If you ever catch me out in the yard, whether it be my own or someone I am visiting – you will most likely find me with no shoes on. And you will most likely hear me telling my sons to take their shoes off while they are playing out there.
When we are with friends and family, I have noticed that most people will put their shoes on to go outside or out into their backyard, and so many parents tell their kids to put their shoes on before they go out. I get it – there could be prickles or ants – and no one wants to come in contact with either of those those, but could their be benefits to going barefoot on the earth?
A while back, I was looking into EMRs (electromagnetic radiation) and how they affect our bodies, and I came across something that changed my life. I found a video of a guy with an EMR detector/reader, and it was beeping like crazy because of the high levels of EMR all around him where he was standing. He had shoes on while it was doing this. He then took his shoes off, causing his bare feet to come in contact with the grass, and the EMR reader stopped beeping and the levels went down significantly. He put his shoes back on, and it started beeping and went up again!
From there, I began looking into the science of being on the earth barefoot. I learned that it is called “grounding” or “earthing”. I learned that both we as humans and the earth contain ions, and when we stand on out on the earth (grass, dirt, sand etc) barefoot, those ions go into our bodies and have a direct impact on us! The earth’s natural charge helps to neutralize the electrical charge of the body. Stress and exposure to all of the electronic devices we have and use in our daily lives can cause our body to produce positive ions – whereas the earth has negative ions. As you walk around outside barefoot, your body will actually absorb these negative ions, which then work to counteract the surplus positive ions in your body. After looking into it further, I discovered that grounding is not just some new age fad, but is an age-old practice that is backed by scientific research.
Studies that have been done show that grounding may have the following effects on the body:
– reduced inflammation
– relieved stress
– pain relieved
– better sleep is promoted
– improved electricity activity levels in the brain
– lower EMR levels in the body
– improved cardiovascular arrhythmia
– lower blood pressure and increased blood circulation.
May we be intentional to take off our shoes next time before we go walking on the earth. It is such a simple practice that can be easily incorporated into your daily routine that could have profound benefits for your body.