Kick off your shoes and  go "earthing" for good health!

Do you remember running barefoot through the lawn as a child, the grass tickling your toes? It was a joy to the senses.  Children love to go barefoot and it has the benefit of a strengthening the feet and lower legs, making the body more agile and less prone to injury. But walking barefoot has additional health benefits, not only for children, but for adults too.

Grounding or earthing refers to direct skin contact with the surface of the Earth, such as with bare feet or hands. According to the National Institutes of Health walking barefoot may have positive health effects. 

Environmental medicine focuses on interactions between human health and the environment, including factors such as compromised air and water and toxic chemicals, and how they cause or mediate disease. Omnipresent throughout the environment is a surprisingly beneficial, yet overlooked global resource for health maintenance, disease prevention, and clinical therapy: the surface of the Earth itself. 

Multi-disciplinary research has revealed that electrically conductive contact of the human body with the surface of the Earth (grounding or earthing) produces intriguing effects on physiology and health. Such effects relate to inflammation, immune responses, wound healing, and prevention and treatment of chronic inflammatory and autoimmune diseases.

Think about it.  There's a good reason you want to take off your shoes to get comfortable. It's an instinct.  A primal instinct. 

So this summer, reconnect with the earth, kick off your shoes, go for a walk outside and get grounded! It's one of life's simple pleasures, doesn't cost a thing, and it's good for you!

Free your feet, pay attention to the sensations, and walk the way your genes intended.