Before explaining the many benefits of walking barefoot, you should first know that walking generally has good health benefits, especially if you do it in the morning.
Quoting from BetterHealth, you don't need to spend a lot of time because walking at a leisurely tempo of at least 30 minutes has given you many benefits, such as:
- Healthy cardiovascular,
- Strengthening bones and
- Reducing fat in the body
- Increasing muscle strength and endurance.
Walking can also reduce the risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, osteoporosis for some kinds of cancer.
Walking is an inexpensive sport and does not require special equipment. Some people are starting to get used to walking barefoot.
Also Read: Easily Establishing a Routine of Walking Can Improve Your Health and Slow Aging.
Benefits of walking barefoot
Walking without sandals or shoes is popular these days with claims to be healthy for the body.
Quoting from MayoClinic, some sports shoes are so thin that they give the sensation of being barefoot.
- Improve body balance
- Control the position of the feet better when the feet touch the ground,
- Coordinate the feet, knees, hips, and abdominal muscles more optimally,
- Strengthen the leg muscles so that they can hold the lower back,
- And hone the sensitivity of the feet and body to relieve pain.
Jonathan Kaplan, an orthopedic surgeon at the Hoag Orthopedic Institute, states that the habit of walking without shoes or sandals can restore a natural style when walking.
For more details, here are the benefits of walking barefoot.
Reducing the risk of heart disease
A study published in the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine found a relationship between walking barefoot and reducing the risk of heart disease.
Researchers explained that grounding could reduce blood clotting and coagulation in red blood cells.
Coagulation of blood in red blood cells is a significant factor in cardiovascular disease.
Reduces pain
According to research from the Journal of Inflammation Research, touching the ground directly can act as a natural antioxidant when you walk.
These antioxidants protect cells, tissues, and organs from oxidative stress. People experiencing muscle pain feel better after walking or lying on the ground.
Also Read: Benefits of Sitting on the Floor when Eating like Indonesians and Japanese
Treat back pain
The right point of the foot with back pain is the hollow part of the sole. You can press the foot while moving the pressure from the thumb toward the hollow heel to the stones to relieve back pain.
Increase blood circulation
Quoting from RunBare, you use the additional muscles in your legs and feet to help balance your body and send messages to your brain when you walk.
By using additional muscles, Just like when you exercise, using additional muscles when walking also helps increase blood circulation.
Makes sleep soundly
Insomnia is a sleep disorder that causes difficulty sleeping. That is because the body's metabolism is not smooth blood circulation. Do foot reflexology with a smooth stone, so that blood circulation is soft and makes a better night's sleep.
Improve posture and overall body balance
Walking barefoot, according to Medical Daily, forces the body to train and strengthen the small muscles in the legs.
The brain learns to pay attention to signals from the feet, improving posture and balance.
The Foundation for Health in Aging says studies on rock walking can help older people improve their balance and strength.
See also: Healthier Than Using a Spoon, this is the Benefits of Eating with bare Hands.
Reduces Fatigue and Restlessness
After a day's activities, the body will feel saturated. The pressures and demands that have been experienced that day will cause a person to be stressed. Because of that, anxiety and anxiety will come. Other impacts also affect productivity at work. This can be overcome by the reflection of the foot setting foot on a rock with a smooth surface. These activities can help reduce feelings of anxiety, restlessness, and fatigue.
Improve mood
Research from Explore explains that stress and depression can be reduced by walking barefoot. This habit can make the body feel the various shapes and textures of the soil and roads you step on. The body will focus on balance to release the hormone cortisol or stress.
The risk of walking barefoot
Although it has many benefits, the habit of walking without wearing sandals or shoes can cause other effects. There are many conditions in which you can get injured while walking barefoot outdoors.
So you have to be careful too, okay! Some of the disadvantages of walking barefoot are:
- Of entering bacteria, fungal infections, and viruses due to barefoot,
- The presence of plantar warts and viral infections on dirty surfaces, water fleas and fungal infections also stick to other wet surfaces,
- The possibility of stepping on broken glass or nails can cause a tetanus infection,
- Hookworms are usually found in sand and grass when the feet come into direct contact with animal waste.
Walking barefoot has advantages and disadvantages for the body.
Therefore, if you want to reduce the risk above, you should avoid walking on sharp road surfaces, dirty road surfaces or wet places. Also, remember to wash your feet thoroughly after you go outside barefoot or want to enter the house.
In addition, to make this habit of walking barefoot, you need to spend 5 minutes every day so that the body becomes healthy.
See also: Did Drinking while standing is safe or dangerous?
Suppose you are afraid and don't want to be exposed to the other effects of walking barefoot, but you still want to get the benefits. In that case, you can choose two other alternative solutions below.
1. Buy a foot reflexology tool
if you have more money, you can buy a reflexology tool foot, which is currently widely developed by experts and has also been sold in various medical equipment stores, from manual foot reflexology to electric reflexology. You can choose according to what your needs are.
2. Build your reflection area at home
The second solution, if you have landed in your house, you can use it to develop your therapy area. A little advice from me Choose a type of stone that is smooth and has different sizes, such as coral or river stones. The rocks then form a mosaic around stepping stones or other planting corners. The stone's height differs slightly from putting pressure on specific points on the sole.
The area chosen for the installation of the stone should have sufficient space to carry out walking activities. Also, ensure there are no cracked stones so they won't hurt your feet. You can plant these stones in concrete with the help of cement. The goal is to move slowly but easy to clean.