of negatively charged free electrons. Thus, when you make contact with the ground, the natural energy from the Earth will neutralize the effects of free radicals, helping to protect and enhance your health.
Here are some benefits of walking barefoot:
- Neutralizes free radicals, thereby reducing oxidative stress (breakdown) in cells, helping you recover faster from illnesses or injuries.
- Reduces chronic inflammation associated with many diseases such as cardiovascular issues, diabetes, cancer, arthritis, and more.
- Improves sleep quality, enhances balance, and promotes blood circulation.
Therefore, you can protect your health simply by occasionally walking barefoot or sitting on grass or sand for at least 60 minutes each day to maximize the benefits of energy absorption from the Earth.
Is it safe to exercise barefoot?
Walking barefoot while exercising can cause toes or feet to get torn.
The answer is yes, but it’s not without risks. Some common risks of exercising barefoot include:
- Toes or feet may get torn.
- Feet may become infected with bacteria or fungi when stepping on something sharp or excessively hard.
Moreover, if you are a beginner at exercising barefoot, you may face risks related to loss of body balance. This is because your feet are accustomed to the support of shoes, and transitioning to being shoeless increases your risk of falling or twisting your ankle.
The safety of exercising also depends on the type of exercise and where you perform it. For example, if you live in a large city, exercising barefoot on dirty streets filled with hard or sharp objects can lead to unpredictable consequences. In contrast, exercising barefoot on a sandy beach is beneficial. Likewise, exercising barefoot in a gym might be quite uncomfortable, but lifting weights at home without shoes or foot protection can be advantageous.
If you want to exercise barefoot but are concerned about the aforementioned risks, start with the most basic shoes. Minimalist shoes that offer less support can help you achieve the strength of your feet.
Additionally, the soles of the feet are rich in reflex points corresponding to vital organs in the body such as the heart, lungs, liver, and kidneys. Walking barefoot stimulates these reflex points, enhancing overall health.
The left foot corresponds to the left side of the body, reflecting the health status of the heart, spleen, anus, and hemorrhoids. The right foot relates to the right side of the body, reflecting the liver, gallbladder, and appendix.
Thus, walking barefoot stimulates these reflex points on the soles, thereby improving the health of the respective organ systems in the body.
The soles of the feet are rich in reflex points, corresponding to all vital organs in the body – (Illustrative photo).
Researchers recommend walking barefoot on surfaces like grass, sand, wood, or gravel to enhance foot sensitivity and strengthen leg muscles. Simultaneously, direct contact with the ground provides effective massage benefits, improving blood circulation and benefiting blood vessels and connective tissues.
Accordingly, walking barefoot daily will yield the following effects:
Within 1 second: Instantly relieves stress, reduces muscle tension, and alters brain wave patterns.
5 minutes of barefoot walking daily: Your internal organs will positively change; blood viscosity decreases, similar to the effect of aspirin; circulation is improved; oxygen levels in the blood increase; blood pressure stabilizes; blood sugar levels remain steady…
8 hours of barefoot walking daily (in therapeutic cases):
- Signs of osteoporosis significantly decrease.
- Thyroid function stabilizes.
- Cortisol levels (stress) decrease.
Walking barefoot for multiple days:
- Easily adapts to life’s ups and downs.
- Inflammation and related diseases develop less frequently.
- The body recovers more quickly from neurological stress and injuries.
The authors of the aforementioned research also assess that barefoot walking on rocky surfaces is particularly beneficial for older adults aged 60 and above.
