This winter in the southern hemisphere I have purposely done two things. Firstly I have not worn shoes and socks as a matter of course. In the last three months I have worn shoes and socks on five days only. Secondly I take my daily walk barefooted at least four days a week. The other times I wear a pair of five finger running shoes. This is the first time in winter I can recall that I haven’t had cold feet on going to bed or during the day. What I have noticed is that my feet still get warm and sometimes sweaty or cold and wet if it is raining, but they dry off quickly and stay warm.
So my feet are warm. The other thing that always happened during winter was that my heels were rough and had cracks that were often sore and uncomfortable. This winter they are smooth and have no cracks. I rub them each time I shower with a loofah. I found it took a while to get rid of the rough skin, but now it is gone and doesn’t look like returning.
The other benefit of walking barefooted is to feel the ground, the textures and the warmth and to be grounded.
