The foot bone’s connected to the ankle bone, the ankle bone’s connected……..
Did you know that many problems with the neck, upper back, lower back, hips, and knees may be coming from the feet? When we are little children we spend a lot of our time barefoot, running on the grass, digging our toes into the sand, splashing in water, kicking our shoes off whenever we can. As adults, responsibilities and daily routines require us to wear shoes, many of which are tight fitting and inflexible. This causes stiffness and tension in the feet and leads to bad posture and wear and tear on other parts of the body. When our feet are crammed into socks and shoes, no matter how supportive they might be, the muscles, bones and ligaments in the feet and toes are restricted and reduced in their range of motion. Going barefoot, however, enables the foot to be in touch with different surfaces, such as sand, snow and grass, and different levels, such as flat, sloped and bumpy. Being in touch with the earth instead of an artificial man-made shoe or surface allows our feet to be massaged and stretched, and acupoints on the soles of the feet are stimulated, in turn affecting the rest of the body. As a result, feet are strengthened and increase in flexibility.
If you are unable to walk barefoot and without socks for long, try the following ways of rejuvenating your feet:
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In a standing position, raise the heels of the feet on and off the ground for a few seconds. Then walk around on your toes, then on your heels. Walk on the inside of the feet and then the outside of the feet. Take just a few steps, varying the areas of pressure on the feet.
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Walk backwards. By walking backwards you will use and strengthen the posterior muscles in the body. If you get good at this, try running backwards!
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From a sitting position flex and relax each foot in turn. Next rotate the ankles in circles, clockwise and counterclockwise. Imagine you have a pencil between your toes and write the letters of the alphabet. Be creative, draw your name!
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Sitting down, place a small ball, such as Chinese exercise balls, or a golf ball under each foot and roll the foot back and forth over the ball. This will activate pressure points on the foot. If you don’t have a ball, try a walnut!
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Wriggle your toes to help prevent arthritis. Practice picking up small objects between your toes. Start with something light and gradually increase in weight.
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Finally, pamper your feet with a loving foot massage using olive or sesame oil.