Three ways to care for your feet.

If your feet are functioning well, you should not take this for granted! We often stuff them into shoes and then forget about them.

But unfortunately a quarter of all women experience foot pain at some point in their lives.

We might have bunions, arthritis, plantar fasciitis or fallen arches.

And about those shoes. High heels or sneakers, badass boots or birkenstocks they all mean something different to us culturally and physically. Your feet are not the only thing wearing your shoes, your whole body is wearing those shoes. Your shoes effect your ankles knees, hips, pelvic floor, spine and neck.

So what should wear on our feet?

I am not saying we need to stop wearing shoes.

But we are not born with shoes. In our yoga practice we go barefoot which stacks your body in its natural position. So consider your neutral to be a barefoot stance. Where does that put your pelvis and legs and hips? Shoes come early in our lives and then we rarely take them off.

Creating more strength and suppleness in your foot can really improve everything from the ground up. If you are outsourcing the support of your feet to your shoes, the foot will rely on that support.

Here are three ways to work on your feet which will pay dividends

1. If you can, walk around your house everyday in bare feet. This should be done for a short time only at first. The transition to barefoot should be done very slowly so the tissues can adapt.

2. Use balls regularly to roll the bottom of the foot. It is great for mobility and stimulation of the whole body.

3. Make your shoes flat, secure and flexible.

Most shoes have a raised heel – look to minimize this. Also make sure there is enough toe room to spread your toes. Try to secure your shoe to your foot, this means the heel too. Anything without a strap at the heel your toes either lift or clench to hold the shoe on. Beware of the slip on shoe. It means we don’t have to bend over and I realized I was reaching for slip-ons as way to excuse myself from moving. Finally the sole should be really flexible. If you can’t bend it don’t buy it. 🙂

I wrote about boots I like here and sandals I like here.

Care for and love your feet!