Have you dealt with foot pain in the past? Maybe after a few hours in certain shoes or being on your feet, you might be very sore. You might think that is natural, but some maintain that it is anything but natural. Many years before the advent of modern footwear, Jordans and Hokas, humans walked and ran barefoot, or with minimal footwear, only protecting against the sharpest of rocks and plants.

Modern shoes are extremely comfortable and supportive. From work boots to running shoes, they support the foot, minimizing the impact of daily activities, and protect the foot from all angles. This is important for many professions. Construction workers probably shouldn’t climb up on scaffolding and use nail guns while barefoot. With all of these benefits, however, there is an argument that the support and comfort provided by modern shoes could be weakening your feet to a significant degree.

Think about it this way. If you break your arm and your doctor puts it in a sling, the muscle is likely to atrophy, and at the end of your recovery, the arm you broke will not be as strong or as big as the one you did not break. The same is true for every other bone and muscle in your body, including your feet.

In each of your feet, there are 26 bones, 33 joints, and over 100 muscles, tendons, and ligaments. They are all responsible in some fashion for supporting, balancing, and moving the rest of your body. Would you want them to be weak? Didn’t think so.

There are three main things we can do to strengthen our feet.

1. Spend more time barefoot – Simply spend more time on your feet without shoes. If your gym allows, walk on the treadmill barefoot or in socks, play with your kids in the yard without shoes, anything that keeps you on your feet without shoes will allow your toes to spread out, and strengthen your feet over time.
2. Train your feet and ankles - Doing leg exercises like squats on your toes, using myofascial release techniques, and exercises like calf raises and tibialis raises can greatly increase your foot strength. Using other devices like toe spreaders can help spread your toes and stretch out muscles that have long been tight and underutilized.
3. Choose minimalist footwear - Minimalist shoes are designed to mimic barefoot walking. They typically have thin, flexible soles, wide toe boxes, and minimal cushioning. A shoe that has one or all of these attributes will do wonders for your feet over time and allow your feet to work the way they were designed to.

Stronger feet can lead to stronger legs and hips and can help to prevent joint pain that is ever-prevalent today. In some cases, stronger feet can also help to fix muscle imbalances related to lower back pain.

Just like any other lifestyle adjustment, start slowly with barefoot progressions. You might get hurt if you jump right into the deep end, and even worse, you might get kicked out of the grocery store if you try to shop barefoot. Instead, do some barefoot walking after your next workout, and look into a barefoot shoe or sandal you could wear this summer. Little by little, you will notice your feet hurt less at the end of the day, and you can do more.