I just finished the book 'Born to Run' by Christopher McDougall.
I am a fan of running, hiking, and walking. Of moving...
Moving~~
not sitting,
not watching television,
not planting my butt and watching the world go by.
The book has convinced me [not that I needed much] that I need to continue moving. It is what we were meant to do.
To sit around and do nothing causes health issues.
I read with interest the chapters regarding the nature of evolution of the running man and how the human body simply put, is born to move. He says run...I say move.
The barefoot debate?
Well many doctors and those who treat my husband's foot issues are against being barefoot to strengthen your foot, ankles and over all body.
I can say this.
I have been going barefoot or moving about now since April 22nd when I blogged about the purchasing the Vibram FiveFingers to try out.
I can say this from my own experience.
My feet are happy without shoes.
My feet are happy while wearing my odd little 'hobbit' feet aka FiveFingers.
My feet never hurt while wearing these shoes.
hmmmm.
After a hard day of hiking in Hawai'i with the kids and the brutal walk in to and out of Wiapi'o Valley
and later Pololu Valley....
Certain muscles hurt and were a bit stiff. But I'm thinking that I'd had a *hill* workout like I've not quite experienced before.And to tell you the truth, my feet never hurt.
Two days now I've run and hiked our new woods trail [which is soon to be lengthened]. My husband sees it as a way to fix fences and get his skid steer through the woods safely.
I see it as something else.
A perfect running, hiking, playing course for me. A wonderful work-out trail.
As I cruised down and partly back up the hill trail this morning, I noticed also that the local deer and other critters are enjoying it as well as I am.
So don't sit around on your butt.
Just move it.
...and be happy.
I told a young orthopoedic surgeon the treatment when I had a slipped disc 30 years ago, which was to lie still for 6 weeks. The young surgeon looked at me as though I had stepped out of the ark. Now the advice is to move around as much as possible - as you say, it's much more natural and not moving causes all sorts of problems.
ReplyDeleteI've wondered about those shoes....makes me wanna try a pair now.
ReplyDeleteThe shoes are awesome...but they come with a warning, start out slow and don't just hike off in them.
ReplyDeleteYour feet and body need to re-adjust to being without shoes.
I now run through the yard like a kid in barefeet, even on these cold evenings.
It feels delicious.