National Go Barefoot Day is observed on June 1. This day is an opportunity to kick off your shoes and run barefoot through the cool grass! More importantly, it is a day to help support a charity that provides millions of underprivileged children all around the world with shoes.
HOW TO OBSERVE
Now is a good time to clean out your closets and donate a pair or two of gently used shoes to a charitable organization in your area or see the following for information: Soles4Souls organization. Use #GoBarefootDay to post on social media.
HISTORY
National Go Barefoot Day was created by the people at Soles4Souls. The holiday got its start after the Tsunami disaster in 2004 to support those affected by the event. However, donations have continued to come in and over 19 millions of pairs of shoes have been donated worldwide since 2005.
In honor of National Go Barefoot Day, here are some health benefits of going barefoot:
- Better balance – your balance system is awakened when your feet touch the ground. This is essential for elderly people, as being off balance can cause trips or falls and even more serious health problems.
- Better circulation – barefoot means muscles that haven’t been used for a while are back in use, as well as increased blood flow to the feet and legs. More blood flow means less aches and pains, too!
- Lower blood pressure – there have been studies showing increased stimulation on the bottom of your feet can lower your blood pressure.
- Reflexology – exposing your feet to different surfaces can stimulate the nerve endings on the bottom of your feet. Reflexology has great benefits from reducing stress and tension, strengthening the immune system, and reducing inflammation.
