The Barefoot FAQ

Q10: How can I get my feet in shape?

Walk barefoot. Walk barefoot some more. Go barefoot everywhere you can. Your soles, foot muscles, ligaments, and tendons are like any other parts of your body: you have to use them to develop them, otherwise they will atrophy.

Note that you wouldn't need to build up your feet if you went barefoot from birth as nature intended. What you're actually doing by "building them up" is getting them back to their natural state. Regardless of whether you have been mostly barefoot since birth, you can still build up your feet — barring a medical condition, there is no such thing as a permanent tenderfoot.

Walking on gravel is an excellent way to develop the soles of your feet quickly. A few jaunts daily will thicken and toughen your soles in a few weeks. (It is within the realm of human capability to run barefoot on even the most punishing gravel with little discomfort.)

Can I go barefoot even
if I have flat feet? 		What should I do
if I get a blister?
Last updated: November 30, 1997
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