We ask a lot of our feet!
Each foot is made up of 26 bones, 33 joints, and around 100 ligaments, all designed to move. On average, our feet support us through 6,000 steps a day in the UK.
With the arrival of spring, are you finding yourself getting outdoors more? Walking is one of the simplest and most accessible forms of exercise. It can easily fit into a busy lifestyle with minimal effort. I recently changed where I park my car, which now adds an extra three minutes of walking each way, twice a week. It might not sound like much, but over a month, that small adjustment adds up to nearly an extra hour of movement. Small changes like this can help us incorporate more activity into our daily lives.
When we walk and move, we engage the muscles in our feet and legs, building strength, improving mobility, and supporting better balance. However, many of us spend a significant portion of our day sitting, meaning we don’t use our muscles as we should. Over time, this can have a negative impact—perhaps not immediately noticeable, but certainly more apparent as we age when we need balance to be strong.
The Role of Footwear
Shoes were originally designed to protect our feet from extreme temperatures and injury, but over time, they have evolved dramatically in style and function. Looking through the Victoria & Albert Museum’s shoe archive, you can trace how foot-binding practices from the Song Dynasty (960–1279CE) influenced footwear design for centuries finally being banned in 1911.
Today, we understand that different shoes serve different purposes. Think back to classic 1980s films, where women commuted to work in trainers before switching to their ‘power’ stilettos, the word stiletto comes from the Latin stilus, meaning a thin pointed writing tool, later used to describe a slender dagger, more recently, high-heeled shoes. The trainers were the practical choice for walking, yet women still squeezed their feet into heels!
Over the last decade, footwear trends have shifted again, with more comfortable trainers and smart-casual designs becoming the norm. Despite this, most shoes still restrict toe movement and limit foot flexibility within the shoe which compromises circulation and movement all whilst tipping the pelvis forward due to the heel lift, whether that be slight or more prominent.
Barefoot Shoes
I first discovered barefoot shoes in 2011 while heavily pregnant with my second daughter. At the time, I was acutely aware of how I walked and how my posture affected my hips and spine.
One day, I took my 20-month-old daughter on a trip into town to buy her first proper shoes. She had been wearing soft leather slippers to keep her feet warm, but now that she was walking, she needed something more protective. However, I was disheartened by the selection available in a well-known department store. Boys' shoes came in various colours and styles, from trainers to smart shoes, while girls’ options were limited to pink, purple, and black with little style variation.
Although I was disappointed by the lack of choice, my daughter was excited about her first pair of shoes. We left with a shiny black patent ‘Mary Jane’ style, but on the way home, I noticed her walking differently. I recorded a video and sent it to my husband, who commented that she looked like Boris Karloff—better known for playing Frankenstein in the original 1931 film!
She outgrew the shoes quickly, which led me to explore alternatives. A group of mums recommended an online store that stocked a variety of barefoot shoes — shoes that mimic the natural shape of the foot, with no gender-specific designs. This was the beginning of my barefoot journey.
For 10+ years, I’ve measured my children’s feet at home and ordered shoes that support natural movement rather than restricting it, currently they are teenagers and adhering more to conventional shoes!
As I understood more about barefoot shoes, I started experimenting with barefoot shoes myself. My first pair was Vibram FiveFingers—often described as ‘foot gloves’ because they separate each toe. While I loved them, they were only practical in warmer weather. Fortunately, as the barefoot movement has grown, there are now more options that provide the benefits of natural movement while offering everyday wearability.
What Does This Have to Do with Reflexology?
Muscular Reflexology focuses on how tension is held within the muscles of the body. But what if that tension we hold stems from posture and what if posture is affected by the way we stand — shaped by years of wearing restrictive shoes? It’s a classic chicken-and-egg scenario. Could standing correctly help improve our posture and reduce muscular tension?
I’m currently undertaking a foot-strengthening programme to ensure I maintain good balance and mobility and learning how to continue to do this as I age.
If you’re interested in learning more about barefoot shoes or how they might benefit you, I’d be happy to point you in the right direction or just take a look at my feet!
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