There are a lot of lotions and potions on the market that promise to keep you looking and feeling young, but staying youthful might be as easy as going barefoot more often. Several studies have shown that taking off your shoes and allowing your feet to be bare can slow the aging process in several ways.
How Going Barefoot Keeps You Young
The anti-aging effects of going barefoot are numerous. Here are some of the key ways increasing your time spent barefoot can keep you looking and feeling young:
1. It Exercises Your Brain
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Doctors suggest things like brain teasers and learning a new language for keeping age-related conditions like Alzheimer’s disease at bay, but studies have shown that going barefoot during normal activities like walking, working out and even cleaning your house has the potential to keep your brain young. The reason is because your nervous system is particularly sensitive in your feet, and stimulating the nerves on your soles both exercises your nervous system (which does age and slow down over time) and challenges your brain and physiological functioning.
2. It Helps You Sleep, Thus Keeps You Youthful
Catching zzz’s is called beauty sleep for a reason: getting a proper night’s rest does wonders for keeping you healthy and young. Luckily, walking barefoot has not only been proven to improve sleep, it can also reduce bodily pain and lead to greater sense of overall wellbeing — which in turn boosts the better night of sleep you’re already getting from going sans shoes.
3. It Keeps You In Shape
Most people’s feet are dependent on shoes for stability and strength, meaning the feet don’t really put a lot of effort into everyday locomotives. Walking barefoot, however, forces all of the muscles in your feet, toes and legs to work and be engaged. This means that you’ll achieve increased muscle toning and a more thorough workout when you do activities sans sneakers than if you did the same activities wearing shoes. Meanwhile, frequently going barefoot improves your balance, which can help you avoid one of the most common and dangerous health issues aging people face: trips and falls.
4. Its Amps Up Happiness, Thus Keeps You Glowing
Youth and happiness go hand in hand, meaning anything you do that increases your sense of wellbeing and happiness also increases your vitality, glow and sprightly essence. While each person has an individual key to happiness, one universal factor that leads to a better outlook on life is exercise — especially when done barefoot so you really connect to both the activity and the environment around you. In addition, going barefoot is reminiscent of childhood days spent running free and barefoot through grass, sprinklers, puddles and whatever else you stumbled upon without a care in the world. And that in and of itself is happiness.
Looking for more reasons to go without shoes? Check out these 7 health benefits of walking barefoot and proof that it's perfectly legal to kick off your heels and go barefoot in stores and restaurants.