Remember the television commercial "It is Not Nice to Fool Mother Nature?" Well, Mother Nature intended for us to walk in our bare feet on soft surfaces such as dirt or grass. Two or three times a year we buy walking/running shoes which costs hundreds of dollars. We spend this money to protect our feet because after we flattened the earth and covered it in concrete, the ground was suddenly too hard for our feet to take. Since then, our environment has continued to change, causing the need for soft, cushioned shoes to lessen the impact on our feet and joints as we walk. I walk barefoot around my house because I know I am building muscles that I do not necessarily use when I put my shoes on to walk outdoors.

I have been reading that people are experimenting with barefoot walking. There are even a couple of barefoot marathons. Most of us have tender feet and have to protect them from cuts and injuries. However, there are a couple of manufacturers who have created shoes that provide the same benefit as walking barefoot. These shoes combine the benefits of barefoot walking with the soft cushioning and protection needed for walking in the 'concrete city'.

You may think this is great and purchase your "barefoot" shoe and take off walking. However, walking barefoot will take some practice because we are not use to it. All of our lives we have been wearing cushioned shoes, hiking boots, hard sole shoes, soft sole shoes, high heel shoes, etc. so putting on a pair of shoes that provides the benefits of barefoot walking will take some getting use to. If you are spending 10 minutes walking or going for a stroll at lunch time, imagine how much extra exercise you could be getting by effectively walking barefoot in a pair of shoes manufactured for barefoot walking.