Free Stuff: Articles

Barefoot classes: a hot new feet wave

Although cutting-edge equipment-based classes are among the most popular of group fitness classes in clubs today, the growing trend of a return to body-only, barefoot classes deserves attention.  Fitness seems to have come full circle as one cannot help but recall the early days of Jane Fonda’s pre-choreographed workouts that encouraged participants to shed their shoes and discover their bodies from the feet up.  With this growing trend, however, arise some cautions.

Barefoot classes can encourage proprioception and enhance balance.  Stacey Lei Krauss, a professional fitness educator and Nike athlete, sheds her shoes in programs she creates like her “willpower and Grace”™ (willPowerFit.com) fusion classes, in “which barefoot training opens unchartered territory for instructors looking for the newest thing.  Because we have 33 joints in each foot that are worthy of articulation,” she says, “we have muscles that need to be strengthened and stretched.  In my opinion, teaching people how to land on their feet is amazing - and I’ve watched it change lives.”  Shannon Griffiths, CEO/Owner of Sunshine Fitness Resources & Group Fitness Director of Colorado’s Lakeshore Athletic Club, agrees (sfresources.com).  “There’s a need,” she says, “to be retrain the feet to be natural shock absorbers, to strengthen the lower leg complex, and to teach participants to accelerate and decelerate from the tips of the toes to the crowns of their heads, moving as one unit without the shoes we’ve relied on for so long making our feet lazy.” 

The trend is not just for classes, however.  Personal trainers sometimes invite their clients to remove shoes when training.  June E Kahn, CPT, owner of Bodyworks LLC in Colorado (junekahn.com), affirms that when we work our personal training clients barefoot, “their muscles in the feet get strengthened allowing for better balance and a stronger foundation to their base of support.”

In 2006 conventions like World Fitness IDEA in Las Vegas in July (ideafit.com), DCAC in Washington, D.C. (dcacfitness.com) in August, and in ECA Miami in November (ecaworldfitness.com), barefoot classes were among the most popular.   Mind body options like yoga, Pilates, T’ai Chi, Gyrotonic, and Feldenkrais request participants to remove shoes from the start to create a more natural state of being.  Carol Scott, CEO of ECA World Fitness Alliance, includes barefoot sessions in her highly attended events.  “As a session program developer, I observe that martial arts and body sculpting fusion classes are utilizing barefoot training techniques to increase balance, kinesthetic and neuromuscular awareness. Working on the floor, utilizing balance training equipment, and even incorporating outdoor training is growing more and more, and instructors are looking forward to it at our events.”  

Too much of a good thing literally can breed germs, however.  During indoor barefoot classes, participants are most oftentimes either on a hardwood floor or on different types of gym and yoga mats.  Because these floors and mats get used so frequently in sweaty, warm environments, oftentimes clubs don’t have time to clean them appropriately.  In July of 2006, the New York Times reported a 50% growth in the last two years in the number of doctor visits from health club members complaining of foot issues like athlete’s foot and plantar warts.  “The likely culprit?  Unclean exercise mats,” the paper reported. 

There are two messages here for health club management.  First, it is necessary to encourage participants to purchase and reuse their own mats in classes to eliminate shared mats and, consequently, reduce the spread of bacteria. Second, whenever possible, it is essential to educate both owners of their own mats and also the maintenance staff of clubs on the importance of cleaning both floors and mats to prevent the accumulation of bacteria and fungus. 

Mat washing can be done via home remedies or purchased solutions.  For the former, Emily Dalton, customer-service manager for Hugger-Mugger Yoga Products, inventor of one of the most popular mats on the market, recommends cleaning mats about every other week to keep them sticky.  “For light cleaning, mix one part of water with three parts of mild soap (like “Woolite”) in a spray bottle.  Spritz the mat, and wipe it dry with a soft cloth or towel.” 

Ready-made yoga mat cleaners are also available.  Lauren Eirk, respected certified yoga instructor of laureneirk.com at the Louisville Athletic Club, uses “Maxim.”  Websites such as http://www.yogasyz.com/ sell similar ready-made solutions. 

Most facilities have such high traffic areas that cleaning mats between uses proves impossible.  Eirk says that most of their mind-body classes such as “HotYoga,” “Ashtanga,” and “Power” classes get the mat so soaked that “the club requires students to always bring their own mat.  There was no way to dry them out before putting the mat away or using for the next class,” she says.

Beyond cleaning sprays, new products on the market address these concerns as well.  Some companies are manufacturing protectors for hands and feet like “Yoga Paws.”  While these do not completely cover the surface of the skin or provide a constant barrier between skin and germs, they do provide an additional non-stick surface (http://www.yogasyz.com/).  “F³: Fitness Foot Foam” offers a different approach.  Developed in German laboratories and made in Spain, it is a cooling mousse for the feet that provides instant peppermint aromatherapy for the feet that also serves as an anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, and anti-perspirant product.  It dries quickly as a clear powder, also absorbing moisture and diminishing calluses.  It can be used both before and after yoga practice to help promote foot health (http://www.bernardbiscontini.com/). 

What can participants do?  Practice good foot hygiene, says Diane Berson, a leading dermatologist in New York City with a practice in her own name.  “Begin your practice with clean feet on a clean surface, and finish with some type of anti-bacterial treatment on your feet.”  A regular pedicure with sanitized instruments will also help ensure optimal foot health.  Finally, keeping the feet dry and santitized, which includes an anti-fungal product and changing socks sometimes frequently, will help keep the spaces between the toes—a breeding ground for bacteria—at bay.

Taking off shoes to rediscover the feet can give an entire new dimension to both your group fitness and personal training.  In addition, taking care of floors and mats, coupled with proper foot hygiene to disinfect and protect the feet, will ensure that wellness truly starts from the ground up.

Lawrence Biscontini is a contributor for American Fitness and an AFAA Certification Specialist.  Winner of several group fitness awards (ACE 2002, IDEA, 2004, CanFitPro 2004, ECA 2005), he can be found at findLawrence.com