Barefoot running also is known as natural running is the act of running without footwear. This act has been popular in the past decades due to its supposed health benefits. Although, running without footwear is waning as time progresses. The question of whether it’s better to run barefoot or with trainers solely lie on individual beliefs and preferences.

Furthermore, it is not advisable to dabble into barefoot running without consulting medical professionals as this could hurt one’s health and may lead to injuries such as the ankle sprain. Now, how do we decide on whether to run barefoot or with our trainers on? All we need to do is learn to understand our human body anatomy and how our body works. The understanding of the parts of the feet goes a long way in guiding us through our choice making when it comes to barefoot running or not.

Parts of the feet you should know

The feet are divided into three sectors:

1. The forefoot that contains the five toes and the metatarsals
2. The midfoot containing the three cuneiform bones, the navicular bone, and the cuboid bone.
3. The hind foot that forms the heel and ankle

According to research, whether we run barefoot or in trainers, we should always consider running from our forefoot either with a trainer or not, because our anatomy points us in that route.

According to scientific researchers, the practice of running with bare feet or not is yet to reach a perfect agreement concerning the risks or benefits. Aside from the convenience of running with your trainers on, one can prejudicially say it is primitive to run barefoot. Nevertheless, running barefoot is also said to help gain balance while running. Experts believe a lot of research work is needed in ascertaining the risks and benefits involved in barefoot running as no one has been able to validate these so far.