The Health Benefits of Walking Barefoot

If you’re like me and love being outdoors and enjoy all of nature’s glory, you’ll be glad to learn. Now there is research that suggests not only being outdoors in nature has numerous health benefits but now we can take that a step further (pun intended) by going barefoot. There is evidence and science that have shown having barefoot contact with the earth can help almost instantly with a wide array of physical and phycological conditions including reduced swelling and pain, improved sleep, faster healing times of wounds, reduced stress and tension and better overall wellbeing.

Grounding yourself

The idea behind going barefoot and practicing grounding or earthing as its sometimes called is to allow and reestablish contact with the earths electrical charge. Our daily lives and lifestyles keep us from having direct contact with the earth and we lose our connection. This can lead to diseases that are most common in industrialized parts of the world.

Atoms and Electrons

Connecting and reconnecting with earth is Natures antioxidant. It’s obvious from a commonsense point of view that there are many health benefits for being outside and even walking barefoot. The benefit that you haven’t thought about are atoms and electrons. When and atom becomes unpaired (looses an electron) it becomes a free radical with a positive charge. Positive is not always a good thing in this case it can cause inflammation, mental imbalance, cancer and a host of other ailments. The earth surface is negatively charged and is constantly releasing electrons. By having barefoot contact with the earth that can neutralize free radicals. Allowing the earth to become another from of antioxidant as it was probably always meant to be.

Benefits to your nervous system

Further studies have shown that physical contact with the earth can improve the health of your nervous system and regulate our circadian rhythms which in turn regulate everything from blood pressure, digestion, body temperature, hormone levels, and help synchronize you sleep and wake cycles.

Get outside and give it a try

Be smart of course do this in an area you feel comfortable and is free of debris you need to have feet  / skin to contact with the earth you can do this simply by walking on the grass, soil for 30 minutes minimum an hour or more has shown even better benefit. Remember it’s contact with the earth not the sidewalk, studies have also shown a positive impact while swimming in natural bodies of water or walking barefoot on the beach.

Now get outside and get grounded!