Barefoot running
The definition of being fit is slowly changing in India. People have started to experiment and a number of them are finding new ways to become fit. From cycling to trekking and running, everything has seen a drastic change. We have started to prefer outdoors again when it comes to do our exercise. Gone are the days of sweating it out in the gym. People have realised the importance of cardio vascular exercises and more importantly doing them outside.
If you go for your morning or evening walks, you will find a lot of people running on the jogging track or on the road. You might find some of them wearing no shoes at all or wearing a thin-soled shoe and running. This type of running is called barefoot running or natural running or minimalism. This is the new trend among a number of runners these days. This type of running has found its way to India also.
Studies have suggested that since barefoot running involve no shoes or thin-soled shoes, the runner will run at his natural gait. There will be a lot of differences in the styles of running between a barefoot runner and a runner who is wearing cushion heeled shoes. Barefoot running involves the runner to strike his forefoot first, which is the natural way of running. It has less impact on the joints.
It also avoids running injuries such as pain in the Achilles Tendon, runner’s knee and split shin. A cushioned shore runner will strike the ground with his heel, while a barefoot runner will land on the ball of his feet. A lesser known fact about barefoot running is that it will improve the runner’s balcance greatly. The reason being it will also use smaller muscles in your feet, which were not much in use because of the use of cushioned shoe.
If you want to become a barefoot runner, then you should start with wearing thin-soled shoes. This will ensure that you are free from natural elements such as dirt- stones and water, but if you don’t mind all these things then, barefoot running is the best way to improve your efficiency.
