Walking barefoot in the house is one of life’s little pleasures; it’s one of the few times throughout the day that our feet are able to breathe. I can’t quite explain it but there’s something about putting your cold toes on the cold floor that just feels like home .
However, as it turns out, walking around barefoot in the house isn’t a good idea at all. Some experts even go as far as to say that it can be harmful and detrimental to your overall health.
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One of the main reasons you shouldn’t walk around the house barefoot is because hard surfaces aren’t good for your feet.
The majority of homes nowadays have either hardwood, ceramic, or tile floors — all of which can be harmful to your feet. These surfaces have no natural shock absorption and can cause unnatural pronation (or flattening) in the foot.
This can also lead to plantar fasciitis , which occurs when the tissue at the bottom of the foot becomes inflamed.
That’s not to say that you can’t let your tootsies breathe every now and again.
I’m a huge fan of sandals in the summertime and I absolutely love the feeling of grass under my feet. According to certain homeopathic remedies, walking barefoot on the grass for short periods of time may produce a positive result. This is known as “grounding.”
According to an article written in The Toronto Star , “one reason direct physical contact with the ground might have beneficial physiological effects is the earth’s surface has a negative charge and is constantly generating electrons that could neutralize free radicals, acting as antioxidants.”
Something else to consider is that walking around the house barefoot can lead to injuries.
Walking around barefoot is a downright hazard. I can’t count the number of times I’ve dropped something right on my foot or stubbed my toe so badly that I thought it was broken. Some people think that they’re safe in slippers but these can be just as dangerous.
Without proper support, your ankles could give out, you could trip , or god forbid even come tumbling head-over-feet down the stairs. Therefore, the only safe solution is to wear shoes.
Not only can walking around barefoot be harmful to your feet but it may also bring about other ailments.
Are you someone who suffers from back pain? If so, then you may want to pay attention. There is a direct correlation between walking barefoot and lower back pain.
As was stated in an article by Gotham Footcare, walking barefoot creates an imbalance in our weight distribution. “This imbalance can then translate upward affecting other parts of the body, such as our knees and back.”
If you need further proof that walking around the house barefoot is bad for you, just take a look at your toenails.
Just because a floor is freshly cleaned doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s germ-free. The fact of the matter is that it’s nearly impossible to rid a house of every speck of dust that lurks in dark corners.
If you walk around barefoot, you’re exposing your feet to fungus and bacteria. These are the two leading causes of foot infections and can also cause toenails to turn yellow and become brittle.
Finally, walking around barefoot will give you stinky feet.
Foot infections lead to foot odor, it’s as simple as that. The more often you walk around barefoot the more opportunities you have to contract a fungal infection .
Not only can the smell be overwhelming but this is often the first sign of what can potentially become a very serious problem. Dry cracked heels and smelly toes are the body’s way of trying to tell you something — so don’t ignore it!
So long as you take good care of your feet, they’ll carry you through life forever.
The most important thing you can do, on top of not going barefoot in the house, is to practice good foot hygiene. That means washing your feet and toes each and every day with soap and water.
Doing so will help you avoid all sorts of unsightly and uncomfortable problems, such as athlete’s foot , bunyons, and hammertoes. Take care of your tootsies and they’ll take care of you.
