Barefoot Baby
The warm weather is upon us which means we strip off the layers including our shoes. It is that time of year when we cover our feet with flip-flops, sandals, or nothing at all. The feeling of grass, dirt and sand under our feet is so calming and rejuvenating. We love the way it feels. But what happens to our feet when we go from our “cast” shoes to barefoot shoes? Our foot muscles have atrophied, our mechanoreceptors have deteriorated, and our awareness of our feet has diminished. So, how do we reconnect with our feet?
We remove all the barriers between our feet and the ground. Shoes come off, socks come off and if you use orthotics, they come off too. Allow your bare skin to breathe and your tissues to spread in order to wake them up. Wiggle your toes, spread your toes, move your toes, and then circle your ankles. Rub the bottoms or your feet with your fists, a ball or something soft to stimulate the mechanoreceptors and increase blood flow. These little exercises will already make your feet feel better.
Feet are so important yet tend to be ignored until they hurt. They are the foundation of our musculoskeletal system. They send information to our brain to assist with balance, impact forces and posture. You have 19+ muscles, 26 bones and 33 joints in each foot. If our feet are this important, why don’t we train them like we do our biceps, core, glutes, and hamstrings? We shove them into a “cast” all day but then expect them to work when we ask that of them to. Shame on us!
It’s time to take care of your feet! At Get emPowered Fitness Studio, we train our feet just like any other body part we use daily. Foot fitness is a routine part of our warm-up and YES! we do all of our workouts barefoot! Why? Because your feet are IMPORTANT! They need to be trained for so many reasons.
Barefoot training IMPROVES:
BALANCE
STABILITY
CORE STRENGTH
POSTURE JOINT ALIGNMENT
STRENGTH THROUGHOUT BODY
FOOT FLEXIBILITY
ANKLE MOBILITY
ANKLE STABILITY
REACTION TIME TO PREVENT FALLING
AND AVOIDS COMPENSATIONS UP THE BODY’S KINETIC CHAIN TO AVOID PAIN
So WHY aren’t YOU training your feet? Take your shoes and socks off. Walk on the grass, dirt or sand to stimulate your nerves and let your feet be FREE! Not only will your feet thank you but your entire body will feel stronger, healthier and more aware of the world under you and around you.
Click the link below to view a little video to learn some foot fitness exercises to reconnect you with your feet and start strengthening your body from the ground up!
