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A Barefoot Lifestyle
for Health, Cultural and Religious reasons.
Beginners
If you are interested
in barefoot hiking, here is a
Beginners guide
Conditioning
Go
barefoot as often as possible.
Start
slowly and build up gradually.
Start
on smoother surfaces and progress to more textured surfaces.
After a
few months, even walking on crushed gravel becomes easy.
Cultural
In some cultures,
going barefoot is a normal part of everyday life.
Regional & cultural.
Fun
Feeling the various
textures and temperatures through your feet is much more fun than having your
feet inside restricting shoes.
General Information
on Hiking
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Engage in the
pleasurable activity of hiking barefoot. We try to organize regular hiking
trips at the many great hiking trails in the Greater Vancouver area.
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Anyone interested
is welcome to participate. We welcome people of any age to participate in our
hikes. Well-behaved dogs and children are welcome to join our hikes. There are
no membership dues or fees of any kind. |
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Our aim is to enjoy
nature in a natural way, and as such, you will find that our hikes are
oriented toward the leisurely enjoyment of the experience, rather than trying
to cover as much distance as possible. |
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Instruction in the
subtleties of safe barefoot hiking will be given at the start of each hike.
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The trails that we
choose for our hikes will normally be those that are 'barefoot-friendly'.
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Suggested
accessories for hikes:
- Water, backpack, rain gear and extra warm clothes (especially in the cooler
months).
- Snack / Food: We would normally plan to have a snack / picnic on each hike.
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If you are
interested in joining a barefoot hike, please e-mail me at: barefootliving at
yahoo dot com (remove spaces and insert the symbols for at and dot).
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Suggestions
regarding barefoot-friendly hiking trails in the Vancouver area are welcome. |
General Information
on Running
We plan to run at
least 3 times a week at various locations in Richmond or Vancouver. We would
like to go for at least 30 minutes on each run.
Healthy
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It is
healthy for your feet
to go barefoot. |
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It helps protect
your ankles, knees, hips and back too. |
Natural and healthy barefoot activities
Legal
There are no laws or
regulations banning bare feet.
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There are no laws
against being barefoot. |
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It is
not against the law to
go barefoot into
any
kind of establishment
including restaurants. |
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There are no health
codes against being barefoot. |
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It is
not against any health
department regulation. |
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There are no
insurance stipulations about being barefoot. |
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There are no
successful injury claims for being barefoot. |
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It is
not against the law to
drive barefoot. |
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There are no City
bylaws against bare feet. |
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WCB regulations
apply to employees only and not to customers. |
Links
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SBL member since June
30, 2002 |
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Shoes – why not
Shoes
create ideal conditions for athletes foot and fungal infections – warm,
dark and moist.
Shoes
support feet like a cast supports a fracture – the muscles, tendons and bones
atrophy.
Shoes
reduce sensory feedback.
Shoes act like casts, holding the bones of the foot
so rigid that they can't move fluidly, Steven Robbins [MD and adjunct associate
professor of mechanical engineering at Concordia University, Montreal] explains.
"The foot becomes passive from wearing shoes and loses the ability to support
itself."
Spiritual
People of many faiths
share the common belief that all of Creation is sacred and that separating
oneself from the Earth with shoes is disrespectful. Removing shoes is essential
for many not only in houses of worship but throughout Creation. Baring the soles
is good for the soul.
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Acts 7:33
- Then said the Lord to him, Put off thy shoes from thy feet: for the place
where thou standest is holy ground. |
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Exodus 3:5
- And he said, Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for
the place whereon thou standest is holy ground. |
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Josh 5:15
- And the captain of the LORD's host said unto Joshua, Loose thy shoe from off
thy foot; for the place whereon thou standest is holy. And Joshua did so.
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Luke 10:4
- Carry neither purse, nor scrip, nor shoes: and salute no man by the way.
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Luke 22:35
- And he said unto them, When I sent you without purse, and scrip, and shoes,
lacked ye any thing? And they said, Nothing. |
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Matthew 10:10
–
take no bag for the journey, or extra tunic, or sandals or a staff; for the
worker is worth his keep. |
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Matthew 10:14 -
And
whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear your words, when ye depart out of
that house or city, shake off the dust of your feet. |
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Romans 10:15
- And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How
beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad
tidings of good things! |
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2 Samuel 15:30
- And David went up by the ascent of mount Olivet, and wept as he went up, and
had his head covered, and he went barefoot: and all the people that was with
him covered every man his head, and they went up, weeping as they went up.
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