Today's microdose is about step 2 on the journey to restore healthy feet: footwear.
[For a deeper dive into how footwear fits into the global context of preventing and resolving foot issues, check out our evolving foot health protocol by clicking HERE.]
For today's blog I'm going to keep things super simple because the truth is, footwear is super simple to understand and can be summed up by the following statement:
If we wear unnatural footwear, we develop unnatural foot function. If we wear natural footwear, we protect our feet while preserving the health and function of our feet.
Time to clarify a few terms with simple definitions:
Unnatural footwear refers to shoes that are pointed, stiff, ramped, have a thick cushioned sole and often include artificial support.
Unnatural foot function refers to feet that are weak, stiff, unstable, fragile and often end up being painful.
Natural footwear refers to shoes that are foot shaped, flexible, flat, have a thin sole and are fixed to our feet.
Natural foot function refers to feet that are strong, mobile, stable, resilient and free of longstanding pain.
Here's the crazy part:
95% of shoe wearing people (...yes, some people don't wear shoes) are unknowingly wearing shoes that literally disable, deform and damage their feet.
Knowing that, it makes much more sense that 75% of shoe wearing people eventually develop foot problems as some point in their lives.
Why is that the case? Simply put: lack of awareness. People generally don't view feet as important and they don't consider how the shoes they choose to wear impacts the health of their feet. To make matters worse, professionals who treat foot problems mostly ignore footwear as both a root cause of problems they treat and rarely propose natural footwear as a solution for their patients. It's a huge blind spot and a problem we're working to solve by developing a standardized foot health protocol alongside foot health leaders from around the world.
The good news:
Our bodies are constantly adapting to the inputs we expose them to. From the moment we stop wearing unnatural shoes, our feet begin healing and restoring themselves back to natural settings. By protecting our feet with natural footwear, we turn every step into an opportunity to strengthen and mobilize our feet.
Eliminating unnatural footwear and choosing to protect our feet with natural footwear that respects the function of our biology is the first step to restoring strong, healthy feet.
Our mission at Sole Freedom is to design a great foot health experience for our customers. That means offering world class foot health education and curating an awesome collection of natural footwear from around the world so there is a shoe for every occasion, every budget and every style preference.
Thanks for reading and for taking care of yourself.
If you know someone struggling with foot problems that is still wearing unnatural shoes, share this blog with them so they can get on the right path to healthier feet.
Much Love
Nick