08/27/2026
Yes. The core idea works well. I would just soften a few of the scientific claims so the post doesn't imply that shoes or flat surfaces *necessarily* cause muscular imbalance. Here's a version that keeps your perspective while distinguishing it from established evidence:
Take your shoes off while you still can 🌱
Our feet are made to feel, move, adapt, and respond to the world beneath us.
Walking barefoot on grass, earth, sand, or other natural surfaces gives our feet something that perfectly flat floors and sidewalks don't: variety.
Different textures. Different temperatures. Different pressure points. Uneven surfaces. Constant little changes in angle and position.
All of this provides rich sensory information to the nervous system and gives the small muscles of the feet, ankles, and legs opportunities to stabilize and adapt. Our feet also play an important role in proprioception and balance, helping our brain understand where our body is in space and how we're interacting with the ground.
In my opinion, spending most of our lives walking on completely flat, predictable surfaces with our feet enclosed in shoes means we miss out on a lot of that natural variety. Our movement becomes more repetitive, while some of the little stabilizing movements our feet are capable of simply aren't challenged as often.
And then there's something much simpler: it feels good.
Cool grass. Warm sand. Soft earth. Different textures beneath your toes. Being barefoot can be a beautiful sensory experience and another small way of connecting with nature and bringing our attention back into our bodies.
We still have a few weeks, perhaps even a couple of months, before Montréal gets decidedly less barefoot-friendly. 😂
So if anyone wants to try too, I've been making a point of taking my shoes off and walking through the grass whenever I get the opportunity.
Let your feet feel the world a little before the snow comes. 🌱🦶
