Living in cities has a lot of perks but there is an obvious drawback - our distance from nature. We as humans thrive when we are surrounded by nature, and are naturally active.
Now living like that is definitely not possible for everyone and so we need to bring nature to us. One way to bring a small part of it back in our lives is by going barefoot.
Human bodies are designed to be barefoot. It is one of the easiest and most efficient ways to train our feet strength and mobility. But I think all of us can agree that being barefoot on concrete sidewalks can be risky and uncomfortable.
Barefoot shoes are the modern solution to this problem.
The only true way to thrive in cities, on concrete hard surfaces is to wear barefoot shoes. Maintaining foot health, keeping our connection with the earth intact and staying safe.
We have weak feet that cause problems in the entirety of our posterior chain - our knees, lower back, shoulders even.
It is only when we walk barefoot, or in barefoot shoes, do we start to realign our body and distribute weight in accordance to how we were actually designed.
WHY BAREFOOT SHOES?
You see, barefoot shoes allow you to walk like you were designed to. They provide for a protective layering around your feet, without compromising your movement pattern.
They do what regular shoes fail at -
1. Letting your toes breath
2. Letting your feet flex and stretch
3. Letting your brain gather sensory information from the ground
These small little features help you use your ankles, your knees, your hips, your back more efficiently and prevent you from long term injuries.
These are some of the reasons why a lot of people, especially athletes, use barefoot shoes for training.
Despite their popularity, one of the main concerns that props up is “are barefoot shoes appropriate for hard surfaces?”. This is an important question, something that needs to be kept in mind when making a purchase, especially for people in countries like India where roads may not be all too safe all the time.
Well, the short answer is yes, Zen Barefoot shoes are designed keeping city walking and traveling in mind. However the long answer has a few scenarios that should be considered. Keep reading to find out -
Understanding Walking On Hard Surfaces
Barefoot shoes are thin soled, flexible, light weight and wider in the toe box area, that let you walk with a more natural flow, as opposed to being constrained like in the traditional shoe.
These features are a conscious addition that help you strengthen your feet. Initially, this may seem like the very reason why you would feel they are not great for walking on hard surfaces, but in the long run, your feet will thank you for the same.
It might seem that high cushioned thick soled shoes will be much more suitable for hard surfaces to prevent your joints from hurting, but it is quite the opposite.
You see, when you wear regular shoes, you do not gather any information from the ground on your gait (that barefoot shoes would provide). This motivates you to subconsciously strike your heel harder on the ground than you would otherwise. Now this may not feel uncomfortable in the moment, but in the long run, you will develop stress injuries from this walking and running pattern.
Instead when you walk in barefoot shoes, you will move to a natural flow of walking and running as you gather data on the floor that you are walking on in real time and adjust to a mid- foot to a forefoot strike pattern.
If you were to wear barefoot shoes and continue to strike your heel, it will be uncomfortable and will probably do more damage than while wearing traditional shoes.
This is why it is important to slowly transition into barefoot shoes to unlearn bad form of walking and running, before you go all in.
Conclusion
In summary, humans have walked on hard surfaces for centuries. Even though cement laid roads and sidewalks are a modern phenomenon, they are a completely safe surface for most people to wear barefoot shoes on.