The Health Benefits of Barefoot Running and Walking

Get Your ENERGYbits Superfood Spirulina and Chlorella and use code ELEMENTAL at checkout for 20% off!

Organifi Superfood Drink Powders (ELEMENTALEVAN for 20% off)

Alitura Skin Care with truly all natural ingredients (ELEMENTAL15 for 15% off your first order)

Elemental Evan Instagram

Elemental Evan Youtube Page

Email: elemental.evanhw@gmail.com

In this solo episode of the Elemental Evan podcast, host Evan delves into the importance of foot health and its impact on overall body wellness. Evan shares his personal experiences with minimalist and barefoot shoes, discusses the design flaws in modern footwear, and offers practical tips for transitioning to barefoot walking and running.

He also emphasizes the benefits of rewilding your feet through techniques such as using toe spacers, lacrosse balls, and toe exercises. Tune in to learn how to strengthen your feet and enhance your connection with the earth.

00:45 Today's Topic: Foot Health

01:22 Sponsor Shoutout: Energy Bits

02:41 The Importance of Foot Health

03:32 Understanding Barefoot and Minimalist Shoes

04:13 The History and Design of Modern Shoes

05:32 Benefits of Barefoot Walking and Running

09:52 Exercises and Tips for Rewilding Your Feet

14:58 Recommended Brands for Barefoot Shoes

18:53 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

DISCLAIMER:

This podcast is for educational purposes only, it is not a substitute for professional care by a doctor or other qualified medical professional. Evan Roberts is not a medical professional and this podcast is provided on the understanding that it does not constitute medical or other professional advice or services. Statements and views expressed on this show are not medical advice, this podcast, including Evan Roberts and any guests on the show, disclaims responsibility for any possible adverse effects from the use of information contained in this episode. If you think you have a medical problem please consult a medical professional.

Yo what's going on, everybody.

2

Welcome to the elemental

Ivan podcast as always.

3

This is your host, Evan Roberts.

4

And on this show, I break down health

topics from a holistic perspective.

5

That way you can walk away from these

episodes with a lot of tools in your

6

pocket, things you can apply to your life.

7

Right after listening to these

episodes and actually try to apply

8

them to your life and see the

outcomes that they might have on you.

9

A lot of the information I give on

this show is firsthand experience

10

things that I've tested on myself

or had experience with, um, as well,

11

trying to back it with some scientific

studies and things that I come across.

12

And of course, as well, bringing

some really intelligent people

13

on the show to provide, uh, some

information for all of you as well.

14

And today's episode, we're

going to be doing a solo

15

episode with just yours truly.

16

And we're going to be talking

all about foot health.

17

Now I have done an episode on

foot health in the past, but.

18

I'm going to do another one

today and I'm definitely going

19

to be doing more in the future.

20

I would love to get a podiatrist or, you

know, one of these foot specialists on

21

this show, because I think they would

be able to add a lot to these episodes.

22

But nonetheless, I'm going to cover

some of the importance of foot health,

23

why it's so important for the rest

of our body, because it truly is

24

the base of our entire structure.

25

Which is our body.

26

Um, but before we do that,

please take a moment.

27

Check out the sponsors of

the show in the description.

28

We have some really awesome

sponsors, such as energy bits.

29

Uh, energy bits is someone I've been with

for quite a while now because they produce

30

truly just some of the highest quality

micro-algae that I've personally found.

31

So we got spirulina and chlorella they're

really high in vitamins and minerals.

32

They have the essential aminos in

them, making them a complete protein.

33

And on top of that, they have one of my

favorite things, which is chlorophyll.

34

They're super high in chlorophyll.

35

And chlorophyll is great at detoxifying

our blood from heavy metals, which

36

honestly, we just have a ton of heavy

metals in our system, especially

37

if you're eating a lot of seafood.

38

You definitely.

39

Probably have more heavy metals

than you would like to have.

40

So for me personally, I love

just taking energy bits every

41

single day in the morning.

42

It's super simple, it's easy.

43

And I know that I'm covering myself

on a good basis of getting in some of

44

those very key vitamins and minerals.

45

And I would highly recommend you check

them out as well for being a listener

46

of this show, you get 20% off as well.

47

And that's just my little gift to you

to say thank you for being a listener.

48

And hopefully you can try them out

and enjoy them as much as I do.

49

So anyways, get into the show.

50

On.

51

Today's topic of foot health.

52

I really have had this kind of front

of mind for me because I've joined a

53

running club here not too long ago.

54

And for me, I haven't ran.

55

Uh, it's 4.5 miles.

56

I haven't ran that in literally,

probably 12 years, maybe even 13 years.

57

So it's been a very long time for me.

58

I do a lot of hiking.

59

I do a lot of walking and all even go

out and do some runs where it's maybe

60

like a mile or two miles at most.

61

I'm typically not going above that level.

62

But four and a half miles.

63

It's, uh, you know, it's

been kind of a lot for me.

64

I've definitely gotten better at it

and I'm getting more adapted to it.

65

But one of the things that really

stuck out to me was how my feet

66

were handling these longer runs.

67

So if you know me.

68

I don't wear typical shoes.

69

Usually I wear a barefoot or a

minimal style foot, uh, footwear shoe.

70

So for those of you who are unfamiliar

with what a minimal or barefoot

71

shoe even is basically, it's a

shoe that doesn't have very much

72

padding in it, if any, at all, even,

um, it's going to be a flat shoe.

73

So it's not going to have a

lifted heel at like to any degree.

74

Just going to be completely flat and it's

going to have a wider toe box as well.

75

And we do that because.

76

Our feet are not meant to be in the

shape of like basically a cone, right?

77

Like they're not meant to be in the

shape of what our shoes look like now.

78

And just to give you a little

bit of a history on our shoes

79

and the current look of them.

80

Our shoes were pretty much designed

or modeled off of like boots that

81

were used for riding horses, because

they were pointed at the toe, which

82

allowed them to, uh, fit into the, I

believe it's called the stirrup easier.

83

Uh, which is basically you just

where you put your feet on, uh, on,

84

when you're riding a horse and then

they have a lifted heel so that you

85

wouldn't have your foot go too far

in to the little placement there.

86

So it was easy to get

your foot into there.

87

And then you wouldn't get, put

your foot too far into the stirrup

88

because you had that heel that would

keep it from going all the way in.

89

So this was basically.

90

The modern or the design

for the modern shoe.

91

And it's really not designed around

the health of our feet, but rather just

92

riding horses and now looking cool.

93

So.

94

Our feet definitely need to have wider toe

boxes because a lot of people's toes are

95

basically growing on top of each other.

96

We have people, uh, with Bunyan's

all over the place, right?

97

These big toes are just growing

in over their other toes.

98

And our feet are just looking really

destroyed and not like they should.

99

Uh, toes should be a little bit more

spread out, able to grip and move

100

around on the earth when you're walking.

101

Um, you know, our feet are meant to

send signals to our brain all the time.

102

Right.

103

Always sensing what they're walking

on, uh, feeling the earth as we

104

walk and, you know, we're, we're

walking on a little bit of a.

105

Uh, harder or sharp, sharper surface.

106

Our feet are going to send signals to

our brain, to know when, to relax in a

107

certain part of the foot because it's

stepping on something sharp or pokey and

108

then kind of strengthen in other areas

so that we can still stabilize our body.

109

Um, and when we put these really thick

in souls in our shoes, what ends up

110

happening is we're not able to actually

read the earth any longer with our feet.

111

Uh, now what we've done is we've just made

it super cushy and they can just walk all

112

day filling this cushy kind of sensation.

113

But what that can lead to down the

road is an inability of our feet to

114

actually properly read the ground.

115

So then when you do walk barefoot, um,

it's gonna probably be very painful.

116

You're not going to know how to

naturally adapt to whatever surface

117

surface it is that you're walking on.

118

And as well.

119

Uh, this can lead to injuries down the

road, because if you're walking with

120

really bad form or even running with

bad form, this can lead to injuries down

121

the road in your knees and your back.

122

Um, Ankles pretty much anywhere.

123

And this is something we want to avoid.

124

And by doing these barefoot shoes or

even just walking barefoot, uh, we're

125

able to strengthen our feet and hopefully

avoid a lot of these injuries down the

126

road, because if you're walking with

improper form, or if you're running

127

with improper form, your body is going

to receive that signal immediately.

128

And you're going to try to

correct and run in a way that's

129

going to be better for your body.

130

So this is kind of the idea

behind barefoot running.

131

Um, For me, it just makes a lot of

sense because obviously we evolved

132

with the feet that we have, and

we've really only had the super cushy

133

shoes for a short period of time.

134

Uh, you know, traditionally people

have had shoes, but they've been a,

135

basically just a barrier between you

and the earth so that you can run on

136

hot surfaces or maybe something that

is, you know, very Rocky and hard to.

137

Uh, run or walk on with bare feet.

138

So.

139

That's kind of the whole

idea behind barefoot running

140

barefoot, walking, all of that.

141

And I just wanted to share a little

bit of my experience with the run club.

142

So I started running with these barefoot

shoes and I was experiencing honestly, a

143

bit of discomfort for the first few weeks.

144

And it wasn't till about week three

or four that I finally started to,

145

I think, develop the muscles, but

also find my stride and my run.

146

One, uh, that felt good for my body.

147

And wasn't putting a ton of the

shock on my body with each step

148

that I was coming down with.

149

Right.

150

I was literally training and

learning how to run for my body,

151

which I think is very important.

152

And when we wear these thick,

cushy running shoes, I don't

153

think we get those sensations.

154

Uh, you know, or the, that feedback

from our body telling us, Hey, like

155

you're running in a way that's not good

for the body and you need to adjust.

156

But rather when you have these thick

running shoes, you don't have to adjust.

157

You can just keep running like that.

158

So you can run improperly for a

long period of time, which, like

159

I said, can very likely lead

to, uh, injuries down the road.

160

So.

161

If you haven't already looked

into the book, born to run,

162

I recently just finished it.

163

And, uh, I know it's been out for

a while, but it's a great book and

164

brings up some great points and topics.

165

Uh, you know, talks a lot about

some of these kind of older tribes

166

that have ran very long distances

and with very minimal foot support.

167

So personally, I think it's good

for us to use barefoot shoes.

168

I think if you've never used barefoot

shoes before then do not just throw

169

on a pair and go for a five mile run.

170

Like you're probably going to

wreck yourself by doing that.

171

You need to.

172

Get your feet adjusted and, um, train them

to walking and running barefoot again.

173

So.

174

Well, I would recommend is if you've

never used barefoot shoes before, or, you

175

know, walked around barefoot, really for

that matter, aside from just on your, you

176

know, tile and carpet inside your house.

177

Um, there's a few ways that you can

start to train your feet to get back to.

178

Being wild again.

179

Right?

180

Like being able to just walk

and run normally without having

181

all this protection on them.

182

So.

183

First off.

184

If you live in a place that's safe

for you to walk outside to barefoot.

185

Do that, that is a great place to start.

186

It can be on grass.

187

It could be on some dirt.

188

Um, you know, whatever the

terrain is outside of you.

189

Um, I would recommend that if you are

going to be walking on concrete or

190

asphalt, for example, That maybe, um,

you know, you make sure you're in a

191

relatively, like clean, safe environment.

192

Of course.

193

I don't want you walking around.

194

Uh, like downtown LA or something without

any shoes on, it's definitely not the

195

place to do it, but just going out for

a walk without any shoes on is a really

196

great way to start training your feet,

to, uh, learn, to read the ground again.

197

Right.

198

Like I love.

199

I love that kind of imagery.

200

Right?

201

Like being able to read the

ground, almost like someone

202

reading with, uh, with braille.

203

Uh, our feet are truly reading the ground

and, and T you know, Adapting the body

204

to the surfaces that we're walking on.

205

So go walk barefoot.

206

If you're able to.

207

And on top of that, you can definitely

purchase a pair of, of, uh, barefoot

208

shoes and just kind of wear them

every now and again, to kind of start

209

getting your feet used to having less

cushion and, um, you know, having

210

this wider toe box where they can.

211

Your toes can move around

and actually grip the earth.

212

And what else you can do is get

a lacrosse ball or some kind of a

213

myofascial release ball and just

roll your feet around on that.

214

You know, if you find a place that kind

of hurts a little bit, maybe you just sit

215

in it for us for a little bit of time and

allow all of the ligaments and tendons

216

and bones and, um, just everything to kind

of release and, uh, gain that sensation

217

again, that you've lost over time.

218

Is a really great practice.

219

And then as well, you can also use toe

spacers, uh, or, I mean, if you really

220

want, when you're sitting down on the

couch, you can honestly just stick

221

your fingers in between your toes.

222

And just sit there for a while.

223

Um, but toe spacers are a much

more effective method here.

224

You can just throw some toe spacers

on your toes and, um, it'll help

225

them to spread out and widen again.

226

Uh, because a lot of people, myself

included have worn shoes that are

227

too tight and your toes are probably

growing on top of each other or very

228

closely together instead of having a

little bit of space in between them.

229

So using toe spacers are

a great idea as well.

230

There's also a few different exercises.

231

You can do one that is very simple

and easy to do is you can stand with

232

your feet facing forward, uh, you

know, shoulder distance apart and

233

just lift the big toes, but keep all

of your other four toes on each foot

234

down planted firmly on the ground.

235

So you just lift that big

toe up and then go ahead and.

236

Release, put that big toe back to

the ground and then do the opposite.

237

Keep the big toes on the ground,

but lift all of the four other

238

toes off of the ground on.

239

Both of your feet.

240

And just practice that go back and

forth between lifting just the big toe.

241

And then the four smaller toes and

then big toe four smaller toes, and

242

just kind of rotate between that.

243

And you're just really once again,

teaching your feet and how to move again.

244

Right.

245

And not just be stuck in this.

246

Uh, foot coffin that they been stuck

in for a majority of their lives.

247

So those are a few practices

using a lacrosse ball.

248

Uh, going for a barefoot walk.

249

Doing that little toe exercise,

um, using toe spacers, right?

250

These are all great methods to kind

of rewild your foot again, but I

251

would definitely say the best way to

do it is to do some barefoot walking.

252

So if you're able to get out

and just walk barefoot, that's

253

going to be the best practice.

254

It's going to retrain the feet to walking

without, um, always having this layer

255

of cushion between them and the ground.

256

And, uh, yeah.

257

Get yourself a pair of barefoot shoes.

258

Um, you know, there's, there's

varying degrees of barefoot shoes.

259

Like you have some that are.

260

Uh, maybe like, uh, a midway shoe.

261

Like they still have a little

bit of padding on them, but

262

they have a wider toe box.

263

And there's not a, drop-off

like from your heel to your toe.

264

So you can kind of work your way into

these, uh, barefoot shoes or, you

265

know, like I said, by a true minimal,

uh, barefoot type shoe and just wear

266

it on occasions until your feet.

267

Kind of adjust and get used to walking.

268

With less cushion on them, essentially.

269

Right.

270

And these wider toe boxes.

271

So, of course I know.

272

Uh, people are probably curious,

like what's, what's a good brand.

273

Uh, to check out there's multiple

brands out there, even on Amazon,

274

they have, um, you know, some kind

of cheaper brands, which personally,

275

I actually buy a couple shoes from

Amazon, uh, that are, you know, kind

276

of a barefoot or minimalist style shoe.

277

Uh, because they're, cost-effective

honestly like they're like 40 bucks.

278

They're pretty cheap and maybe

they're not the best, but they're

279

pretty decent for what they're worth.

280

Um, the brand that I typically

purchase from Amazon is called.

281

Whitten that's.

282

W H I T I N I believe.

283

Um, yeah, type that in.

284

I'm sure it'll pop up.

285

And it's a pretty good introductory,

um, barefoot shoe, especially

286

when it comes to pricing.

287

Like if you're not willing to go

drop like a hundred dollars on a

288

barefoot shoe, I don't blame you.

289

I think this is a great

introductory way to get into it.

290

If you want to start going down this

path, which I highly recommend it.

291

Um, and then beyond that you

have two pretty popular brands.

292

Uh, both I personally really

liked them, uh, but they're

293

a little bit more expensive.

294

The first one is going to

be zero that's X, E R O.

295

Uh, zero barefoot shoes, I believe.

296

And.

297

They're a really great brand.

298

I have a hiking shoe from them and I

have my eye on a just normal type shoe

299

that I would love to, uh, test out

from them as well as a running shoe.

300

But the hiking shoe that I have

from them is a really awesome shoe.

301

I like it a lot.

302

It's a good fit.

303

Um, you know, and it's, it's built

perfectly for what I need it, but while

304

still giving me that minimal, uh, shoe

feel to them, and then the other brand is

305

going to be vivo that's V I V O barefoot.

306

And they're probably a little bit more

pricey than the zero shoe, but once

307

again, it's just a really good brand.

308

I mean, they.

309

Make a very minimal style shoe.

310

Maybe even more minimal than

the zero shoes, I would say.

311

Uh, so that's like hardcore,

if you really want to try some.

312

Barefoot shoes, try the vivos out.

313

Um, I have been a little bit

shaky with her quality on some

314

of the shoes, honestly, and for

the price, it kind of sucks too.

315

Purchase a very expensive shoe to

have it kind of like start to wear

316

and tear on you in the future.

317

They do have a program called reveal.

318

Vivo, which is a program where.

319

They get shoes that, uh, you know,

have been worn and they refurbish them.

320

And I have a buddy who

purchased a pair from there.

321

He said they were awesome.

322

So I think that's a great option.

323

It's a little bit of a cheaper option

as well when it comes to the vivo shoes.

324

But they do have some good shoes.

325

I do like them.

326

They, uh, they are a true minimal

style shoe, a true barefoot shoes.

327

So I do like that and their hiking

boots are truly one of my favorite

328

boots in the world to wear.

329

Um, They're pricey.

330

I forget how much they are.

331

I know it's 200.

332

Uh, 200 or a little bit over 200.

333

So they're pricey boots, but.

334

Oh, my gosh, they're the

best boots I've ever worn.

335

They're so comfortable.

336

And, uh, they just hold up really well.

337

I wore them all throughout my trip in

south America, and that was like four

338

and a half months with a ton of hiking.

339

And they were just

awesome the entire time.

340

So I really, really loved the

brand for specifically that shoe.

341

Uh, but they also have some

other really great shoes.

342

So those are some great options to try out

if you have the money and you want to just

343

go all in, check out zero checkout vivo.

344

If you're on the fence and you

don't really have all that much

345

money to spend checkout Witten.

346

Um, you know, it's a, it's a pretty solid

option and it's a lot more affordable and

347

you know, less of a barrier for entry.

348

So.

349

That's kind of my recommendation there.

350

So just to kind of like recap everything.

351

Cause I know I covered a lot.

352

Um, Shoes.

353

The modern shoe is not designed

for our feet, but rather for style.

354

Uh, yeah, it's, there's a whole topic

we could go on with the Nike running

355

shoes and how those were developed

and just a bunch of different things,

356

but just real core of it is shoes

are not designed for our feet.

357

They're designed for style.

358

Minimal or barefoot style shoes

are designed for functionality

359

and for the health of your feet.

360

So, what we typically want to look

for is a wide toe box and something

361

with very little to no padding in

them and has a zero drop on it.

362

So, you know, the heel is not any

higher than the toe they're flat

363

and on the same level surface.

364

So that's what you want

to look for in a shoe.

365

If you want to start rewilding or

strengthening your sh your feet

366

back up, you can do things like roll

them out on a, um, a lacrosse ball.

367

You can do that foot exercise.

368

I mentioned you can use toe

spacers or best of all, you can

369

just go out for a barefoot walk.

370

And, uh, definitely try out

some minimal style shoes.

371

They can be uncomfortable in the

very beginning, but your body

372

and your feet will adjust and

adapt to the new sensations.

373

And eventually you'll be walking and

feeling great is ever in these shoes.

374

And, um, yeah, I personally

really loved them.

375

Um, I'm going on this.

376

Kind of journey down long distance

running and being barefoot.

377

It's.

378

I kind of raised a lot

of questions for me.

379

Um, I'm trying out a barefoot running

shoe, which has more padding on it.

380

But I'm also trying out my

just true vivo barefoot shoes.

381

And, um, as of right now, it's, it's kind

of tough for me to say I'm, you know,

382

I'm, I'm really figuring out like if our

bodies are good for running long distance

383

with minimal style shoes, which according

to, um, the author of born to run, which

384

is a book I've recently just finished.

385

We were meant to run long distance

and we can do it with very minimal.

386

Uh, patting on our feet,

you know, just something.

387

Uh, like a very basic, uh,

barefoot shoe, pretty much.

388

And, you know, I kind of tend to

lean in that direction just because

389

I look at where we've come from.

390

And if you look at where we've come from,

we were running very long distances.

391

We probably ran a bunch when, you know,

I don't know when we were in tribes

392

or, you know, if you just went back

a certain amount of time, We probably

393

ran way more and we definitely did not

have these super cushy running shoes.

394

So, um, yeah, I think our bodies were

meant to do it and designed to do it.

395

And I think that we're kind of

inhibiting them and honestly,

396

actually taking a step back from all

of this kind of shoe technology is

397

probably going to be a good idea.

398

So.

399

Anyways, that's where I'm going to leave.

400

You all try to rewild your feet, help

your feet to read the ground again.

401

And, um, yeah.

402

See how you like it.

403

It's not going to happen overnight.

404

It's going to be months, honestly,

especially for someone who's worn shoes

405

for a very long period of their T.

406

Uh, of their life.

407

Uh, it might be very difficult

to make that transition, but the.

408

Th, you know, no better

time to start than today.

409

Um, and you can literally start by

just kicking your shoes off right

410

now and just walking around barefoot.

411

So give it a go.

412

And rewild those feet, teach

them to read the ground.

413

And hopefully you all had something

to take away from this show.

414

Um, like I said, I'll, I'll

try to get a foot specialist, a

415

podiatrist on here in the future.

416

Uh, who can really delve into this

topic, but anyways, I hope you all

417

enjoyed, and it's always such a

pleasure, pleasure to have you here

418

on the show tuning in week after week.

419

And.

420

Yeah, hopefully this provided some

value so much love to all of you.

421

Hope you have a beautiful

rest of your week.

422

And as always, you guys know the motto

of the show, it's do everything with good

423

intentions and connect to your elements.

424

Much love to every single one

of you have a great one piece.