May 11th, 2009 10:56pm
johnny
I have recently come across a couple of writings advocating a more barebones (or more specifically, barefoot) approach to footwear. The first is an article expaining how running shoes do nothing to reduce injuries; the second is a blog post by lifestyle design experimenter Tim Ferriss about his experience with Vibram Five Finger shoes. Both come to the conclusion that modern running shoes hinder natural foot biomechanics and usually lead to foot and/or lower leg problems. Since our body movement is more of an interconnected kinetic chain than isolated movements, the impaired function of the feet causes other parts of our body to compensate for the dysfunction at the foot. Ultimately, poor foot mechanics induced by shoes leads to knee, hip, back, and shoulder problems
I’ve written about the overly supportive shoe issue before in a previous blog post, and I have since then become even further convinced that shoes–particularly athletic shoes–are a major reason we have so many foot problems, lower leg injuries, and overall dysfunctional body mechanics. Thick soled, elevated heel, motion constraining shoes prevent the foot from moving naturally and reduce the feedback we get from our feet about our balance and body positioning.
Over time, our reliance on support from the shoe weakens our feet. I’ve noticed this in my own feet. I inherited the flat foot gene that permeates my dad’s side of the family. My feet were once so flat that I could step on a surface and tell how level it was by the feeling on the soles of my feet. I also sprained my ankles a lot playing basketball. After switching to thin soled aqua socks for several months, my feet became stronger, and my balance got better. These days I suffer far fewer rolled ankles since my feet better sense the ground and can react faster to protect my ankles and my balance. As an additional pleasant surprise, my previously completely flat feet now have a noticeable arch; not much of an arch, but enough to that my friends and family have confirmed that I’m not hallucinating.
I won’t deny that cushioned shoes are still useful; after nearly a year of my minimal shoe experiment, my feet still hurt after extended periods of pavement pounding. I’m glad that I no longer fork over gobs of cash for fancy shoes that ultimately do nothing for me other than weaken my feet. I don’t know if I can win over more converts to the minimal shoe/barefoot lifestyle, but I know I plan to continue minimizing how often I wear my cross trainers.
March 7th, 2009 04:40pm
johnny
Mind the gap.
Initially recorded in the days when digital storage was vastly more expensive, this pithy phrase wastes no words in its safety reminder. In three simple words, the phrase reminds British train passengers to pay attention to the gap between the train and the platform lest they trip and fall. In the hustle and bustle of a busy train station, even a sizable gap could go unnoticed by a distracted passenger. People regularly fail to notice things from not being in the present moment. (more…)
February 3rd, 2009 11:31pm
johnny
Gandhi
“They say the means are after all just means. I would say means are after all everything. As the means, so the end.” — M.K. Gandhi
From time to time, we become so focused on the end goal that we lose sight of the path; the ends override the means. It’s rarely the case where the means are separable from the ends. Even if we can artificially extract one from the other, doing so leads to undesired consequences. We only need to look to recent history to see a prime example of the foolishness of justifying the means via the ends. Profit motive drove numerous questionable decisions in the trading of mortgage-backed securities in the financial sector. Focusing on the end goal of profit led to greed instead of sound business practice and eventually led to the sharp economic downturn we are currently experiencing.
That’s not to say that the ends never justify the means. There are unique instances where the benefit of the ends can outweigh the downside of the means. Arguably, the choice to use the atomic bomb in WWII saved many lives. At the same time, the atomic bomb was devastating for its victims and initiated a world fear of nuclear holocaust. Though the ends can sometimes justify the means, the means are still intimately intertwined with the ends.
Ultimately, it’s not a question of ends versus means. One necessarily affects the other. The ends and means are fundamentally interconnected.
January 24th, 2009 06:16pm
johnny
(CC) Creative Commons.
Growing up in a restaurant family, I’ve always been surrounded by good food and good cooks. Even after I left the restaurant life to pursue my education, food has been an important theme in my life. I’ve always felt it important to eat well and that food plays a pivotal role in our lives. We must eat regularly to nourish our bodies and thrive. What food we eat determines what nutrition we receive and how well we can maintain our health. (more…)
January 7th, 2009 07:02pm
johnny
Happy Buddha, Longhua Temple, Shanghai China (CC).
The past several months have been an unpleasant blur. I didn’t have a terrible car accident, lose my home, or anything most people would consider all that traumatic. The unpleasantness arose from my work. A few months ago, I moved and started a new job. The job was on paper a good job, but the practical reality of the situation was a starkly different. There were long hours stuck in front of a computer with no breaks, with the only human interaction coming from a boss who’s idea of being nice was letting you have lunch. The job was slowly but surely sucking away all my joy in life.
Despite the sluggish economy and fear of an unknown employment future, I left the job. (more…)
September 21st, 2008 01:40pm
johnny
Illustration compliments of Lem Fugitt of Robot Dreams
In a prior post, I wrote about the value of thinking inside the box. Working from within the box, we can come to recognize the bounds of the box and begin to understand the framework it establishes. It is after coming to understand the box that we can begin to think outside of it. In a similar fashion, mindfulness training takes an inside to outside developmental route. Though there are a lucky few people in the world who can immediately reach enlightenment and perceive the world with unclouded vision, most people will need to journey through a path of self-discovery first. (more…)
September 13th, 2008 01:07am
johnny
We often hear people talking about “thinking outside of the box.” Usually what is meant by this metaphorical box is the boundaries defined by some line of thought. By exploring new possibilities different from the previous ways of approaching something, whether it be a business or artistic pursuit, we hope to leap past the confines of the old ways using a novel approach. Without people pushing through the boxes of convention, society would stagnate and we would never have the pioneers and leaders to inspire us and drive us to improvement. We recognize Gandhi, Einstein, Martin Luther King, Amelia Earhart, and Bruce Lee as pioneers who have made their mark in the world; their excellence came about from their willingness to push past and eventually redefine the “box.”
The ability to think outside the box is a valuable skill and is requisite for improvements. However, that doesn’t mean that thinking inside the box is useless or even undesireable. The framework of the existing boxes have their own values. (more…)
July 16th, 2008 09:57pm
johnny
Mindfulness practice can at first seem like an esoteric pursuit. In truth, mindfulness involves little mysticism and has direct tie-ins with the real world. Though usually seen as a tool for Buddhist spiritual practice, mindfulness practice extends beyond the spiritual realm readily maps into experiences in the mundane world.
Mindfulness is simply bringing one’s attention to the here and now. No doubt this skill is useful for everyday life. It is quite easy to lose oneself in the fast paced world and forget to take some time to just live. Forgetting to be in the present is enough of a problem we use a cliché as a reminder to live in the moment: “stop and smell the roses.” While the origins of the phrase are nebulous, this bit of cultural wisdom embodies quintessential mindfulness principle of being conscious of the present moment. You have to slow down and be present to experience of the simple pleasure of smelling flowers. (more…)
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