Mick Dodge, a former Marine, is someone that we can all probably learn something from. He’s questioned the conventional model of physical living and found it severely lacking, and he has taken drastic action on that. Mick is someone who has a truly unique perspective on health, movement, and fitness, and I think we would do well to listen to him.
This is a collection of clips shot at a recent “footcamp” seminar he taught on Whidbey Island, WA. As of a couple weeks ago, Mick is walking through Washington into Oregon and California, “stealing shoes” and talking about getting back into one’s senses through being outdoors and also being barefoot. He’s teaching and distributing the Antidote for our modern predicament, which is a set of general principles for healthy living that will increase your vitality, health and exuberance. Watch Mick in action…
Mick Dodge – The Barefoot Sensei
Some of what Mick says may sound like mumbo-jumbo – you know, connecting your spirit to the land, and all that. But I’ll tell you one thing. Taking your shoes off absolutely makes you PAY ATTENTION. Your general awareness increases and perception sharpens, and with practice it becomes much more than a physical activity. Nothing is performed in isolation, even fitness training. Our physical health and conditioning has a direct correlation to our thoughts, feelings, and beliefs. Our entire being is intimately connected – mind, body, and spirit. They cannot be separated, which means they can’t be isolated. I don’t think it’s a stretch at all to say that taking your shoes off will profoundly affect your thoughts, feelings, and beliefs. It sure has rocked my world this past year!
You can learn more about Mick’s journey here:
http://exuberantanimal.com/mick/index.php
Check out the Definitive Guide to Going Barefoot here:
The Definitive Guide to Going Barefoot
To your health and success,
.jpg "John Sifferman")
Fitness Professional and Barefooter
Hey John,
As an Exuberant myself, I couldn’t agree with you more. For your readers who are interested in the physical benefits of connecting with the land (even in shoes), take a look at this paper – http://www.springerlink.com/content/c75574xfthd7l9w7/
Or just search “Shinrin-Yoku” in Google Scholar…plenty of other studies that support their findings…
Take it easy,
Josh
Very interesting, Josh. Thanks for sharing that link. I’ve always felt intuitively that there are tremendous benefits to just going outdoors and experiencing nature – away from our modern, man-made environment. It’s easy to compile a list of benefits for going outdoors… vitamin D from the sun, fresh air, etc. like I did in this post:
Nature Deficit Disorder: Top 10 Reasons to Go Outside
http://johnsifferman.com/blog/nature-deficit-disorder-the-top-10-reasons-to-go-outside/
It’s just very difficult to put the intangible benefits into words, which I why I constantly encourage people to try things out themselves. Don’t take my word for it – get outdoors and get moving, and examine how it makes you FEEL. In truth, there’s a lot more benefit to be obtained than what I listed in the article above. Some of it is outside my knowledge, as the study you cited confirms for me.
Who would have known that “the forest environment causes changes in hormonal secretion and autonomic nervous functions?”
We tend to be stuck thinking about calories, nutrients, cool exercises and workout equipment while missing the whole point of exuberant physical living.
I have several friends who have taken to barefoot running who swear by it. One is convinced that it cured him of plantar fascia.
I’ve always like to be barefoot. Since I was a kid, my parents didn’t allow me to wear shoes in the house so, we walked barefeet. I’ve hurt my toes several times but I do and still do enjoy just walking around barefoot.
This feeling continued once I started my martial arts career. We trained barefeet and it was like heaven to me.
Anyway, since my initiation to CST through you and BER, I went back to training barefeet in backyard and boy, I’ve missed this feeling.
Alan,
I’m glad you’ve gotten back to barefooting! I can’t imagine I’ll ever go back, at least in the summertime.
Greg,
I’ve heard a lot of similar anecdotal reports that going barefoot has a therapeutic effect on the body, curing biomechanical-induced problems. Makes sense to me.