我想很多人都認為赤腳走路是骯髒、貧窮、邋遢的象徵。赤腳不會讓人和健康聯想在一起、文明的現代人不應該赤腳走路等等的傳統觀念。
但物質文明愈進步，過度地仰賴各式器材（如能走路可達的地方卻寧搭車不走路），反開始讓人類身體許多部位的機能產生退化，所以有愈來愈多的人開始追求有益進康的自然生活。
其實就和重視健康飲食、保持規律運動一樣，赤腳行走也是讓身體回歸自然的方式之一。國外早已有人重視赤腳行走與身體健康之間的微妙關係。
The Major Health Benefits of Going Barefoot 是在 SixWise.com 網站上一篇關於赤腳與健康之間關係的文章，這篇文章讓我們重新思考鞋子與腳之間的關係， 我把它全部節錄下來與大家分享。
鞋子帶給人類什麼樣的麻煩？鞋子雖保護了腳，但也阻礙足部肌肉發展、造成變形的腳指頭...等等。（你現在就可以脫下鞋檢查看看，看你的大拇指、小拇指的形狀是否正常）
自鞋子開始進入人類生活之始，就不斷地帶來足部的病變。包括運動鞋業的領導大廠Nike都不得不承認赤足運動的好處，所以耗鉅資研發出了 Nike Free 鞋款，用來達到赤足運動的效果。
既然如此，走路何必倚賴鞋？健康的生活，就從脫掉鞋子開始吧。 儘管赤腳對於人身健康有幫助，不過我想大部分的人還是不願意（或不敢）脫掉鞋子走路 。
當然，這篇文章並不是要大家從此以後都不穿鞋、都打赤腳走路。
它其實是在破除一般人對赤腳的恐懼，認為人沒鞋子就不能走路了的迷思，需要鞋子保護的時候還是要穿鞋，但當你有機會讓足部釋放的時候，一定要把握機會多赤腳走路。
只要能跨出第一步，就能了解赤足行走並沒有想像中那麼難，也自然而地體驗出赤足行走的益處了。 在它文章中特別提到的一本書：「Take Off Your Shoes and Walk」，就是在探討赤足行走所帶來的益處的一本書。
全篇雖是英文，但無艱澀文法（頂多只需查單字吧），淺顯易讀，由於原文可能隨著他們網站文章更新而消失，所以我特別將它抓下來，The Major Health Benefits of Going Barefoot 原文出自： http://www.sixwise.com/newsletters/05/06/22/barefoot.htm
2005.06.27
The Major Health Benefits of Going Barefoot (Really!) by SixWise.com
"Set your feet free and your mind will follow." So goes the logo on the Society for Barefoot Living</i> homepage. Why, you may be wondering, is there a society devoted just to people who love to live barefoot? If you ask the barefooters of the world, chances are the first thing they'll say is that it just feels great.
"We enjoy walking barefoot as nature intended, taking delight in feeling the many textures the world has to offer -- " says the Society.
Not convinced that you're ready to throw your shoes away just yet? Well, going barefoot doesn't just feel good--it's really proven to be good for you! Here are some reasons why:
Say Goodbye to Troubled Feet
The introduction of the now out-of-print book "<i>Take Off Your Shoes and Walk</i>" by Simon J. Wikler D.S.C., states that, " -- Practically all shoes worn daily by men and women in our Western civilization have little relation to the shape of the human foot -- Most adults' foot trouble would either not exist or would be much less bothersome if properly-shaped shoes had been worn during childhood or, better yet, if those people had gone barefoot -- "
The book details a bit about the history of foot trouble, only to reveal that:
- There is no record of foot troubles in Biblical times comparable to modern foot ills.
- The seeds of foot trouble were first sown in the Renaissance.
- The introduction of the elevated heel and the pointed toe marked the beginning of modern foot disabilities.
The book also describes a study performed from 1957-1960 that examined whether a mother's objections to letting her child walk barefoot influenced the health of the child's feet. It was found that children who were allowed to go barefoot often had:
- Less deformed toes
- Greater flexor strength
- More ability to spread the toes
- Denser muscles on the bottom of the feet
- Greater agility than those who had never gone barefoot
- A wider range of hip circumduction and more flexibility of the gluteal and hamstring muscles, which gave them more ability to touch their toes when their knees were held stiff.
Keep Your Feet From Getting Lazy
"Shoes often protect the feet so much that certain foot muscles get lazy because they're not being used," said James DeMarco, running coach and sports store owner.
That's why more people than you'd think have taken to running in bare feet. Marathon runners from Kenya do it all the time, but in the United States you're most likely to see a barefoot runner on the beach. Still, there are those who venture to other areas like grassy fields and even hiking trails.
If you're thinking that running barefoot sounds strange, consider the findings of Michael Warburton, a physical therapist in Australia. In a 2001 research paper he wrote that running barefoot decreases the likelihood of ankle sprains and chronic injuries, such as plantar fasciitis. And, wearing shoes actually increases the risk of sprains because they make runners unaware of the foot's position.
It's not as far-fetched as it may sound -- Nike has just released the Nike Free, a "shoe that lets your foot run free on any surface.
" It's designed to mimic the effects of running barefoot. According to Nike, "
Studies show that barefoot training leads to stronger feet, that stronger feet lead to a stronger body, and that natural movement enhances agility."
Fight Varicose Veins
Going barefoot can actually help prevent vein problems.
Why? The motion you get from your unrestricted foot helps the leg muscles pump blood back to the heart. The motion may not be as effective if your foot is confined in a shoe.
It's Just More Relaxing
Going barefoot really puts you in a different sort of mindset, and is usually only reserved for those special, relaxing moments.
Think about when you tend to go barefoot -- at the beach, at home on the carpet, walking on cool grass in the summer, -- and you'll get an idea of what we mean. Exercises geared toward strengthening the body and relaxing the mind (yoga, tai chi, martial arts) are also typically practiced barefoot.
"Maybe the whole world secretly understands that free feet produce a different, more philosophical, relaxed, and unbusinesslike mindset.
Without shoes, our ambitions would fade away, wolfish trade practices seem too much trouble, international frictions look foolish. Armies would curl up to take a nap. Nobody would get any serious work done," wrote Barbara Holland in Endangered Pleasures. Or maybe we should all take our shoes off next time we're at work, and see just how stress-free we become?
Get More Chi
According to some ancient philosophies, life-force energy called Chi (also called Qi or Prana) can be absorbed through the soles of the feet.
Ground Chi is absorbed automatically and unconsciously when walking barefoot, which increases the amount of Chi absorbed by the body.
It's said that you can consciously learn to absorb more Chi from the ground as you walk to increase your vitality, your capacity to do more work and your ability to think more clearly. Now there's a reason for going barefoot more often if we ever heard one!
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