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Barefootn’

By Al Gauthier ⋅ August 29, 2009 ⋅  Email This Post ⋅ Post a comment

The New West News Leader Interviewed Al Gauthier.

While this is the story that appeared in the paper, the full interview can be found here.

New Westminster resident Al Gauthier is part of a growing movement to free the feet.

Gauthier is one of the founders of the Living Barefoot website. Along with Tina Dubois, he is a host of the Living Barefoot Show podcasts.

“It’s a feeling of freedom,” he said about going barefoot. “It’s comfortable the way no shoe could ever be. It brings a smile to my face whenever I have the opportunity to be barefoot.”

Gauthier said most people haven’t considered how shedding their shoes might affect their health and enjoyment of life.

“I have always loved being barefoot. I can remember when I was very young enjoying the sensation of the carpet fibres under my feet,” he said. “Through the years, I’ve always thought the best part of my day was when I got home and could take off my shoes.”

It’s only in the last five years that he’s been expanding his barefoot ways.

“I love to feel the ground under my feet. Walking around barefoot adds a whole new sensory dimension,” he said. “I love to feel the different textures. Every type of surface has its own unique feel. Grass and dirt to pavement and stone. It’s wonderful.”

As he learned more and more about feet, Gauthier started to question why people need shoes, particularly such heavy, supportive shoes.

“Did you know that feet contain 26 bones, 33 joints and more than a hundred muscles, tendons and ligaments? Feet are very complex parts of our body,” he said. “If our feet were really healthiest by being surrounded by so much rubber and stiffness, why would we ever have evolved such a complex structure? We have huge numbers of nerve endings in our feet and 250,000 sweat glands. Our feet were not made to be locked in shoes.”

According to Gauthier, some studies have shown that wearing shoes is more harmful than being barefoot. There are many reasons that people choose to go barefoot.

“Shoes make feet smell, while bare feet never smell,” he said. “Feet are a large part of our cooling system with all those sweat glands. I feel far more comfortable on a hot day barefoot than with shoes on.”

When the temperature dips, Gauthier puts on a special type of footwear that are like gloves for the feet and have individual pockets for each toe.

Gauthier has started running barefoot, which he describes as being a whole new experience and “profoundly different” than with shoes.

Gauthier said almost all shoes have heels, which changes the overall posture of the body. He said this is another way that typical shoes can have a negative effect on the body.

Gauthier believes the day will come when barefooting is common place.

“Canada and, in particular, the U.S.A. are the most uptight about bare feet. Places like Australia and much of Europe are far more accepting of bare feet, and thus it is already more commonplace,” he said. “Being barefoot is as much a social issue as anything. Most people enjoy being barefoot now and again, but as it’s not as common in public, they don’t do it. Interviews like this will invite people to think about it, and eventually will allow for much greater flexibility.”

Within the barefooting movement, there’s a range of dedication – from those who never wear shoes to those who wear products that let the feet move naturally, as they would if they were bare.

Gauthier wears shoes at work because he can’t be barefoot in his day job. He generally wears shoes on transit and in stores.

“I also wear shoes a lot more in the winter than I do in the summer, of course,” he said. “Most of the rest of the time I spend barefoot.”

In addition to his day job in health care, Gauthier runs a photography business with his wife, Nicole.

“My wife is wonderful. She supports everything that I do, however, she’s not really all that interested in walking barefoot outside the house,” he said. “That’s just fine with me. I’m not here to convert people.”

Although Gauthier’s friends and family are used to his barefooting ways and don’t comment on it anymore, others remark on his bare feet.

“I have had many people stop me on the street, and tell me to be careful. It’s very cute – as though I would have been reckless until the moment they told me to be careful,” he said. “I have never had a seriously negative reaction, but then I don’t push the envelope beyond what I know people will tolerate. I don’t go barefoot where it isn’t appropriate or where I know it would be considered offensive.”

Gauthier has never been hassled trying to access services because he wasn’t wearing shoes, but he’s heard plenty of stories about people being kicked out of stores or refused service because of bare feet. He said it’s a myth that it’s illegal to drive barefoot and that health regulations prohibit being barefoot in a restaurant.

“I always carry a pair of shoes with me,” he said. “If someone would like me to wear shoes, I’m happy to oblige.”

Gauthier said there’s no doubt that people are prejudiced against those who go barefoot.

“It’s different, and anything different tends to bring out a defensive mechanism in people. I think this is very normal,” he said. “I take great care to dress well and to keep my feet and myself clean and well-groomed. Thus it’s clear that I’m not on the street, I’m safe and clean, and that I’m without shoes by choice.”

Gauthier said some people may think it’s weird to go barefoot because they’ve never considered doing it themselves. As well, he said most people lack the perspective of a barefooter.

“They don’t realize that the bottom of my feet are tough, and very unlikely to get hurt by anything. They think of their own soft feet, and think that I must be crazy for walking around barefoot,” he said. “In reality, it’s not dangerous at all. In fact, I’m so much more aware of where I’m walking, both because I can feel it, and because I look more often, that I would argue I’d be less likely to get hurt than someone wearing shoes.”

Gauthier also has no qualms about the cleanliness of barefooting.

“They are no more dirty than the bottoms of my shoes, and they are much easier to clean when I get home,” he noted. “A quick rinse in the sink and they are nice and clean again.”

Getting hurt is the biggest misconception people have about going shoeless.

“Stepping on glass is the biggest fear. This is really very rare. I myself have never been hurt,” he said. “When someone new to barefooting starts, they have to be very slow and careful because their feet are so sensitive. The foot is designed for barefoot walking, however, and quickly builds up skin on the bottom of the feet.”

Others worry that barefooters might contract worms or some other infection or disease, as the ground is a dirty place.

“First, most harmful things enter the body through the mouth and the nose, not through the feet,” he noted. “Washing hands is just as important when walking barefoot than it is when in shoes, and I recommend one never put one’s feet into one’s mouth.”

Gauthier believes most people are far less worried than they should be about the cleanliness of their hands.

While barefooting toughens up the feet, pedicures aren’t out of the question.

“Taking good care of one’s feet is very important. I think it’s even important that feet look good as this will further the impression that barefooters aren’t a bunch crazy people,” Gauthier said. “I might suggest not filing off all the tough skin on the bottom of your feet, but a pedicure won’t hurt.”

INTEREST IS GROWING IN BAREFOOT LIFESTYLE

It’s unlikely Carrie Bradshaw would ever give up her Manolo Blahniks or Jimmy Choos and go barefoot, but more and more real-life folks are doing just that.

The Internet is filled with sites devoted to barefooting, including one launched by a local man.

“It is a trend, especially within the last six months, that is growing rapidly as people rethink the health of their feet,” said Al Gauthier of Living Barefoot. “It’s clear from the media attention barefooting has been getting, the number of shoe manufacturers that are making new products that are ‘barefoot like’ and the interest in our site and our podcast that there is a huge interest on the subject.”

Gauthier has been blown away by the interest in the Living Barefoot website and podcast.

“We could never have expected such a huge response. We started the site only a few months ago and are busier than we ever could have imagined. Our site receives 30,000 hits per month and even that is growing at a rate of 105 per cent per month,” he said. “Our forums are more and more active every day, and we are being linked to by more than 100 websites. The Living Barefoot Show has been downloaded by 700 people so far, and that number is growing every day. The media attention has been incredible as well. All this and we really have just begun.”

Gauthier’s hope is that people will think more carefully about the shoes they wear.

“My hope is that shoe manufacturers will make shoes that are built around the biomechanics of the foot, rather than feet being forced into stiff, inflexible shoes,” he said. “My hope is that more people will enjoy the benefits of being barefoot, and more than anything, that society will relax so that anyone who wants to try can do so without any hindrances.”

Source: Theresa McManus, staff reporter
Original Post can be found HERE

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