By Lisa M. Belisle, MD, MPH 
Originally published July 9, 2009, The Maine Switch 

I’m no Imelda Marcos, but I do love my espadrilles... and cowboy boots... and classic black open-toed pumps. Recently I overheard my daughter say “You should see my mother’s shoe collection!” No small compliment coming from a 13-year-old. 

My 13-year-old was not always envious of my shoes: I used to be a boring shoe gal. Being tall, I would limit myself to flats. Being a doctor, I would limit myself to practical. Being a mother, I would limit myself to comfortable. No longer. Now many of my shoes (all bought on sale) are a little colorful, a little funky. 

I began loving funky shoes once I began to love my feet. As I’ve mentioned before, I am a runner, a walker and a world wanderer (www.walkthewalkdoc.com). I have found that feet are very helpful when one wishes to wander. 

Feet are good for more than just wandering, however. Feet help us move and balance. They help orient us to the earth. Feet also help us learn. Children understand this intuitively: babies who are beginning to walk do best with bare feet. Older kids would rather run shoeless than not. As adults, we seem to forget the pleasure our tootsies can bring, constantly covering our feet to “give them support,” and shield them from harm. 

Though I’m certainly interested in injury prevention, I’ve begun to believe that there is a benefit to occasional barefoot forays. In The Brain That Changes Itself (Penguin 2007), Dr. Norman Doidge suggests that uncovering our feet may lead to increased brain flexibility and youthfulness. “Shoes, worn for decades, limit the sensory feedback from our feet to our brain. If we went barefoot, our brains would receive many different kinds of input as we went over uneven surfaces.” 

Our bodies likely also benefit from sneaking naked toes over uneven surfaces: they may even offer a competitive advantage. In Born to Run (Knopf, 2009), author Christopher McDougall describes the successes of the Tarahumara Indian tribe, based in Copper Canyon, Mexico. This group of ultramarathon runners wins consistently, despite a lack of foot coverings. 

Foot coverings do have their place of course (just ask Imelda), but given hazard-free surfaces, they are not necessary ALL of the time. How about a barefoot beach stroll, or a grassy park walk? Perhaps we can even make a habit of walking about our houses sans shoes. Want to get a little crazy? Think foot massage with fragrant oils... 

But I digress. It doesn’t matter how we stimulate the “neurons of our sole,” as long as we do. When our feet feel loved, our brains will benefit. As will our bodies. And once our feet feel loved, they may allow us to wear the funky, slightly impractical shoes that all of us like to wear every so often. 

 Which is what life is all about, right Imelda?