As I was discussing their unique exercise philosophy with Monkey Bar Gymnasium owner Jon Hinds, an intriguing topic arose. At some point in the conversation, Jon mentioned that they were one of the early adopters of barefoot exercise. Training barefoot is a unique and quickly growing trend across the country. As someone who almost never wore shoes to college classes (they called me Flintstone), this is like the greatest news ever. But why is barefoot exercise so beneficial?

Here’s What Jon Had to Say About Barefoot Exercise

“We’ve been training barefoot since day one, 12 years ago. The main reasons I’ve always done it are that strength comes from point of contact and if the foot is weak you cannot be as strong as if your foot is strong and rooted properly into the ground. Also the connection to the floor/ground is important! We want to connect to the ground, each other, the outdoors, the foods we eat and by doing so we develop more and more conscious people.”

More on Barefoot Exercise

The truth is that experts across the country are touting barefoot exercise as a cure for pain because of the way it promotes balance and improves alignment. Not only does barefoot exercise help alignment, but it also opens your body up to a connection with the earth’s electrical energy. The negative ions have a chance to act on our bodies, detoxifying, calming and reducing inflammation. No wonder it feels so good to go barefoot outside! Shoes with rubber soles only act as a shield to this energy, so why not give this a try? A little barefoot exercise may be just what the doctor ordered (or maybe they didn’t, be we did). Do you like exercising barefoot?