We live such insulated lives. We live in air conditioned rooms, our food is delivered straight to our doorsteps and we have instantaneous access to information. Our lives are – relatively – comfortable and easy; not the case for most of our short history. We are shaped by the conditions in our environment and we are either adapting and becoming stronger or atrophying and becoming weaker because of them.
We understand this when it comes to physical training. We lift weights to promote muscle growth and endure hours of arduous cardio to improve aerobic capacity. But very few consider how footwear is doing the same. However, barefoot shoe companies like Xero do.
I spent two hours with Mel from Xero prior to the Greek leg of my European tour. I needed a shoe that mimicked the natural structure of my foot, with a wider toe box that allows for more articulation and breath-ability, and something that didn’t feature – like most shoes on the market – heavy rubber soles, fourteen layers of foam and chunky orthotics. Why?
I didn’t want to be insulated. I wanted to – as Xero put it – “feel the world”, because I kind of have a hippy streak in me, but more-so because I know that the foot – like any structure in the body – consists of bone and muscle, and that in order to strengthen it, I needed to expose it to that which compels it to adapt.
A strong foot correlates to a strong body. And of course it would; our feet are the first point of contact between our environment and ourselves. But if that connection is dulled with padding or made weak due to underdeveloped feet, we set ourselves up for a host of issues that inevitably stem upward to the ankles, to the knees, and to the low back.
I’ve tested this myself, having transitioned to barefoot shoes about 3 years ago, and currently, on my Greek leg of my European tour. I’m travelling with a pair of Xero’s, averaging between 15-25km on foot per day. Come the afternoon, there is that satisfying fatigue that comes with having moved, but there are no niggling pains along the balls of my foot or debilitating tenderness running up the back of my calf.
My feet (after having slowly built up their tolerance) are strong and robust, courtesy of simply allowing them to articulate how they were meant too: without all the padding and the foam, the cramped toe boxes and elevated heels. And while they won’t be for everyone, they are for those who recognise the value in living a little less insulated. To become a stronger, more robust and connected human being.
Go to https://www.xeros.com.au/ to explore more.
This article was published in the Sydney Observer’s 2025 June Edition
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