Barefoot footwear: A solution for healthy feet?

However, it is crucial to note that the health of our feet directly impacts the muscles and joints in the knees, hips, and lower back. Therefore, it is essential to take a moment and consider whether the shoes you are wearing are providing your feet with the comfort they deserve.

Here's a simple test to determine if your shoes provide enough support: remove the insole and trace its outline on a clean sheet of paper. Then, place your foot on the outline of the insole. What do you see?

The first picture on the left displays our feet in regular shoes. Do our feet have sufficient space in these shoes? How can the muscles in our legs contribute to this condition?

When we wear regular shoes, our feet conform to the shape of the shoes, which causes them to lose some of their primary functions.

Barefoot shoes are designed to provide our feet with enough space. However, it is of utmost importance that the muscles in our legs are in the right condition!

When switching to barefoot shoes, not strengthening your feet is like not doing physiotherapy after years of wearing a cast. Therefore, if we seek a sustainable path towards foot health, we must think beyond just shoes.

While training, most people tend to overlook two of the most crucial parts of their body – their feet. They train their upper body, lower body and core without considering strengthening their feet. Our legs are the foundation of our posture, yet they are often neglected in the gym.

Barefoot exercises can strengthen feet, increase ankle flexibility, and improve walking patterns. They are more important than ever.

We can improve our overall well-being with the help of a few simple exercises:

1. Pull the arch of the foot upwards by pressing the toes down into the ground. This will contract the middle of the foot and raise the longitudinal arch (picture on the right).
   
2. Our toe muscles can become stiff due to insufficient use or uncomfortable footwear. To help loosen them up, try intertwining your fingers between your toes for 30 to 60 seconds.
   
   
3. Start by placing your feet flat on the mat or ground to perform this exercise. Then, spread your toes apart as far as possible, creating a wide support base. Next, lift only your big toe off of the ground, leaving the other toes firmly planted on the mat. Hold this position for a few seconds, then lower your big toe back down and raise the rest of your toes off of the ground. Alternate between lifting just your big toe and lifting all your toes for several repetitions.
   
4. To relieve stiffness in your feet, use a hard ball to massage your feet. Place the ball on the ground, and roll your foot forward and backwards on it. This will help to alleviate tension and improve blood circulation in your feet.
   
5. Stretch your foot forward as far as you can. Move your foot in circular motions, rotating your ankle first in one direction and then in the other.
   

It can be concluded that wearing shoes with plenty of space for our feet, such as barefoot shoes, while also performing foot exercises is the best long-term solution for foot health. It's crucial to take care of our feet and increase their flexibility, and the rest of our body will reap the benefits.

By choosing any of the Be Lenka models, you can be sure that each of them respects the shape of your foot because only foot-shaped is the right shape.