My husband and I have been trying to lead healthier lifestyles. We're both trying to eat healthier. He's been out jogging every other day, along with riding his bike instead of driving to where ever he needs to go. And we've been taking advantage of the mild winter weather and hiking through local trails. Hiking is an activity I really enjoy. Mh and I live in New York City, but I'm not from here. I grew up in rural areas where 5 cars on the road is heavy traffic. So, for me, hiking is more than just good exercise and fresh air. It's a chance to get back to where I feel I belong.
The only exercise I do barefoot (at the moment) is Yoga. My husband, however, does almost all of his exercising foot-naked. A few years ago, we attempted to become joggers with, unfortunately, laughable results. I gave up the day I puked in our neighbor's yard. Mh gave up when his knees started to give him problems. He's a pretty heavy guy and the stress was just too much for his joints. Now that he has adopted a barefoot lifestyle, he says the issues with his knees has actually decreased to nearly vanished when he's jogging. The way you step with shoes on is quite different from the way you step while barefoot, and his natural step has made jogging a lot easier on his knees. At this point, however, I have not tried jogging again (for many reasons). Mh does his jogging at our local park on the perimeter of a soccer field. When the weather is nice, he jogs while our son and I play in the playground. Our son is 1 year old, so someone has to be with him all the time. That being said, our son is 1 year old and I feel like I get a pretty good work out just running after him in the park. And mh gets some time alone to let his mind be at peace while his body is becoming healthier.
I said mh does almost all of his exercising barefoot, because the one he wears his moccasins for is biking. The pedals on his bike are jagged. They are constructed that way to intentionally dig into the bottoms of shoes to provide traction. But they're murder on the bottoms of his feet. Very recently mh saw pedals made specifically for barefoot bikers, which have a smooth and solid surface. They aren't very expensive, so he ordered a pair and we're waiting for them to arrive. Again, biking is something mh does alone. I have a bike, but I don't feel comfortable biking along city streets. That, and he tends to ride dangerously, weaving in between cars and zooming along at high speeds that I would have a serious problem keeping up with. What can I say, he's a city boy through and through.
Mh lets me get some alone time with my activities, too. I do Yoga from a program on our streaming Netflix, and I go for walks to work my legs and clear my head. As much as we try to give each other their time, we greatly enjoy our family work-outs. We all love hiking. It's an experience we feel connects us to each other and to the Earth (I realize how hippie that sounds). Our latest hike was about 3 miles on a local trail. We've done this particular trail a few times now. Mh hikes barefoot, which has been going well for him. The only problem is that parts of the trail were once paved (Lord knows why someone would pave a nature trail) and the asphalt is old and jagged and there are spots where it's been broken up in, what I'm assuming, is an attempt to bring the trail back to a natural state. Those spots are difficult for mh to traverse. Everywhere else (even the litter and broken glass that people discard here and there) has been a nonissue for him. He enjoys feeling the different terrain beneath his feet. There are spots that are covered with fallen leaves, and spots that are overgrown with soft moss. There are places where the ground is hard and cold and others where the earth is overturned and cool, soft soil is exposed. Barefoot hiking has, as he says, provided him with a unique connection to the forest. Which, I think is pretty cool.
Neither my husband nor I are the most fit of people. We could both stand to lose a few pounds (okay, maybe more than just a few). And, I'm embarrassed to say, we're both a bit lazy. But we've been trying very hard to turn it around. Mh has already lost 20 pounds and I have noticed that I'm getting stronger. We want to be healthier in body and mind, not just for ourselves but for our son. And for his soon to be baby brother or sister! Yes, I am happy to announce that we are expecting a new baby. He or she is due to arrive on the 4th of July. As with my previous pregnancy, we don't plan on finding out the sex of the baby. Though we are eagerly waiting to see those cute little barefeet on the next sonogram.
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