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I'm not particularly fit, and I never ran a lot. In fact I always hated running and remember making jokes to my friends about running being a sport for psychopa

by alecst 10y ago

I'm not particularly fit, and I never ran a lot. In fact I always hated running and remember making jokes to my friends about running being a sport for psychopaths. I really just didn't get it -- it was hard on my body (especially knees) and just plain boring. I have since picked up (slowly) running without shoes on and it has made a real difference. It is difficult to acclimate, but it can be done. I now feel no knee pain and I have realized that I indeed enjoy running. Not only am I discovering that it's easier to run without shoes, but it's a lot more fun too.

CodeCube 10y ago
I've always been fascinated by this ... any time I walk around barefoot, I seem to find every rock, sharp stick, and piece of broken glass in the area. How long does it take for your feet to develop the required callouses?
- alecst 10y ago
  Mine have not yet developed callouses and I suspect they never will. Indeed I haven't seen most of the changes in my feet that others say they have seen in theirs. My feet are mostly the same, but with soles that are just a little less sensitive to pebbles and sticks than they used to be. Maybe I'm lucky, but even in a big city that practically glitters with broken beer bottles and I don't find glass to be a problem. Injuries from broken glass are easy to avoid, and are much more often talked about than realized. Once a season I may get a splinter in my foot, or stub my toe on a root, but that's about the worst of it. There are no real experts on barefoot living yet and if there are I would not be one. But since you asked, in my experience it took a month or so of being consistently barefoot for my soles to begin to feel like they were changing. They're still changing, slowly, a year later. You get used to the feeling of the concrete on your soles, just like you get used to anything. Then, like anything you get used to, you notice it less and less. The only real drawback to being barefoot outside is that a lot of people will look at you like you're crazy. They'll tell you you're going to get injured. That there's glass on the ground. Many of these people will be in pumps or wedges. You just learn to let it humor you on the inside.
  - CodeCube 10y ago
    oh, so you do this primarily in the city? interesting ... thank you for sharing your experience :)

by alecst 10y ago

CodeCube 10y ago

I've always been fascinated by this ... any time I walk around barefoot, I seem to find every rock, sharp stick, and piece of broken glass in the area. How long does it take for your feet to develop the required callouses?

alecst 10y ago
Mine have not yet developed callouses and I suspect they never will. Indeed I haven't seen most of the changes in my feet that others say they have seen in theirs. My feet are mostly the same, but with soles that are just a little less sensitive to pebbles and sticks than they used to be. Maybe I'm lucky, but even in a big city that practically glitters with broken beer bottles and I don't find glass to be a problem. Injuries from broken glass are easy to avoid, and are much more often talked about than realized. Once a season I may get a splinter in my foot, or stub my toe on a root, but that's about the worst of it. There are no real experts on barefoot living yet and if there are I would not be one. But since you asked, in my experience it took a month or so of being consistently barefoot for my soles to begin to feel like they were changing. They're still changing, slowly, a year later. You get used to the feeling of the concrete on your soles, just like you get used to anything. Then, like anything you get used to, you notice it less and less. The only real drawback to being barefoot outside is that a lot of people will look at you like you're crazy. They'll tell you you're going to get injured. That there's glass on the ground. Many of these people will be in pumps or wedges. You just learn to let it humor you on the inside.
- CodeCube 10y ago
  oh, so you do this primarily in the city? interesting ... thank you for sharing your experience :)