We’ve talked about walking barefoot at Walking.org before, but now that we can enjoy a spectacular spring in Great Britain, and an equally scorching summer forecast to follow, it’s time to take of your shoes and socks, wiggle to toes and give barefoot walking a go!

We won’t lie to you, walking barefoot feels weird and it goes to show just how much we wear shoes. Small stones will most likely hurt, pavements will be incredibly hot due to the sun, the grass will tickles and generally your soles are going to be very sensitive to start with.

But the more you walk in your barefeet, the more comfortable you will become. Even if you’re a seasoned hiker, the soles of your feet are going to take some time to toughen up.

Barefoot walking has a number of health benefits over normal walking because you use the muscles in your feet and calves all the more. This is because instead of heel striking, like you would in a pair of cushioned shoes, you have to walk using your mid foot. If you continue heel striking, it’s going to hurt!

We’d recommend only barefoot walking on soft surfaces at first, like grass and sand. In fact, there’s nothing quite so lovely as a casual stroll through the fields or along the beach.

If you’re worried about sharp stones, hot sand or anything unpleasant you may tread on, we wholeheartedly recommend Vibram Five Fingers. They are quite expensive, but there’s a fantastic FiveFingers review if you’re interested.

So get out there and enjoy the sunshine this weekend and let your feet breathe while you’re at it. You’ll miss the warm weather when it’s gone!

Until you have felt the rhythm of a good walk in your own muscles, and the psycho-physical tonic of a brisk walkout in your own mind and body, you don’t know what you’ve been missing. Because of the structure, shape and flexibility of the spine, the human body is better suited for walking than any other aerobic activity. Your body is built for action and movement, and as a way of getting from one place to another, it reaches its highest state of physical perfection in the act of walking. The following are just some of the benefits which walking can give you.

Walking Strengthens the Heart and Lungs

Provided you don’t stroll, but pace briskly, walking expands your lung capacity, and the efficiency of your exercising muscles and blood circulation is increased so that muscles and blood can process more oxygen – the aerobic effect. The beneficial effects are borne out by several studies which found that the least active people are twice as likely to have heart disease as the most active. More than 40 scientific studies worldwide have shown that moderate physical activity like fitness walking develops cardiovascular health and protects against heart disease. The Paffenburger study in the USA found that walking two miles a day can lower your chance of a heart attack by up to 30 per cent.

Walking Reduces Blood Pressure

Scientists have known for years that both exercise and weight loss, independent of each other, can lower blood pressure. Fitness walking, because it gives the heart an aerobic workout, helps to make the heart more efficient and at the same time helps the body burn calories which reduces body weight.

Walking Raises Level of ‘Good’ Cholesterol

Walking won’t cut high cholesterol – the only way you can do that is to eat less fat which you can do by following The Walker’s Diet. But fitness walking can alter the ratio of ‘good cholesterol’ (the so-called HDLs which protect the arteries) to ‘bad’cholesterol’ (the LDLs which clog up the arteries). The more you walk, the more your HDLs will rise.

Walking Helps Prevent Osteoporosis

Walking is a perfect body massage. It improves muscle tone and strength and wards off aching joints and potential bone problems such as osteoporosis – the brittle bone condition prevalent in the elderly. As weight-bearing activity, walking boosts bone density. As bones gain mass, they grow sturdier and less prone to breaks.

Walking Can Reduce Back Pain

More than 90 per cent of people suffer from back pain at some point in their lives. Back and joints become less flexible, often caused by an inactive lifestyle and bad posture. Fitness walking helps by working the large muscle groups and strenghtening the postural muscles of the legs, buttocks, back and abdomen. “Taking a walk regularly is one of the best things you can do for your back,” says Dr John Regan of The Texas Back Institute.