The importance of feet as our foundations of movement
“Your hands and feet never take a day off. So take care of them”
Tammy Taylor
We often take our feet for granted, but they actually play a crucial role in our overall well-being and movement. When foot problems arise, we quickly realise their significance as we can suddenly find ourselves capable of doing very little. Surprisingly, many people still fail to recognise the connection between foot health, mobility, agility, and how it affects the rest of our bodies. When we don't actively care for our feet, it can lead to restricted mobility, pain, and other issues. In this blog, I’m going to look at the significance of our wonderful feet, as the ‘foundations of our body’ and the benefits of looking after them!
Foundations of Movement: Foot Alignment and Strength
Our feet, containing a quarter of the bones in our body, bear the weight of our entire body daily! They really work hard for us. For efficient and safe movement we need to start by looking to the feet.
Whether standing or walking, a great place to start is to look at our foot alignment in order to be able to efficiently bear the weight of the rest of body above them.
Start by noticing how you stand. Try to keep feet hip-width apart; meaning ankles directly lined up below the knees and the tops of the femurs (the large bones in the thighs that connect with the hip sockets). Keeping the feet parallel (if your anatomy at birth allows it, as this is not the case for all) and lining up the outside edges of the feet optimizes the alignment of the thigh bones.
This alignment not only applies to standing but also influences our walking and other forward movements. By being mindful of our foot alignment, we can even reduce the risk of knee and hip issues.
Now your feet are lined up nicely, but is the rest of you aligned nicely above them?
To stack the bones one on top of each other, causing the muscles all round the body to be used as little as needed to keep us upright (and therefore not straining in any one direction) the weight should be held in the centre of the heels. We can often think we’re doing this, until we look in the mirror or test ourselves with a plum line and realise we are standing very differently from how we thought we were!
Check out these methods to help you check your own alignment in my blog ‘Alignment matters, 3 ways to audit your alignment, 3 things that affect it and things we can do to help’
The movement ‘ripple effect’: how feet affect the entire body
The movement and health of our feet have a direct impact on the movement and well-being of our entire body. Immobility or misalignment can lead to compensatory movements and pain. When we experience foot pain, we naturally adjust the way we walk to avoid the discomfort. We can even do so subconsciously. Our bodies really are amazingly adaptable. However, even without pain, immobility can affect our movements. Working on movements, stretches and more that help with foot and ankle mobility and strength, we can prevent weakness in the backline of the body that can often be caused by things like prolonged periods of chair sitting, or walking with a forward lean.
Unleash the potential: embrace the benefits of being barefoot
“The foot feels the foot when it feels the ground.”
Ernest Wood
To optimize foot health and movement, being barefoot as much as possible can be highly beneficial. It allows our feet to move more naturally and be in contact with a variety of different surfaces. Walking on these different textures and temperatures stimulates the numerous nerve endings in the soles of our feet, improving the brain-body connection. By training barefoot, we can enhance our balance, stability, and adaptability to different terrains when we come across them when not training.
As you may know, I’m fascinated by feet, ecause when I was injured and suffering chronic pain, I decided to transition to minimal wear & couldn’t believe what a difference it made to my recovery!
I now exclusively wear minimal (otherwise known as barefoot) shoes that allow the natural movement of the feet. To read more about what makes them different read my blog, ‘What’s all this barefoot business about’
Show ‘em some love: taking care of your feet
Our hardworking feet deserve extra care and attention. Here are a few ways to show them some love:
Shaking hands with your feet: This stretch is particularly helpful in creating space and releasing tension between the big toe and second toe joints. Interlace your fingers between the toes on the opposite foot and move them around.
Massage with a ball: Using a small ball (such as a tennis ball or spikey massage ball), gently roll the foot over it to release tension and stimulate the fascia throughout the entire back of the body.
Wear toe spacers: these are a simple tool that help to create healthy toe separation. The benefits include recovering natural shape and movement of the feet by splaying the toes out into the natural position they would normally be in had we not been wearing narrow shoes all our lives!
Stretching: do calf stretches twice a day whilst brushing your teeth, to counteract the shortening of muscles caused by sitting for prolonged periods and wearing shoes with elevated heels. Top of foot stretch: Stretching the top side of the foot and front of the ankle by taking one foot behind you and leaning gently on the top of the foot (with the toes curled underneath) can relieve tension caused by wearing heels or restrictive footwear.
For a collection of my Instagram posts about feet, ankles and lower leg mobility and strength, click here:
Love your feet, love yourself!
Feet are more than just a way of getting us from A to B; they’re the foundations of all our body's upright and even a lot of ground-based movements. So, let's appreciate and care for our amazing feet and unleash their full potential, so we can embrace a movement-rich life!
You can find instructional videos on foot & calf stretches and more information on the benefits of barefoot walking in the Reclaim Movement membership video library. Find more details by clicking here. You can sign up for the 7-Day FREE trial or get full access with a 3 day pass. Membership is commitment-free so you can come and go as you please.
As part of the Reclaim Movement membership you can also make video requests, to make sure you are getting what you need from your subscription.
Book Recommendation
If you struggle with foot pain, I would highly recommend this book from one of my movement guru’s Katy Bowman, ‘Simple Steps to FOOT PAIN RELIEF’.
PLEASE NOTE: if you have diabetes it may be unsafe for you to be barefoot, please contact your physician for advice, but you may want to consider barefoot shoes (see my blog, ‘What’s all this barefoot shoe business about?’).
