Your feet take you to a lot of places. They carry you throughout the day, take you for walks with friends, and sightseeing on vacation. My feet take me running, cycling, and recently to Las Vegas where I walked up to 25,000 steps in one day! Some of my favourite memories are of the places I’ve seen on foot, and I want to keep doing those things. When you take care of your feet properly, you can avoid the common aches and pains that prevent you from going the distance… even if it’s just around the block.
Why Your Feet Deserve Attention
I feel that we often overlook our feet. I hear about people’s aches and pains all the time and what stretches or exercises they’ve tried, and feet are always at the bottom of the list. They’re almost an afterthought. “Oh, and my feet ache all the time. I just live with it.” That’s just crazy to me because our feet do so much for us! They’re also pretty complicated body parts.
Each foot has twenty-six bones, thirty joints, and more than one hundred muscles, tendons, and ligaments. With so many interactive parts, it’s no wonder we experience foot pain; when one part isn’t working properly it affects everything around it. So, how do you take care of your feet? Just like all those other parts of your body: strength, mobility, and flexibility exercises. You can even do many of these exercises while sitting down.
Take Care of Your Feet with Pilates
You know that I’m going to start with Pilates! By design, Pilates keeps your entire body moving well; for that reason, the feet get a lot of attention on the mat, the apparatus, and even have their own equipment.
You may not notice at first, but many Pilates exercises work on foot mobility and flexibility. Think about all the pointing, flexing, and rotating of the feet that you do in a Pilates workout. Or how when you’re on the apparatus, your feet must grip or mould to the foot bar, the shoulder blocks, or the pedal. Of course, there are foot-specific exercises on the apparatus, as well.
Then there are the foot-specific gadgets that Joseph Pilates created to strengthen and stretch the feet. The foot corrector and toe gizmo (tensometer) are sneaky because even though they look like they’re designed for your feet alone, they work a lot more than that. When you use these gadgets, you’ll feel your legs, hips, backside, and core work. And there’s a very good reason why. (Hint: think about the kids’ song: the foot bone’s connected to the ankle bone!) Try wiggling your toes. Do you feel it anywhere else? I know I can feel movement in my ankles and calves. This “chain” goes right up the body, which is why you can feel other muscles working when you use the toe gadgets.
While working out your toes won’t give you abs, having stronger legs, glutes, and core will improve your posture and gait. Think about how a dancer or gymnast moves: they are very upright and seem to float across the floor. This “lifted” look and feel comes from strong muscles that hold the body up, thus putting less weight down into the feet. It really is all connected.
Other Ways to Take Care of Your Feet
Pilates is a great way to take care of your feet and the rest of your body, but there are other ways to strengthen and pamper your hard working feet:
- Weight training will help with that “lift” through your body.
- Try exercises that challenge you to balance on one foot. This improves balance, core strength, and the strengthening of the stabilizing muscles and tendons in your ankles, knees, hips, and feet.
- Wear quality shoes that fit well and have a wide toe box so that your feet and toes sit comfortably in their natural position. (Just say “no” to pointy toes!)
- Roll out your feet with a ball, or use a half ball or “foot wakers” to release tight spots and build arch strength.
- Go for a good foot and calf massage.
- A few times a day, spread your toes wide, wiggle them, and circle your feet. I’ll often do this in bed and while I’m teaching Pilates.
- Put a small towel or face cloth under your foot, and try scrunching and unscrunching it. It’s a lot harder than it sounds!
- Stretch the soles of your feet by kneeling, tucking your toes under, and then sitting back on your heels. I think this is called “toe breaker” in yoga. The first time I tried it I could barely do five seconds, though now I love this foot stretch.
It doesn’t take a lot of time to take care of your feet; do a Pilates class, wiggle and move your toes, and do some stretching while you watch tv or work. Your feet will thank you, and you’ll love being able to travel, run, walk, and keep moving pain-free for years to come.