Sore Feet?
Do you suffer from sore feet? Tight calves? Do you feel pain/restriction in your legs, hips and lower limbs? There are a few simple things you can do to get your feet and body moving & feeling great again!
The first step is to get your feet moving fluidly & then gaining mobility through the joints. This will then setup the foundation for correct alignment throughout your entire body. Awesome hey! Think of your feet as the foundations of your home… they need to be strong and able to adapt to and support any changes in weight and pressure. They are extremely important in maintaining proper alignment.
These 3 exercises can help you get back on track in no time. Don’t forget to do both feet!
The first step is to get your feet moving fluidly & then gaining mobility through the joints. This will then setup the foundation for correct alignment throughout your entire body.
1. Monkey Feet
Simply spread your toes and wiggle the fingers of your opposite hand between each of your toes, this can be hard enough in itself!Now gently curl your toes (plantar flexion) and then bring them back up towards your ankle (dorsi flexion). Use only your toes/feet to facilitate this movement, NOT your fingers. Your fingers are merely there to create space. Carry out this movement 5-6 times. You may feel a fair amount of discomfort, don’t worry this is normal. Just keep on doing it!
2. Monkey Feet 2
Keeping your fingers in between your toes, you are now going to twist your foot side to side using only your foot to facilitate movement, again NOT your hands. You can try doing figure eight movements or simply twisting to the left then to the right. All movement should only be coming from your foot, NOT YOUR ANKLE. Try holding your foot with your free hand to make this easier. This is very important, as the purpose of this exercise is to mobilize the joints of the feet. And remember, your fingers are merely there to create space between your toes.
3. Rewiring your Movement Pattern
This next exercise is designed to rewire your movement pattern when using your feet for walking, running, standing up, moving in general etc. Sit down on a small chair so that your thigh is parallel to the ground, place your foot directly underneath your knee, so the ankle and knee joint are stacked one above the other. Then press down into the floor, visualizing the 3 points of contact on your foot (one in the middle of your heel, one underneath your big toe joint, one under your small toe joint) keeping pressure on these 3 points (you should feel a slight activation in your gluet) flex your toes up and down while keeping your ankle completely still. This exercise will be much easier to do correctly after the first 2 exercises have been completed.
So there you have it! Healthy feet, healthy body 🙂
