Naked is the Best

The sound of digital crickets made its way from my phone to my ears. Triggering the motors in my eye lids I awoke. Swinging out of bed to start the day I immediately felt a new sensation.

“Oh my word!”

* * *

Recently I have been learning about the design of our feet and how it pertains to running. A lot of interesting, mind boggling, studies has come out lately about how our bodies were actually designed to run. Running scientists have even come to the conclusion that we are better equipped for running than a horse. But what about all the injuries that are associated with running? Isn’t running really hard on your joints? Hasn’t it been linked directly to bad knees?

The Answer: Yes.

Now here is the interesting part.

Start asking the question Why?

Why has running injuries increased in the last 50 years; injuries that never happened before? Why is it that the more we have scientifically advanced in the area of shoes and designs the more injuries we have experienced?

In many studies they have found that the more expensive the shoe the greater chance of injury. Go back with me in time. For centuries people have been walking and running around on this earth without shoes. And if they had shoes they were simply sandals…very thin sandals. There was no such thing as “arch support” or “extra cushioning.” And yet, we have more than twice the rate of foot injuries.

I find this very interesting and slightly amusing.

So here is what they have found. The muscles in the foot are designed in a very intriguing way. As the foot hits the ground it triggers the muscles in the arch of the foot, which trigger the muscle’s in the lower calf, then upper calf, then the hamstring and gluteus maximus, and over to the quads. What this does is create a natural “suspension system,” like that on a car, which relieves the knee from the loads of pressure, creating a smooth “ride.”

Have you ever driven a car without a suspension system? I hear it’s the worst thing ever. Every single bump on the road jolts your bones to kingdom come…horrendous. What would happen if our bodies didn’t have this natural shock system?

Well…that’s what we have done. We have eliminated the shocks from our bodies. How?

It’s pretty simple actually. By creating shoes with lots of cushioning and arch support the muscles in the arch that trigger the calf muscles and so on are not being used. This means that the natural “suspension system” that relieves the knees from pressure is never engaged. So instead of all the muscles surrounding the knee taking the blow the knee gets the gift of extra pressure.

Thus, the injuries.

* * *

I could barely walk. Muscles that I didn’t even know I had in my feet and lower legs were extremely sore!

The day before, after learning what I had, I went on a run completely barefoot. All Natural. What I discovered was shocking. I thought that the road would hurt my feet or that they would get cold, but they didn’t. It was like experiencing running for the first time; exhilarating and freeing. I guess my feet really like being naked.

My whole life I had put my feet in a cast. Thinking I was protecting my muscles I was only causing atrophy. The reason I was so sore the next day was because I had worked muscles that had never been used like that before. So now I start a new journey; going back to the way I was originally designed to work. It will take time to build the muscles in my feet that have never been used, but it will be worth it. You can’t do better than the real thing.

Freedom can feel like pain at first—just as light burns the eyes when you walk out of a dark room. But would you rather be free, even if it caused you a little soreness at first? Or do you prefer to live the safety of a Cast, never letting your ‘muscles’ do what they were designed to do?

I think this applies more to us emotionally than physically.

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