I am often asked why I go barefoot, how long I do it, whether I am not feeling cold and so on. With the blue cuddlesome jacket I sometimes wear, I got the nicknames "cookie monster" and "Hobbit" from my big bare slightly hairy feet.
Whenever I get asked that question, I start thinking, as I have not really arrived at a conclusive answer - it is just natural for me, something I do not think about anymore after starting years ago in Berlin.
My usual first response is "Why not?" After all, I have quite a few practical benefits:
- I save money for shoes (though the few ones I have are on the expensive side as feet-friendly shoes are still a niche)
- I save time when going out - I can just go out the door, no need to nestle around with footwear
- I have always been a person with a strong immune system, and I do think the cold showers and barefoot walking play into that
Regarding cold feet: First of all, cold feet do not cause a cold. When they are cold because your whole circulation is weak, they are merely an indicator - but what people often refer to is my feet getting cold due to external circumstances, which does happen when the temperature drops below about 10°C.
However, I have made a few beneficial observations: Before walking barefoot outside, I tended to develop cold feet even inside, sometimes in summer but mostly in winter. This is a thing of the past - I think the circulation is simply so good now that wearing socks almost always only produces sweat. And I have noticed something else: When the soles of my feet lose warmth due to cold ground, the top of my feet do not anymore. I suspect a mechanism similar to why ducks don't get frostbite despite swimming in icy ponds: The warm blood coming from above transfers its energy to the cold blood coming from below, isolating the cold at the point of exposure.
Nonetheless, there are limits: When the sun burns at over 30°C at the pavement, I have to seek shade or more natural materials, or wear my sandals. When snow is falling, I won't spend more than a few minutes in it with my bare feet - they get numb, and if you don't watch out your feet could get frostbitten without you even noticing, handicapping you for life. And then there are social or exercise reasons for shoes, especially when I am cycling upwards a lot, the pressure into the pedals is eased through a sole.
But usually cycling, even for long distances, is no issue with the new flat pedals I have. Neither is running on most natural and man-made surfaces, except for solid surfaces with pebbles on top, as these sting mercilessly - though for walking it is a nice massage. Driving, despite popular opinion, is also not an issue - in fact, you have a lot more accurate control over the vehicle.
I think my favourites are grass and sand though, the standards of nature, though climbing rocks and trees barefoot is also a great experience.