The Barefoot Book
50 Great Reasons to Kick Off Your Shoes
by Daniel L. Howell Ph.D.
Can something that feels as good as going barefoot also be good for you? (Yes!)
Most of us kick off our shoes when we get home from work or an outing. It just feels so good. Well, as Daniel Howell points out in this timely guide to barefooting, it feels good because it is good for us.
Research shows that going barefoot strengthens our feet, makes them more flexible and improves body alignment. Why, then, are we buying shoes for infants who can’t yet walk? Wearing high heels that hurt with every step? Spending hundreds of $$ on running and hiking shoes? Some of us are following social conventions or fashion trends. Most of us think we’re protecting our feet and keeping them clean.
Not so, says Dr. Howell. An expert on human anatomy, he explains how shoes can
- upset natural weight distribution
- overload joints
- decrease foot flexibility
- reduce shock absorption of the arch
- cause bunions and in-grown toenails
This leaves our feet weak and causes knee, back and joint pain. On a hygiene level, closed shoes make us susceptible to athlete’s foot and toenail fungus.
So if there’s no such thing as a “sensible” shoe, what can you do? Put your best - bare – foot forward
Howell offers practical tips – and 50 good reasons – for easing into a barefoot lifestyle. He describes the best shoes to wear (if we must) but strongly encourages us to try going barefoot and to feel the life-changing health benefits.
With barefoot hiking and running clubs springing up all over and the recent success of minimalist footwear, the time for bare feet is here. Whether you want to create more barefoot time for you and your family or go bare 24/7, The Barefoot Book will help you every free and natural step of the way.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
- Foreword
- Acknowledgments
- A Note from the Author
- Introduction
- Normal, but Not Natural
- Living Barefoot
- How Your Foot Works
- What Your Shoes are Doing to You
- Don't Walk a Mile in These Shoes
- Growing Up in Shoes
- Walking, Hiking, and Running Barefoot
- What to Wear When You Can't Go Bare
- Getting Out There: Putting Your Best (Bare) Foot Forward
- Mythbusters
- Final Thoughts
- Appendix: Lawsuits Resulting from Shoes or Bare Feet
- Endnotes
- Resources
- Index
PUBLICATION DETAILS
PUBLICATION DATE: 2010 July
PAGES: 168
SIZE: 5 1/2 x 8 1/2
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Daniel Howell has a doctoral degree in biochemistry and teaches courses on human anatomy and physiology at Liberty University. He is particularly interested in the anatomy, physiology, and health of the foot. Howell is an avid runner and leads a barefoot hiking group. To date, he’s logged over 2,000 barefoot miles.
