In the winter I wear heavy Russian "valinki" to protect my feet from the deep snow. Otherwise, I go barefoot wherever possible. I NEVER wear shoes in my house. I'd like to go take a walk in the woods west and south of our house... What if you step on manure (especially bear)
What about encountering a bull or bear, I need a bear bell.
i spent my my entire childhood barefoot except for carrying my shoes to wear in school and church.&winter i still carry sandals and go barefoot whenever possible.one of my sons was born with flat feet. dr. said he needed special shoes. they made his ankles turn. i had him play outside in our yard barefoot and nature corrected it. strengthened his arches and ankles perfectly. he grew to 6'5" tall so it's extra good that the problem was corrected.
@walklikeacat1234 Well, barefoot is the "most natural" way we can walk. Every other species walks barefoot, why shouldn't humans?! Glad your son feet corrected themselves. Does he walk barefoot? Ti Yuska (Live free) ~Bear
This is the first time I've seen one of your videos and I completely agree. I live in southern Louisiana and as long as I can remember I couldn't stand wearing shoes. It's just more comfortable to go barefoot. But I usually use some expensive foot balm that doesn't work very well. I'm going to try that balm u mentioned. Thanks for the info.
@Gatordave1578 Glad I could be of some help. Bag Balm is the best and most organic salve that I have found that actually works. I don't think that you will be disappointed with it. TI Yuska (Live Free) ~Bear
I wouldn't want to be walking barefoot in urban grassy areas, most in particular, quite aside from pesticides, there's a real danger of getting a jab in your foot from a stray needle. Last thing you want is some HIV drug addicts cast off, sticking in your foot, beware, there's quite a lot of drug activity in parks and such like....
@stormwings1 VERY GOOD point! I have heard that urban, and even suburban area, parks are becoming greater habitat for drug users and their suppliers, so I am sure that there is a greater chance of stumbling across a needle and getting stuck in the foot. As sharp as hypodermic needles are, they would even pierce the bottom of a shoe with a soft sole. . .BEWARE!! Ti Yuska (Live Free) ~Bear
Can I get the benefits of walking barefoot with socks on? See I'm only 12 & it can get pretty cold in the Pacific NW so my mom makes me wear at least socks on in the house.
@WoodFamily2204 Yes, you can get many of the benefits of barefoot walking, even with socks on. The most important aspect of barefoot walking is to let your feet become their natural shape. Wearing shoes/boots, changes the shape of the feet and confines them to an unnatural shape. Being 12 you have a great advantage in your foot development by starting to walk naturally now. Good luck! Ti Yuska ~Bear
@royalsohl I walk barefoot EVERYWHERE. Most stores are accommodating to my lifestyle. Those that aren't I don't give them my business. Although while in the suburbs, I steer clear of suburban/urban grassy areas. Most are saturated with harmful pesticide chemicals, and I don't want those nasty cancer-causing petro-chemicals absorbed into my system. Enjoy! Ti Yuska (Live Free) ~Bear
@PhantomOfPanton Doing so is a personal choice, but I wouldn't recommend it to anyone who asks my thoughts on the subject. Pesticide/chemical absorption is just as real through the feet as they are via food, etc.
I hate shoes personally...since I was a kid. Yeah, I had to get stitches one time but the lesson I learned was don't go running through a patch of tall grass if you can't see what's in it. After the wound healed I continued to play outside barefoot but I slowed down and watched where I walked. I love to ride motorcycles now and I work in a restaurant. I have to where my boots then but as soon as I get home....they're off. Nobody told me. Just seemed natural.
@Ubuntufrog I have woen sheep wool socks for years, but I found some Bison wool socks that I now wear. They are extremely comfortable, last 4x longer than sheep wool, and I only need one pair of bison wool vs. 2 pair of sheep wool when it's really cold (-30 - -40).
hey, u don't mess with a girls shoes! but you're right. i am only comfortable in a sandle with a small hill or better yet barefoot. but i grew up that way. i was always misplacing my shoes as a kid, hee hee! the balm doesn't seem to work as well for me but hoofmaker does, have you ever tried it? put it on every night as routine and my feet will stay soft and whole. love the vid, look forward to watching the rest. ty!
@WitchesHallow Lol (about a girls shoes.) Yes I have used Hoofmaker Dressing, but I prefer Bag Balm. I don't apply it every night only as needed to help heal cracks, cuts, etc. I don't want my feet to be "soft"; they are actually very calloused and built-up (which is what I want). Ti Yuska (Live Free) ~Bear
Been wanting to try this soon. I grew up in Texas stepping on stickers, cacti, mesquite thorns, fire ants etc....so I am getting flashbacks of Texas that is causing me to chicken out. Maybe North Carolina will be nicer to my feet :P
@CampColombo NC offers much less "aggressive" terrain for you to get acclimated to walking barefoot. As your feet get toughened sans shoes, you won't have as many problems walking about TX, AZ, NM, etc. barefoot. I quite often lead Tribal Gatherings in arid, desert areas with cacti needles lurking about. When I step on one I know it, but it doesn't hurt as much as it did when I was a "tenderfoot" a decade ago!
Good luck on your quest to join the barefooters. I hope you enjoy the quest!
Walking barefoot in a cedar grove was something I did on my last campout. I like the actual connected feeling I get. I slow down and I even breathe better when I go barefoot, my posture changes and everything you described has been part of my experience also.
I love barefoot walking. My dad was a barefoot walker and i grew up not wearing shoes, unless i was in school or some crap. (im glad that didnt last long lol) Now im required to wear work boots. However if working in my yard, i have barefeet and never get an injury. I think im fully aware of where my feet are. I think that my painted toes look sexier in barefeet then jammed into a pair of heels. I love this vid, and never knew there was benefits ppl that make fun of me can take a hike!!!
@DontBePartOfTheProbl Yes, there are many benefits to being barefoot. Most people do not realize that wearing socks and shoes are the cause of MANY foot ailments. Bunions, corns, athlete's foot, plantar fasciitis, heel spurs, and others. The fastest way to shut up naysayers, when they ask: "why don't you wear shoes?", is to respond, "why do you wear shoes?" Ti Yuska (Live Free) ~Bear
I love walking barefoot! Nowadays I rarely wear shoes except when i'm at school or other places that require them. I walked around all day today with no shoes and it was great.
@Waldharmony Well my friend, in 10 years of being barefoot I haven't had any problems like you are describing. And, as for the never-ending debate about excessive calorie burning while walking barefoot, that just is not true. A person wearing more clothing along with heavy cumbersome footwear burns more calories than I do. My body's furnace (the mitochondria) are acclimated to the various weather changes and adapt as the weather changes, so I actually burn less calories than people think.
@Waldharmony I have walked in every type of topography in the US. I have never gotten bitten by mosquitoes, horse or black flies, nor have I gotten any ticks. The skin on my feet is very tough, thick & calloused from being barefoot & as I walk through the brush my feet are constantly swept by the underbrush, weeds, plants, etc., so the bugs don't have a chance to attach themselves to be able to bite. When I stop for the night, I "mud-up" my feet and body to keep any bugs or pests away.
Great video mate! I am a die hard barefooter... Humans have gone barefoot for over a million years. Why do some people feel in the last 100 years that we've been doing it wrong?
@wolfmaan Humans are the only race that are arrogant enough to think that they know better than Mother Nature & "the way of the natural order". it is the "human ass-hole way"! I constantly get grief from those who think that they know better, what is best for me, than I know what is best for me. People have been brainwashed into believing that being barefoot is hard on the body & worse for their posture. That is complete bullshit!! People need to wake up & get their heads out of their asses!!
@PRIMITIVELIVING I hiked 850km on the Bruce Trail in 2009 completely barefoot. I did it to prove it could be done. I didn't die. I didn't break toes, and I had a blase!
@PRIMITIVELIVING agreed, in today society shoes have becoming "normal" it's stupid how a person looks at you just because you walk barefoot and asks "where's your shoes" that's why I just ignore it, I've noticed when I jog barefoot its alot lighter feeling and just fun, makes me feel like a kid again lol.
this is called "foxwalking " by some people, right? to walk on balls of your feet? is it possible to foxwalk at a fast pace? because i cant go faster than a snails pace
@HandsomeSasquatch Fox Walking is one type of technique that is different to what I am describing in this video. What I am describing in this video is a technique of walking that is used by Aborgine and other barefoot Tribes around the world. It is a way that keeps the thigh and calf muscles engaged, yet it takes away the shock to the skeletal system while walking. Placing the ball of the foot down first then the heel. . .more to come on walking barefoot soon!
@trevor6744 Moccasins are fine. I wear them in places that absolutely insist that I have my feet covered. The mocs I wear I made and are made of Moose hide. No padding, nothing fancy: just something that covers my foot. I can still feel the ground beneath my feet, just not as well as barefoot!
... all so well said. I started barefooting last summer and I was amazed at how fast my feet got used to very different terrains. makes even short walks so much more of an experience, as you take in much more information from the environment.
I also feel that it increases the flow in my meridians, energy channels or whatever you wish to call that.
Wonderfully well said! I've been barefooting for about 2 years now, and I always feel the difference when I'm required to wear shoes at work (stupid OSHA, ugh). Whenever people look at me sideways on the street because of my bare feet, I take it as an opportunity to tell them all the benefits of doing what I do! So many people are timid to step out of their shoes; social norms be damned!
In the winter I wear heavy Russian "valinki" to protect my feet from the deep snow. Otherwise, I go barefoot wherever possible. I NEVER wear shoes in my house. I'd like to go take a walk in the woods west and south of our house... What if you step on manure (especially bear)
What about encountering a bull or bear, I need a bear bell.
PS: Are you native??
palmapanfu 1 day ago
i spent my my entire childhood barefoot except for carrying my shoes to wear in school and church.&winter i still carry sandals and go barefoot whenever possible.one of my sons was born with flat feet. dr. said he needed special shoes. they made his ankles turn. i had him play outside in our yard barefoot and nature corrected it. strengthened his arches and ankles perfectly. he grew to 6'5" tall so it's extra good that the problem was corrected.
walklikeacat1234 4 days ago
@walklikeacat1234 Well, barefoot is the "most natural" way we can walk. Every other species walks barefoot, why shouldn't humans?! Glad your son feet corrected themselves. Does he walk barefoot? Ti Yuska (Live free) ~Bear
PRIMITIVELIVING 2 days ago
@PRIMITIVELIVING he does go barefoot a lot .
walklikeacat1234 2 days ago
This is the first time I've seen one of your videos and I completely agree. I live in southern Louisiana and as long as I can remember I couldn't stand wearing shoes. It's just more comfortable to go barefoot. But I usually use some expensive foot balm that doesn't work very well. I'm going to try that balm u mentioned. Thanks for the info.
Gatordave1578 1 week ago
@Gatordave1578 Glad I could be of some help. Bag Balm is the best and most organic salve that I have found that actually works. I don't think that you will be disappointed with it. TI Yuska (Live Free) ~Bear
PRIMITIVELIVING 2 days ago
I wouldn't want to be walking barefoot in urban grassy areas, most in particular, quite aside from pesticides, there's a real danger of getting a jab in your foot from a stray needle. Last thing you want is some HIV drug addicts cast off, sticking in your foot, beware, there's quite a lot of drug activity in parks and such like....
stormwings1 4 weeks ago
@stormwings1 VERY GOOD point! I have heard that urban, and even suburban area, parks are becoming greater habitat for drug users and their suppliers, so I am sure that there is a greater chance of stumbling across a needle and getting stuck in the foot. As sharp as hypodermic needles are, they would even pierce the bottom of a shoe with a soft sole. . .BEWARE!! Ti Yuska (Live Free) ~Bear
PRIMITIVELIVING 4 weeks ago
Thanks man very good info!!
peaceinstead 1 month ago
@peaceinstead Thanx for the kind words. I try! Ti Yuska (Live Free) ~Bear
PRIMITIVELIVING 4 weeks ago
Can I get the benefits of walking barefoot with socks on? See I'm only 12 & it can get pretty cold in the Pacific NW so my mom makes me wear at least socks on in the house.
WoodFamily2204 2 months ago
@WoodFamily2204 Yes, you can get many of the benefits of barefoot walking, even with socks on. The most important aspect of barefoot walking is to let your feet become their natural shape. Wearing shoes/boots, changes the shape of the feet and confines them to an unnatural shape. Being 12 you have a great advantage in your foot development by starting to walk naturally now. Good luck! Ti Yuska ~Bear
PRIMITIVELIVING 1 month ago
what about in the suburbs?
royalsohl 2 months ago
@royalsohl I walk barefoot EVERYWHERE. Most stores are accommodating to my lifestyle. Those that aren't I don't give them my business. Although while in the suburbs, I steer clear of suburban/urban grassy areas. Most are saturated with harmful pesticide chemicals, and I don't want those nasty cancer-causing petro-chemicals absorbed into my system. Enjoy! Ti Yuska (Live Free) ~Bear
PRIMITIVELIVING 2 months ago
@PRIMITIVELIVING
Crap...I walk barefoot around my park @_@
PhantomOfPanton 2 months ago
@PhantomOfPanton Doing so is a personal choice, but I wouldn't recommend it to anyone who asks my thoughts on the subject. Pesticide/chemical absorption is just as real through the feet as they are via food, etc.
PRIMITIVELIVING 2 months ago
It would be nice if you would film your feet instead of your talking head ;)
k8eekatt 4 months ago
@k8eekatt I hear ya (via my feet. . .lol). I considered doing that, but I thought people would be more bored by watching my feet?!
PRIMITIVELIVING 2 months ago
"Enjoy it..."
SnuggleBear1970 4 months ago
@SnuggleBear1970 I fully enjoy it!
PRIMITIVELIVING 2 months ago
I hate shoes personally...since I was a kid. Yeah, I had to get stitches one time but the lesson I learned was don't go running through a patch of tall grass if you can't see what's in it. After the wound healed I continued to play outside barefoot but I slowed down and watched where I walked. I love to ride motorcycles now and I work in a restaurant. I have to where my boots then but as soon as I get home....they're off. Nobody told me. Just seemed natural.
tsolorio3001 4 months ago
walking barefoot around teddy-bear cholla is a huge pain in the ass
TheOldBeef 5 months ago
@TheOldBeef Yes they are if you're not paying attention! Ti Yuska (Live Free) ~Bear
PRIMITIVELIVING 5 months ago
Hey White Bear, I love your video! I am a barefoot adventurer from Ontario Canada. Take a look at some of my videos sometime!
wolfmaan 5 months ago
@wolfmaan Hey Wolfmaan, I have watched your videos. Great stuff! I hope that you enjoy my vids as well. Ti Yuska (Live Free) ~Bear
PRIMITIVELIVING 5 months ago
what do you when the winter and snow comes, wool socks?
Ubuntufrog 6 months ago
@Ubuntufrog The same thing you do when it's too cold to go outside without a jacket or gloves...
wolfmaan 5 months ago
@Ubuntufrog I have woen sheep wool socks for years, but I found some Bison wool socks that I now wear. They are extremely comfortable, last 4x longer than sheep wool, and I only need one pair of bison wool vs. 2 pair of sheep wool when it's really cold (-30 - -40).
PRIMITIVELIVING 5 months ago
hey, u don't mess with a girls shoes! but you're right. i am only comfortable in a sandle with a small hill or better yet barefoot. but i grew up that way. i was always misplacing my shoes as a kid, hee hee! the balm doesn't seem to work as well for me but hoofmaker does, have you ever tried it? put it on every night as routine and my feet will stay soft and whole. love the vid, look forward to watching the rest. ty!
WitchesHallow 6 months ago
@WitchesHallow Lol (about a girls shoes.) Yes I have used Hoofmaker Dressing, but I prefer Bag Balm. I don't apply it every night only as needed to help heal cracks, cuts, etc. I don't want my feet to be "soft"; they are actually very calloused and built-up (which is what I want). Ti Yuska (Live Free) ~Bear
PRIMITIVELIVING 6 months ago
Been wanting to try this soon. I grew up in Texas stepping on stickers, cacti, mesquite thorns, fire ants etc....so I am getting flashbacks of Texas that is causing me to chicken out. Maybe North Carolina will be nicer to my feet :P
CampColombo 6 months ago
@CampColombo NC offers much less "aggressive" terrain for you to get acclimated to walking barefoot. As your feet get toughened sans shoes, you won't have as many problems walking about TX, AZ, NM, etc. barefoot. I quite often lead Tribal Gatherings in arid, desert areas with cacti needles lurking about. When I step on one I know it, but it doesn't hurt as much as it did when I was a "tenderfoot" a decade ago!
Good luck on your quest to join the barefooters. I hope you enjoy the quest!
PRIMITIVELIVING 6 months ago
Walking barefoot in a cedar grove was something I did on my last campout. I like the actual connected feeling I get. I slow down and I even breathe better when I go barefoot, my posture changes and everything you described has been part of my experience also.
spectralmunchkin 7 months ago
@spectralmunchkin Glad to hear that! Ti Yuska (Live Free) ~Bear
PRIMITIVELIVING 7 months ago
I love barefoot walking. My dad was a barefoot walker and i grew up not wearing shoes, unless i was in school or some crap. (im glad that didnt last long lol) Now im required to wear work boots. However if working in my yard, i have barefeet and never get an injury. I think im fully aware of where my feet are. I think that my painted toes look sexier in barefeet then jammed into a pair of heels. I love this vid, and never knew there was benefits ppl that make fun of me can take a hike!!!
DontBePartOfTheProbl 7 months ago
@DontBePartOfTheProbl Yes, there are many benefits to being barefoot. Most people do not realize that wearing socks and shoes are the cause of MANY foot ailments. Bunions, corns, athlete's foot, plantar fasciitis, heel spurs, and others. The fastest way to shut up naysayers, when they ask: "why don't you wear shoes?", is to respond, "why do you wear shoes?" Ti Yuska (Live Free) ~Bear
PRIMITIVELIVING 7 months ago
I love walking barefoot! Nowadays I rarely wear shoes except when i'm at school or other places that require them. I walked around all day today with no shoes and it was great.
craftgrrl14 7 months ago
@craftgrrl14 Glad to hear that. . .ENJOY!
PRIMITIVELIVING 7 months ago
@Waldharmony Well my friend, in 10 years of being barefoot I haven't had any problems like you are describing. And, as for the never-ending debate about excessive calorie burning while walking barefoot, that just is not true. A person wearing more clothing along with heavy cumbersome footwear burns more calories than I do. My body's furnace (the mitochondria) are acclimated to the various weather changes and adapt as the weather changes, so I actually burn less calories than people think.
PRIMITIVELIVING 8 months ago
@Waldharmony I have walked in every type of topography in the US. I have never gotten bitten by mosquitoes, horse or black flies, nor have I gotten any ticks. The skin on my feet is very tough, thick & calloused from being barefoot & as I walk through the brush my feet are constantly swept by the underbrush, weeds, plants, etc., so the bugs don't have a chance to attach themselves to be able to bite. When I stop for the night, I "mud-up" my feet and body to keep any bugs or pests away.
PRIMITIVELIVING 8 months ago
@Waldharmony Do you really think that not covering the small area (your feet) will cause you significantly more tick/fly bites?
PSUinDC 8 months ago
@PSUinDC Waldharmony is absolutely wrong!! Read my response to Waldharmony . . .
PRIMITIVELIVING 8 months ago
Great video mate! I am a die hard barefooter... Humans have gone barefoot for over a million years. Why do some people feel in the last 100 years that we've been doing it wrong?
wolfmaan 8 months ago
@wolfmaan Humans are the only race that are arrogant enough to think that they know better than Mother Nature & "the way of the natural order". it is the "human ass-hole way"! I constantly get grief from those who think that they know better, what is best for me, than I know what is best for me. People have been brainwashed into believing that being barefoot is hard on the body & worse for their posture. That is complete bullshit!! People need to wake up & get their heads out of their asses!!
PRIMITIVELIVING 8 months ago
@PRIMITIVELIVING I hiked 850km on the Bruce Trail in 2009 completely barefoot. I did it to prove it could be done. I didn't die. I didn't break toes, and I had a blase!
wolfmaan 8 months ago
@wolfmaan It is freedom to be barefoot. Glad to you had a good time doing that hike. Are you barefoot full time now?
PRIMITIVELIVING 8 months ago
@PRIMITIVELIVING agreed, in today society shoes have becoming "normal" it's stupid how a person looks at you just because you walk barefoot and asks "where's your shoes" that's why I just ignore it, I've noticed when I jog barefoot its alot lighter feeling and just fun, makes me feel like a kid again lol.
Ubuntufrog 7 months ago
Awesome info video!
LamokaGhost 9 months ago
this is called "foxwalking " by some people, right? to walk on balls of your feet? is it possible to foxwalk at a fast pace? because i cant go faster than a snails pace
HandsomeSasquatch 9 months ago
@HandsomeSasquatch Fox Walking is one type of technique that is different to what I am describing in this video. What I am describing in this video is a technique of walking that is used by Aborgine and other barefoot Tribes around the world. It is a way that keeps the thigh and calf muscles engaged, yet it takes away the shock to the skeletal system while walking. Placing the ball of the foot down first then the heel. . .more to come on walking barefoot soon!
PRIMITIVELIVING 9 months ago
what do you think about moccasins?
trevor6744 9 months ago
@trevor6744 Moccasins are fine. I wear them in places that absolutely insist that I have my feet covered. The mocs I wear I made and are made of Moose hide. No padding, nothing fancy: just something that covers my foot. I can still feel the ground beneath my feet, just not as well as barefoot!
PRIMITIVELIVING 9 months ago
When you say you walk in a "natural, slow stride", are you saying it is better to walk slower?
CLSkill 10 months ago
@CLSkill Yes! Walking slower allows you to hear, see and enjoy more in the woods. You'll be amazed what you will discover when you walk slower!
PRIMITIVELIVING 9 months ago
great video, I'm just starting my barefoot adventure
romeodelta1178 10 months ago
... all so well said. I started barefooting last summer and I was amazed at how fast my feet got used to very different terrains. makes even short walks so much more of an experience, as you take in much more information from the environment.
I also feel that it increases the flow in my meridians, energy channels or whatever you wish to call that.
Greetings, Tim
steintanz 10 months ago
Wonderfully well said! I've been barefooting for about 2 years now, and I always feel the difference when I'm required to wear shoes at work (stupid OSHA, ugh). Whenever people look at me sideways on the street because of my bare feet, I take it as an opportunity to tell them all the benefits of doing what I do! So many people are timid to step out of their shoes; social norms be damned!
znotzelda 10 months ago
Great video
tekknorat 10 months ago
@tekknorat Thank you!
PRIMITIVELIVING 9 months ago
bag balm is key
beast12101 10 months ago
Apache spirit dance eh? Hmm My people Tesuque didn't like the apache's too much...not sure I can watch this video now. LOL.
Nice tips, and I like how you say to take your time. I see people rushing through trails or what not and not noticing anything.
CheddaFreeze101 10 months ago