Hey Radical Health Seekers 👋
Before we dive into our topic of the week, we have some exciting news…
We are officially on the shelves at Erewhon Market in Los Angeles!!!We are STOKED to continue to spread this message and hope to replace all synthetic multivitamins with the most nutrient-rich supplements on the planet 🥳
You will also find our products in the newly launched animal-based smoothie at Erewhon….
This smoothie is the first of its kind, with Beef Organs, Immunomilk, raw milk kefir, honey, and fruit…
Word on the street is it’s delicious 😎
If you are in the Los Angeles area we hope you will get down to your nearest Erewhon and give it a try!
Time to free your feet 👠👞
Now if you’re like most people, your feet are probably locked up in a stiff shoe all day… toes bunched together… heels unnaturally elevated… and never seeing the light of day.
Your poor feet 🙁
But our feet are highly sophisticated and complex machines.
They are our natural shock absorbers, storing up elastic energy so we can run and jump…
And they are (supposed to be) our primary touch point for all sensory perception coming from our environment.
For most of human history, we walked all over the world on nothing but our bare feet and got on just fine.
And the first shoes were no more than animal skins wrapped around our feet to protect against snakes and sharp stones.
But modern shoes, with their cushioned soles, contoured support systems, unnaturally narrow toe caps, and elevated heels, are a completely different kettle of fish:
Besides feeling good, there are many health benefits to be had by going barefoot more often.
👇
#1 Sensory Awareness
Fun fact: Your feet have 200,000 nerve endings and are a primary touchpoint for all sensory connections with our environment…
But if you’ve been regularly wearing shoes, this connection will be dormant.
Try going barefoot more often to unlock these new sensations…
Grass, sand, concrete, leaves and water, if you’re not going barefoot, you’re cutting off an entire line of information!
#2 Improved posture and less injuries
Modern shoes can weaken the arches and critical stabilizer muscles in your feet. The raised heel of modern shoes also shifts your body weight forward, messing up your posture.
All of this can cause a chain reaction of compensatory flaws, including weakened Achilles tendons and calf muscles, a tucked pelvis, curved spine, and forward-hunched shoulders.
This should be obvious, because the human body was not meant to walk around 24/7 on elevated heels.
#3 Grounding
Modern shoes with their rubber soles insulate us from the earth’s electrical charge.
We are the only animal to do this. All other animals (with the exception of birds) are connected to the earth 24/7.
Going barefoot reconnects us with the earth’s electrical charge, and is known as grounding or earthing.
The theory is that positive electrons in the form of free radicals accumulate in our bodies and cause inflammation.
And because the earth has a slightly negative charge, grounding neutralizes these positive electrons.
Studies show that grounding can have positive effects on inflammation, the immune response, wound healing, and prevention and treatment of chronic inflammatory and autoimmune diseases.
Interested in learning more about grounding? Check out Dr. Paul’s recent podcast with grounding expert Clint Ober here.
Final thoughts on going barefoot…
People will tell you that going barefoot is a trend, but we say wearing shoes is the real trend. And it’s hard to imagine a purer way to connect with our inner wild selves than to stroll around barefoot.
However, there are times when wearing shoes will definitely be a good idea.
For example, you’ll probably want to wear them if you’ve got a job interview…
(although you can totally show up for a job interview at Heart & Soil barefoot)
And even though driving barefoot is legally allowed in all states in the US, it’s probably a good idea to wear shoes while riding your motorcycle 😀
That’s all from us this weekend 👋
Stay radical!
The Heart & Soil Team
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