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Barefoot Lessons in the Woods
- Derek Arsenault (CSEP-CPT, PN1)
- Sep 9
- 7 min read
Yep, here it comes. Another post about being barefoot amongst the trees. Stop here if you're rolling your eyes already. 🤣
HOWEVER - know that it's all GOOD vibes! 👇
Some of my clients know I love minimalist shoes and barefoot movement. It makes me feel GOOD and feel HAPPY. What more do we need or want in our activities of choice??
*Disclaimer before I share my last adventure...
I will NEVER tell people they "should" or "have" to choose minimalist shoes and/or barefoot activities
I will ALWAYS be open to sharing my experience with these things
As I mentioned in a past blog post, I've been doing minimalist and barefoot movement for well over a decade!! IF you have a curiousity, it's important to build SLOWLY!!
Now time to dive into sharing!!! 👏....
Whether you have ANY desire, curiousity or even belief in barefoot movement, here are some FACTS that you CAN'T deny:
Shoes PREVENT our feet from functioning to their natural ability (and therefore, the rest of our body).
The feet have 26 bones. Yep... 52 counting the pair!
The feet have 33 joints. That's 66 joints total, once again for you math folks!
Over 100 muscles, tendons and ligaments PER FOOT!
The feet have approximately 200,000 nerve endings. Hey math folks! You're right! That's 400,000 (approx) when we remember that we have TWO feet!
These are undeniable FACTS!
When humans move barefoot across various surfaces, ALL of these things work to move the body in a way it was designed. The nerve ending alone (remember how many there are!) can send signals from the feet to the OTHER end of our body where that brain thing is located, to provide information for the ENTIRE body ALL the way up the chain and back down! It never ceases to blow me away.
I haven't been on the trails much at all this summer for various reasons. Yesterday (Monday) I had a very busy day with plenty of work to do (between clients and computer work), but it was one of those days that was just plain GOOD. Ya know? Things are flowing well, you're getting stuff done and you have the energy to get out and move as well! I took a break from my work and before I had to be back at the studio for my last few sessions of the day, I headed to the woods; with the full intent to take off the shoes and just enjoy the adventure. 😃
🏃The FIRST thing that happened came IMMEDIATELY.
I walk to the trail entrance. I head in just a bit to where the trees begin to get dense. I took my shoes and socks off, put them in my backpack and then started into a nice barefoot jog. In the first steps a SMILE came to my face. Just think about it for a second; How often in YOUR day, do you do something that makes you IMMEDIATELY smile when you do it? If the answer is "I don't know" ~ Does that not make you think... "Why don't I have more of these things?" 🤔
🏃The run.
I had no real plan other than run barefoot in the woods. Though I had to be mindful of time due to work again in a while. I knew the route I was going to take. I was on the trail for 30min. 20-25min was barefoot.
Barefoot runs NATURALLY pace you. You don't have to think about your pace and you're not concerned with it either. You go with what your body, ground and surroundings are telling you. It's the same in a "regular" trail run; Some spots are fast, some are slow, some you have to be very mindful and almost come to a walk... It's all good!
I've said this in previous posts, but the MINDFULNESS is more NATURALLY present when you're barefoot. You don't even have to think about focusing on the path in front of you and each foot fall, you just DO.
When I run barefoot on the trails (or hike) I don't care about specifics; I care about being there and doing it. It feels good. It makes me happy. Distance, time, intensity is all irrelevant and that's SO refreshing.
As I came up the switchback on the North-East side of the hill (which is narrower and bit more technical), my feet were getting a bit sensitive to the ground. My last barefoot hike/run was back in the spring so I wanted to be smart and not push things too much. I wasn't hurting at all. I was simply more aware of the soles of my feet. Naturally, when more technical sections came up, I just slowed down to accomodate and be even more sure of my each foot fall.
At the top, the trail winds along the North edge of the hill and has plenty of options of branching trails. I wanted to keep my adventure reasonable, so after following the winding narrow trail, I connected to the larger main trail that runs along the top of the hill, and head back East toward the descent on the South-East side.
As I came closer to the descent trail my feet were telling me they had enough. Again, not hurting, not tired, but a bit more sensitive to everything going on beneath them. At the top of the trail I stopped at a big rock and put my socks and minimalist trail runners back on.
It was like the "magic water" that professional soccer players get when they're "injured"... (yes the soccer guy said it - I admit it - It's ridiculous! 🙄)
It was like I had springs loaded into my lower legs...
My last 5min descending and exiting the woods I FLEW out of there!! It felt SO GOOD. Once again, letting my pace be dictated NATURALLY. It felt like minimal effort and yet felt this BURST of energy as I headed toward my exit.
[I know some people say; "But your feet get dirty! Ewwww." ~ Yep! Sometimes muddy too (which can be chilly in the fall or spring sometimes)!! 👉 FYI - My feet also get CLEAN when I clean them off afterwards when I get home.
Why are we so "afraid" or adverse about getting dirty now a days??] 🫣
🏃The "Ah Ha's"
It's pretty rare for me to do a barefoot hike/run without getting the "Ah Ha's" afterwards. Here's mine from this adventure...
Coming out of the woods and heading back to the road for my 1km or so walk home, my legs felt invigorated, not exhausted!! What I had not really noticed before however, was HOW / WHERE I felt it. The best I can describe it is; After I run the roads for example, my legs feel worked from the top down to me. This however, was a feeling from the bottom up!
As I was walking home I just kept thinking; "I didn't want to leave the woods yet". The ONLY reason I did was to be sure to get back to work on time. I (still as I share this) am craving getting back out there again. IMAGINE if we approached our health practices of choice with THAT approach?? The idea of WANTING to do it AGAIN!? That gives a major boost to creating a habit/practice that will LAST. 👍
Before I left for the studio, I had about 20min to sit down a finish a couple things on my laptop (including making these notes - knowing I wanted to share this awesomeness with you!). For a GOOD while after (including at the studio) my feet were "buzzing" is the best way to describe it. The soles of my feet were ALIVE with activity. Not "tingling" or numbness (like when your foot false asleep) - just the nerve endings in my feet "singing away" after that varied terrain in the woods.
Take Away Thoughts...
I'm sharing this story not only because I love it, but because it really can be used to aim to get YOU thinking about YOU and YOUR health practices. In addition to a couple questions I asked throughout this post, think about...
🤔 The fact that you don't have to fully understand WHY you love doing something OR feel the need to explain it to anyone else ~ You JUST need to know that YOU LOVE IT.
🤔 I 100% do NOT want to compare me to Wim Hof (the "ice man") but it's the best example I have. Wim Hof himself does extreme things with his physiology to show us the capabilities of human physiology and biochemistry. But he reminds us that we don't HAVE to do those extremes to reap the benefits.
Same deal here; You don't HAVE to run or hike barefoot in the woods. Consider just in your backyard, while gardening, while camping or at the cottage... Take off your shoes and just sit with your feet in the grass for a while. Why not?
🤔 Choose an activity that makes you smile (it's a blank canvas); gardening, biking, hiking, paddling... DO IT for the sake of DOING IT. Nothing more. Pay attention to how you feel before, during and after doing that thing you LOVE to do.
Imagine if you made that happen as your PRIORITY in your health practices for a while. Not a fancy program. Not a strict diet. This ACTIVITY that YOU enjoy. What might be the outcome for you?? ....
Yes, I'm being a smart ass now, but with good reason ~ MOST people (including MANY you know I bet) DON'T approach their health and lifestyle this way.
Think about that.
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