Day 15 of 52 Nia dance challenge
It’s hard to explain why taking off my shoes to dance is so liberating. Maybe it’s reconnecting with the kid in me. Maybe my feet just like not being enclosed.
I wondered about research on the topic, and found most of it focused on runners and little of it definitive. I did come across a study that followed 20 female netball players who trained barefoot for eight weeks. They were assessed before and after the eight-week training period, as was a control group that trained with shoes on. Here’s what researchers said: It could be concluded that barefoot training had a positive effect on agility and ankle stability, which could possibly enhance netball performance and play a role in the prevention of ankle injuries. They noted statistically significant differences between shod and barefoot players in overall stability and performance agility, but the study was small and they weren’t particularly emphatic regarding results: could possibly? Not a lot of confidence there.
The Very Well Fit website also published an article on the increasing interest in working out barefoot last year.
I just know that dancing barefoot hasn’t hurt me and feels good. The only time we danced with shoes on was during the Covid shutdown when we danced outside on concrete in a park.
Today I danced Energi with Dael Parsons. So fun to be inspired by her grace and power. I worried that dancing at 9 a.m. the day after dancing at 6 p.m. might be a bit much. My left knee got somewhat twingy, so I backed off on the leaping about. Otherwise, no problem.
Susan Palmer's Exquisite Now 