My family recently returned from a blissful week at the beach on Cape Cod. Each year the beach is very different in terms of its rock to sand ratio. This year the rocks, at least in front of our house, seem to win out by a large margin.
My love of walking barefoot is well documented on the blog. I am shod as little as possible in my daily life. And my feet have gotten way stronger in the three years that I have stepped up the practice. So with that in mind I figured to spend the whole week walking barefoot and braving the rocks.
I lasted a day. There was about the thirty yard stretch that we had to pass over to get past the rocks and to sand. I quickly decided that I was here to relax not struggle. I also took off my pedometer (that I tend to obsess about) and put water shoes on for the week.
Not so for my daughter Ida. She refused, much to my joy, to put on her water shoes and instead attacked the rocks with feet bare. After the first day she complained, quite reasonably, that her feet hurt. After three days I asked her how her feet were doing and she said they felt great.
Strong feet will serve you for your whole life. They are the foundation that you can build upon. It is never too late to start getting them into shape. Walking barefoot in any environment is a great way to begin changing your body for the better.
***