Whole Body Barefoot
Transitioning Well to Minimal Footwear
Many work hard on good posture and better walking and running alignment, but it’s critical to understand how what you put on your feet each day can play a bigger role in the function of your feet, ankles, knees, hips, and spine than you might realize.
“By applying the principles in this book, you will be able to restore your foundation and prevent dysfunction.” ―Ray McClanahan, DPM
Biomechanist and author of Simple Steps to Foot Pain Relief, Katy Bowman offers walkers, runners, and health professionals alike clear, accessible lessons on how the shape of shoes can play a role in painful feet, knees, and hips—and what to do about it.
When we have painful feet and weak ankles it seems like stiff, supportive shoes are the answer, but this solution can be temporary, especially if our issues stem from foot and leg weakness. In short, humans come with great “foot technology,” we just need to learn how to use it.
Minimal footwear―shoes that protect your feet while still letting them move freely―is gaining traction (get it?). Being barefoot is a natural human movement, but research shows simply kicking off our shoe-shackles and releasing our feet into the wild can result in injury. Whole Body Barefoot will help you safely and effectively transition to minimal footwear, reaping the enormous benefits of freeing your feet without injuring yourself along the way.
Whole Body Barefoot presents:
- 25 exercises to create strong, supple, feel-better feet
- The mechanics of bunions and pronation
- How to strengthen weak ankles and arches
- How to figure out your true shoe-size
- The importance of walking on natural surfaces―“Vitamin Texture!”
With clear, science-based explanations, Bowman lays out how conventional shoes and artificial environments leave us with sedentary feet as well as the steps necessary to restore lost foot function, and improve health… naturally!
Praise
As Katy Bowman knowledgeably―and often humorously―explains, the concepts of barefoot biomechanics and minimal footwear aren’t just about feet. Whole Body Barefoot offers a nuanced discussion of minimal shoes as just one potential component of a whole-body solution to what so often is really a whole-body problem.
Whole Body Barefoot is an indispensable guide for anyone looking to make the successful transition to minimalist footwear, with the added bonus of improving the function of the body.
I truly admire anyone who can make me laugh and learn at the same time, especially when it comes to my favorite subject of all, the body. I also enjoy someone who has the ability to take sophisticated and sometimes confusing terms or principles and break them down into practical bits of information that are applicable to daily life. Whole Body Barefoot does this time and again, and it’s one of the most important reasons I adore the book so much.
This is a must-have book for anyone with feet!
About the Author
Bestselling author, speaker, and a leader in the Movement movement, biomechanist Katy Bowman, M.S., is changing the way we move and think about our need for movement. Bowman teaches movement globally and speaks about sedentarism and movement ecology to academic and scientific audiences. Her work has been featured in diverse media including The Today Show, CBC Radio One, The Seattle Times, and Good Housekeeping.
Connect more with Katy Bowman on her website.
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