Exercise your FEET!

https://xeroshoes.com/

In this time of coronavirus alarm, lawless rioting, looting, and rampant mindless destruction, sometimes we have to be- well, more grounded.  Hopefully you, like me, have found a safe, rural tribal homeland within your own country that is safe and civilized.  

If so, you are necessary in a rural area, far from large, modern, lawless and Democrat run cities!  Congratulations, paleo friend.  This is job #1 for you and your family.  Safety and wellness always come first, and that means caring for your own health and wellness.  Good, ancestral types of food, fresh air, uncontaminated non-chlorine soaked city drinking water, and a daily paleo smoothie are essential.  So too is good, natural exercise done daily, including stretching, self-resisted exercise, virtual resistance, and isometrics.  But what else is absolutely essential?

Foot health!  Every time you put on a pair of shoes or boots, you are putting your feet into a cast.  We tend to think of our feet as simple bases, as kind of inert blocks that just shuffle over the earth, grass and concrete alike.  Nothing could be farther from the truth!

Your feet are very like your hands- covered with subtle feelings and receptors that govern how you react as your body covers various terrain.  Your bare foot guides how you stand and move, enabling you to react to signals from them as to how you should lean, and your posture, to be both maximally efficient, and keeping you from injury as you travel across the landscape.  

Most modern people have very weak, stunted feet; from being stuffed into shoe/casts daily, day after day.  If your arm or leg goes into a cast, why everyone knows that that limb withers and shrinks dramatically after even a few weeks so confined.  

The same is true of your feet.  And not just your feet: the feet are what determines your entire chain, from foot, to ankle, to knee, to hip, to lower back- even up to the neck and head!  Bad quality, out-of-shape feet can cause pain in not only the feet, but in the knees, hips, and back.  They can even cause neck pain and headaches!  Really, healthy feet are that important.

This is the perfect time of year to regain and build great foot health and strength!  The very best thing you can do is to walk around barefoot.  I walk my grass, and my dirt paths in the forest daily.  In early spring, my feet are very tender to things like twigs and roots; but after a month or so, they become quite tough.  And I really love how the ever variegated ground beneath my feet feels- it is like a blind person who “sees” by touching things- a very important part of experiencing nature is by ‘feeling’ with our hands, and especially our feet!  

The more we use our feet thusly, the more strong and able they become, helping us in our overall health.  I liken it to going outside into nature itself: if we lock ourselves indoors, confined to easy chairs, television sets and computers, and artificial light- why, soon we are like slugs, soft and white, unable to do much more than peer about myopically with withered useless limbs and body.  Really- most suburban and city dwellers are really in a predicament much like this.

So get outside!  Walk (and run) on  your land, or in a park or other grassy setting.  Barefoot is best, but there are also ‘barefoot shoes’, meaning shoes without support, and thin soles without raised heels.  I wear moccasins when the weather cools, and when the terrain is too rocky or tough for barefoot, I wear my Xero shoes- they are shoes with minimal covering, say a thin slab of rubber, with only thin straps to hold it onto your foot.  Or, in more inclement conditions still, the same thing with minimal covering on the outside of the foot, but still- no padding or orthotics.  No casts!

I have been using the same pair of barefoot-but-not footwear for years now.  I do every outdoor and basement workout wearing them, and except during the summer months that’s how I sprint as well.  They are the very best, the most barefoot shoe you can get- and they are not expensive at all.

Xero shoes they call them, and you can get them here- https://xeroshoes.com/

Actually, they are called huaraches, and they are highly recommended both for the health of your foot (and the superstructure that depends on a healthy foot, like your ankles, knees, and hips).  

They have a 5,000 mile guarantee, so when you turn 100 you can buy another pair.

So get out, walk around barefoot.  Or in Xero shoes- same thing, really.  Strengthen and toughen the many tendons and muscles and ligaments that make up your incredible foot, and save your ability to move pain free for a lifetime!

PQTD #124 Barefootin'

xero shoe

I know- this seems like a small, inconsequential thing- going barefoot??  What is the big deal with that?

Well, like most things Paleo or ancestral, the big deal is that we just stopped doing basic things!  And have for a long time!

Most non-Paleo folks never, ever make bone broth- taking bones to slow cook in water to make broth, and extract all the nutrients… (and incidentally collagen, and everything else that we haven’t even identified yet that heals our leaky guts, gives us vital, focused nutrition, and, incidentally, doesn’t waste food!)  Bone broth also helps with digestion, helps our skin, hair and nails, and helps to prevent osteoarthritis, among other benefits. 

The point here is that making bone broth used to be just “common sense”.  As was going barefoot- just common sense! Now, if you don’t know it, most podiatrists, or “foot doctors”, recommend never going barefoot.  They say it is damaging, and will lead to foot pain- we need that elevated heel, and ample cushioning, or our feet will fall apart in pain!

B.S.  Our bodies have functioned very well indeed for millennia before foot doctors tread the earth in their Birkenstocks, and our feet are highly evolved “tension bridges” of elaborate tendons, bones and ligaments that are very sophisticated, and can adapt very well to what our bodies need on their own.  They didn’t evolve to need, or want shoes!

Strangely enough, cushioned running shoes did not become available until the 1970’s!  This is when the “running boom” started; also the low-fat high carb and sugar diet was recommended. 

All of these are unmitigated DISASTERS, and have left us with people of my age (50’s and 60’s), with permanently damaged joints, from their feet to their hips and back, and a leaky gut from all the wheat and carbs and sugar they were encouraged to consume!

NOW, we all KNOW to eat a high fat, low carb, wheatless diet with minimal sugars and maximum nutrition, or nutrient density. 

But, have you learned to “walk like a man” and go barefoot?  Even just standing barefoot, on the earth or grass, gives you earthing benefits, which means you are grounded with the earth (as we were all throughout history), and it equalizes your electrical energy with the earth.  (You are finally GROUNDED to Mother Earth!) 

This is not a small thing.  Just by being periodically grounded, inflammation in your body is lowered dramatically, leading to vastly improved sleep, less or eliminated snoring, and relief of muscle tension and headache, among many other benefits. 

And so, just standing barefoot for brief periods is hugely beneficial.  What about walking and running?

I do virtually ALL of my running barefoot, as I do my walking, at least in the warmer months.  When you walk barefoot, or with minimalist footwear, the multi-faceted suspension bridge that is your foot, legs, knees, hips and back works in synergy, like a fine-tuned machine.  Nothing gets out of “tune”, or stresses the alignment of your body- it all works together, strengthening what is weak, and adding flexibility to what is stiff. 

Add in cushioned, squishy, high-heeled shoes?  Everything is instantly out of sync, screwed up, you are like a gazelle walking on a thick mattress!  You didn’t evolve for this, and you can hardly stand, much less excel in movement.

You don’t need to jump in feet first and barefoot sprint, do back flips, and go crazy doing handstands… Just start going barefoot, for brief periods.  In the house, for sure- socks are fine, but do NOT wear shoes in the house.  Walk around your back yard, or the park, barefoot!  (What a concept!)

The irony is that walking around in our native state has become “strange”!  It’s not.  It’s as if if your vision is perfect, you really should be wearing glasses!  No, and actually wearing glasses makes your vision weaker over time, just as wearing shoes makes your feet weaker over time- but more on this on a future podcast! 

So, here is the bottom line, PaleoJay prescription for vastly better health, simply by not wearing shoes:

Spend all of your indoor time, either in socks or simply barefoot- (it’s really the same difference)!

Spend at least a few minutes outdoors totally barefoot, at least when it is warm enough.

Walk barefoot around your yard for amazing strengthening, stretching, and conditioning of your body from the feet to the lower back.  Plantar fasciitis will disappear simply from this, as will most knee, hip and lower back pains!

Invest in minimalist footwear.  I use the Xero shoes, which are simply a piece of rubber beneath your foot and the ground to protect your foot from glass, rough surfaces, and other damaging objects.  Otherwise, your foot performs exactly as it would when barefoot, and preserves the proper alignment of your body from the ground up.  And, if you occasionally just grab a tree, or touch the ground with your hand, you will be “grounded”, for that benefit.  ( It doesn’t take long)

In colder weather, I wear moccasins, ones that have no elevated heel, and no cushioning.  They are kind of like socks for the outdoors!  They work wonderfully for walking around, and keep my feet and lower extremities “fit and toned”. 

And in WINTER?  Well, here is Wisconsin, I give in!  I wear Sorel boots, I walk around in my woods with thick pac-boots, or on my cross country skis or snowshoes, and don’t worry about it.  But inside the house?

I pad about in stockinged feet, upstairs.  When I work out in the living room, I am always barefoot, and this is every single day!  And when I do my basement, hard charging, intense workouts, usually once per week, I wear my Xeroshoes!   My basement is rough concrete and dirt, so barefoot is not appropriate, and the Xero’s are wonderful in such an environment.  Even squatting, and pistol-style squatting is so much more natural and beneficial when done in a barefoot style with no raised heel or cushioning underfoot!

So- GO BAREFOOTIN’!!

Check out this episode!

PaleoJay's Smoothie Cafe 112 Make time for exercise, or you find time for disease!

I borrowed this title from Shawn Stevenson, who has the Model Health show podcast... thanks Mr. John “No Bite” for alerting me!

Check out his podcast: it’s quite good!  And heed his advice- you DO need to exercise!  Not super hard, and to “failure” as so many recommend- definitely NOT.

But, your body was definitely built to MOVE, and if you don’t move around, a LOT, you will definitely be making room for disease, and your life will be shorter, and FAR less pleasant than it could be otherwise.

Diet, of course, is important.  Vitally important!!  So, with that in mind, grasshopper: cut out the processed foods, the fast foods, the sugar, and above all the grains!  The grains are the hardest for everyone, since they’ve been touted, pushed, lauded, and applauded for decades!

BUT THEY ARE POISON TO YOUR BODY AND MIND!!

That’s it, that’s the bottom line: if you didn’t know before now that our own American government, medical clinics, and so-called “leaders” have been lying to you...

Well, now you do.
The “food pyramid”, or now the “my plate” promoted by your tax supported government agencies-

Is guaranteed to make you sick, fat, diabetic, and prone to heart disease and cancer!

Multiple servings of grains and sugars per day will do that.

So, cut that out, and go back to the diet of your grandparents.  Eat real food, meat and veggies, real fat (nothing of vegetable “fake” fats like margarine or soy oil- just real foods, like God made them!!

GMO grains are made to be avoided.  Who wants to be part of a government experiment to see if maybe these will kill us, but we won’t know for years??

But back to topic: EXERCISE.  You need to do it.  Your body’s genetic expression expects it, and if it doesn’t happen, your whole body will start to unravel- give up- it actually thinks it is already DEAD.

Our bodies NEED movement, and they need physical exercise, or stress!

Start out with pushups, and walking barefoot.

If you can do 20 pushups, start out with ten.  If you can do 10, start out with 5.  If you can’t do any, do them supported on your knees “Girl pushups, if you will”, and do one or two.

It doesn’t matter where you start- the important thing is to progress, gradually.  Your body will thrive on this!  All it wants is a direction- either towards health, fitness, and wellness...

or towards less movement, less vitality, disease and death.

Your body, and Nature doesn’t really care, either way-

It is YOUR CHOICE.

I have chosen movement, and health, fitness, and wellness!  I start each morning, and I recommend you do as well, with virtual resistance exercises, followed by intensive stretching, and then PUSHUPS.

Just like (I hope!) you learned in grade school, as I did.

As I said: start out with about one HALF of the amount you can do.  Do NOT go to failure, or anywhere near failure!

Then, after a brief rest, do another set of one half what you can really do!  ( I do mine in front of the TV, so this is really not onerous at all)- I limit my TV watching to when I am exercising, so I really look forward to it.

You will too, if you observe this caveat!

I don’t care how advanced, or unadvanced you are, physique-wise... this system works amazingly well for anyone!

You do the exercise (please be sure to use perfect form), and NEVER go to failure, or even CLOSE to failure.  Repeat.
Repeat again.
Keep repeating.

Watch the show.  ( I am currently watching “Longmire”, which I love!)  Your taste may vary.

As you watch, feel your muscles, how they move- concentrate on the feeling of movement, like an animal would.  And just keep repeating, over and over, pushups after pushups- trust me, it’s kind of pleasant, gives you a feeling of accomplishment, and it flushes most of the major muscle groups of your body with life-giving blood!!

This is an incredibly health giving exercise routine, and over time will literally transform your physique, your health, and your life!

Ironically, since it really isn’t all that hard, once you get in the morning habit, it’s really....simple, easy, and actually enjoyable- something you’ll actually look forward to!

And believe it, you will gradually get stronger and stronger, slowly, and injury free.  You won’t need to spend any extra money on arcane training programs, supplements, or anything at all!

To sum up, here is what you need to do for maximum health and wellness:

Eat real foods!  (God and Nature made foods, that we evolved to eat and thrive on).

Avoid modern grains, sugars, and processed foods!   (Anything labeled low fat is particularly BAD).

Exercise: Spend at least 20 minutes each morning, watching television and doing pushups, stretching, and otherwise “getting in touch with your physical being!”

Last, and probably MOST importantly-

WALK!

Slowly is fine, probably better than a herky-jerky fast motion.  The best walking is done barefoot, or at least with minimal shoes like moccasins, or Xero shoes, that do not have raised heels, and allow your feet to move naturally.  This is great for not only your foot health, but also your knee, hip and ultimately your spine health!

There is a lot about how many “steps” you need to take, I don’t think this is valid: just make an effort to walk.

Park really far at the grocery, or the big box stores!  It only takes seconds to walk past the crowded, packed in cars that all are obsessed with getting as close as possible to the entrance!

And take “forest bathing nature walks” as often as possible!  Nothing is more restorative, both to body and mind, as walking, ideally barefoot, on a pristine path through a forest, or along a beachfront.

If you can do it daily, do it!  Otherwise, just do it as often as you can.

Not only your physical health, but your mental health depends on it.

Xero shoes amazing sale!

If you want Xero shoes, aka barefoot shoes in their most primal, paleo form, now is your time!

I just found out they are offering 75% OFF of their sandal/huearaches today, and so...

I'm not a marketer, never have been..

BUT, if you want a deal on these barefoot, protective sandals (that I wear every single day I work out in the basement, or outside)  Get these now!

Just go to the link at the right on this page, click it, and GET YOUR DISCOUNT!

Jay

Paleo Quick Tip of the Day 30- Heal Your Feet and Eyes, Paleo Style

Paleo Quick Tip of the Day #30  Heal Yourself- Throw Away your Casts and Crutches

I know, you probably don’t have literal casts on your limbs and crutches to get around on!  But, perhaps you or someone you know has had one or the other in the past, and you certainly know what either does for them-

The limb encased in a cast withers and weakens...

The leg supported by the arms through crutches weakens as well, while the shoulders and arms actually strengthen by supporting the injured leg!

You don’t have a cast or crutch?  You do, my friend-

If you wear shoes on your feet, and glasses for your eyes- you are wearing crutches that will weaken the God made structure of your body over time!

Now, I don’t mean to tell you to totally go cold turkey on these modern inventions; but I do want you to be aware that every time you rely on them, you are depriving your body of the small stressors it has adapted to require for optimum foot health and eye health.

For instance, your feet are like intricate suspension bridges, taut with tendons and finely crafted bones that can flex, move, and adapt to all kinds of natural surfaces.  Your feet are also equipped with sensitive feeling and temperature sensitive devices that are exquisitely designed to fine tune your gait, posture and joints to optimal movement.

Now, imagine your feet in SHOES- cumbersome, confining blocks or “casts” of leather or plastic and rubber- cutting you off from the ground entirely, with no feeling left, no freedom of movement, an unnaturally raised heel, and no temperature sensing or intricate sense of balance left to be felt and accounted for- in other words, ALL of these small “stressors” that are so beneficial to the health and strength and safety of our feet health is... gone.

Now, I’m not saying to go “cold turkey” in this modern world of ours, with shattered glass lying around some places, and No Shoes No Service signs around- but I am saying to just do the best  you can to go barefoot, or at least in socks in the house, or in barefoot shoes as often as you can!  Xero Shoes are ideal for this!

The MORE natural movement you can get on your soon-to-be healthy feet and knees and hips and back the better- it will really, naturally restore the health of a really problematic and neglected facet of your body!
Kind of like rebuilding your body from the ground up...

As for your EYES- the younger you are, the more you can rebuild your eye health!  Apart from optimizing your nutrition in a Paleo type of fashion, and consuming a wonderful God made diet of real foods, especially vegetables and real fats, (ideally in a Paleo Smoothie whipped up in your Vitamix blender)- the best thing you can do for your eyes is to EXERCISE THEM!

Take off your glasses as much as possible- do not rely on them exclusively, make your eyes WORK!

With your eyeglasses on, your eyes are on crutches- they hardly have to work at ALL... and, over time, they will get weaker and weaker!

If you can read without glasses- DO IT!  If you can see far without glasses- DO IT!!  Just like shoes- the less you use glasses as crutches, the stronger your eyes will become.  At least in your house and yard- just like shoes- don’t wear them!  If you are reading, move the book or phone back just enough so the print starts to blur- wait at this edge of vision, and usually the print will clear up and become sharp!

Over time, just move it back a little farther, at least for short sessions of reading.  Do the same with distances- see how far you can focus- concentrate on a branch that is just past your range of distance vision, and then move slightly closer- gradually it will sharpen up, as your eyes work to focus.

Do pushups for your eyes- focus on something close, like your finger close to your face- then, quickly concentrate on something like that far away branch- repeat for “reps”!

The last thing for eye health is to go to someone called a Behavioral Optometrist!  They are trained in just the sort of thing I am talking about here- to restore real vision to your eyes NATURALLY, and to not let them gradually degenerate!

Request a weaker prescription for your next pair of eyeglasses!  Even if you can’t find a Behavioral Optometrist you can do this- you want your prescription just strong enough so that you can see ok, but not so strong that you have big telescopes on your eyes that allow your eyes to “coast” and weaken!  Then, next year or so, get a still weaker prescription...

This whole process really does work- over time, I have become eyeglass free myself, although I used to have to wear them constantly- and getting away from wearing glasses changes your whole view on the world, and how you relate to other people in a big, big way...

So, I hope I have convinced you to get rid of your casts and crutches-

Set yourself FREE!

Check out this episode!

The best training BAREFOOT SHOE I have found- Xero Shoes!

Xero Shoes  - These are the very best sort of "shoe" I have found for running, and walking barefoot! 

See the above Sensori Venture, which is what I have, and recommend, for anyone getting into barefoot running and walking, or even just standing...  this is, in my opinion, the perfectly Paleo version of barefoot, natural movement.  

Watch what Stephen, the CEO of Xero shoes has to say about this latest offering of his company:

Your own PaleoJay did quite a bit of research about barefoot shoes, and finally zeroed in on this form of sandal, the Huarache as the best compromise of minimalist form, function, and price...

But, even if price was no object I would recommend this Sensori Venture above any other shoe I found, anywhere!  Why?

It's indestructible!  No one has worn out a pair yet!  Guaranteed for 5000 miles!!

Barefoot, but with PROTECTION for your foot!  You do need some "cover" in the modern world, to simulate barefootedness without injury!

Not CLUNKY and dumb looking (and FEELING!) like Vibram 5 fingers and the like!  Put them on, and you will look (and feel!) like you have nothing on your feet!

Customizable with cool colors and "bling" if you so desire!  I went with basic black, but that's just me- check out the options right here- Xero Shoes

PRICE!  I know, I said even if price was no object I would go with the Xero shoes... but the price is way cheaper than the inferior competition!!  

So, once again, if you are looking at barefoot shoes and barefoot running and walking, Xero shoes are the ones to get.  

I did my last several workouts with them on, and they are great for that as well!  And I think that, this Summer and Spring, I will be wearing them just about everywhere...

You can even make your own with kits they provide, and save even more money- but, I recommend the Sensori Venture model  for just about everyone, first pair- All the work is done for you- just put them on!  And, again: the price is right!

J