An Interview with Barefoot Michael, Founder of the Primalfoot Alliance

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Bare Feet In Society

An Interview with Barefoot Michael, Founder of the Primalfoot Alliance

By Al Gauthier ⋅ May 2, 2010 ⋅

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This article was originally published on Vibram Five Fingers News, Reviews, and Fan Forums – Birthday Shoes

An Interview with Barefoot Michael, Founder of the Primalfoot Alliance: “

Barefoot Michael, Founder of the Primalfoot Alliance

BirthdayShoes recently interviewed the Founder of the Primalfoot Alliance, Barefoot Michael (We’ve previously seen Michael on BirthdayShoes in his Sprint Vibram Five Fingers here, Michael blogs at Barefoot and Grounded). The Primalfoot Alliance was founded to advocate on behalf of feet — and for those who would prefer to engage the world ‘primalfoot.’ Without further ado, heres our interview with Barefoot Michael on the Primalfoot Alliance:

How did you get into barefooting? Why do you think it is important?

First of all, let me take an opportunity to thank you for this interview and the ability to speak to your readers. You operate a fantastic site and I look forward to working with you more in the future. Hopefully your readers will be able to see that I’m a regular guy that just likes to take his shoes off…a lot.

About five years ago, I was researching online the legality of driving barefoot. I’d always heard it was illegal, but wanted to find out more. I was interested because I had developed the habit of removing my flip flops in the summer to drive. I felt like I actually had better control over the pedals while barefoot instead of with the flops on. They always shifted around too much for me to feel as safe while driving.

I discovered the Website for The Society for Barefoot Living. Their site revealed that driving barefoot actually is NOT illegal, which came as a surprise to me. While I was on their site, I found all kinds of other articles about people who enjoy living barefoot. I was intrigued that people enjoyed hiking, shopping and running without shoes.

Something about the idea of going barefoot became more and more appealing to me. Over the next few years, I found opportunities to go sans shoes. While in stores, I’d slip off my flip flops and shop without anything on my feet. While editing late at night at the TV station I worked for in college, I’d walk around barefoot. I tried out more and more things unshod. Finally, I made the decision in early 2009 to wholeheartedly pursue a barefoot lifestyle.

That’s the short version of my story. The longer version is available on my blog, Barefoot and Grounded.

Going barefoot is important for a number of reasons. As you have stated on Birthday Shoes, the most natural and baseline state for our feet is bare. They have been formed the way they are for a reason. Our feet really do provide our grounding, physically connecting us to the world. We do a tremendous disservice to our feet if we trap them in tight, inflexible, non-breathing shoes most of the time. By going barefoot or wearing ‘minimalist’ footwear like Vibram Five Fingers, our feet are allowed to be flexible and STRONG. I think it’s sad seeing how weak people’s feet typically are. Often you can even see the individual bones because their feet are so atrophied. So many people rely on their shoes to do all the work for their feet, that they never allow their feet to truly be healthy. While VFFs are a good way to allow our feet to move and function freely, there is something to be said for having sole to ground. By feeling the ground with our feet, we have so much greater perception of the environment around us. We feel every small variation in temperature, texture and hardness. It’s like watching a movie in HD after only seeing it on VHS tape. There’s so much more detail to what you experience! Lastly, going barefoot is a great way to keep our feet from sweating, smelling and to avoid problems like nail fungus and athlete’s foot. Those afflictions need a warm, dark, moist environment to thrive. That’s nearly impossible while totally barefoot.

How long have you been incorporating being barefoot (outside the house) places into your regular, everyday life?

I’ve gone barefoot outside the house for nearly five years. I slowly worked my way into it, starting out by simply slipping off my flip flops and driving barefoot in the summer. I later worked my way into occasionally taking off my flops at stores and shopping barefoot. Last year I made the ‘plunge’ and decided to live barefoot whenever possible. Unfortunately, that is somewhat limited by the fact I am required by policy at work to wear socks and shoes. Even then, however, I wear ‘minimalist’ shoes, so my feet can still function very primally.

Could you tell us about the reactions you’ve gotten to being barefoot at large? Positive? negative?

(Read the full article / article originally published on: Vibram Five Fingers News, Reviews, and Fan Forums – Birthday Shoes.)

Original Article can be found here: Vibram Five Fingers News, Reviews, and Fan Forums – Birthday Shoes

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