Happy Friday!

Welcome to another edition of the “Train For Life” newsletter.

Today’s edition is about the feet and how the health of our feet influences the rest of our body……which can be good and bad!

At the end I will show you a super quick and simple daily routine that you can use to keep your feet mobile, active and healthy, so read on…

But first, why has foot health become an issue or a problem for so many people in recent years?

There’s a few reasons with the main one’s being:

• Poor footwear:- People keep their feet confined in “fashionable shoes” that are restrictive, or generally wear trainers and shoes that compress the feet for long periods of time.

• Not spending enough time barefoot:- Long days at work coupled with living in “concrete jungles” where shoes are necessary most the time, even to exercise and work out in.

The soles of the feet are the first point of contact with the ground, and we are now largely limiting this proper connection to the ground as we move and exercise.

The soles of the feet also happen to be be particularly important to the rest of the body too…

Why is this?

We have a lot of important receptors in the soles of the feet that connect to muscles all the way up the back side of the body.

This means that dysfunctional or unhealthy feet might well be contributing to problems not just in the feet such as plantar fasciitis, bunions and hammertoes…..

But also contribute to other issues with the body as well, such as:

• Altered gait and posture:- Painful or dysfunctional feet from ailments and improper footwear can alter how we walk. This can have a negative impact on parts of the body such as the knees, hips and lower back.

• Increased risk of falls and poor balance:- This is especially important for older adults but healthy functioning feet will certainly provide more stability.

• Joint and muscle pain:- Altered gait, less stability or poor choices in footwear can lead to overuse or misuse of certain joint or muscles. Which can speed up wear and tear…

Anyway that’s enough of the negative stuff you get the idea that maintaining healthy functioning is important!

So how do we get healthier feet?

Firstly there’s a few simple lifestyle interventions that you can implement easily enough, and these are:

• Wear footwear that’s designed for your feet:- Nowadays brands such as Vivo and Vibrams (links below) offer a range of both training and everyday minimalist shoes, that are designed and shaped for your feet.

• Spend more time in barefoot:- Where ever it is safe and ok to do so try to take off your shoes and let your breathe and move properly.

• Try some exercise in barefoot:- START SLOWLY with this and only do what is safe, it could literally be some outdoor walking on grass, or even some of your exercises in the gym. Just make sure it is safe and you’re not at risk for dropping anything heavy on your foot!

An extra word on barefoot style shoes is that I would always recommend integrating them SLOWLY to start with, as your body needs time to adjust.

I would start with one day per week and gradually build up from there, ESPECIALLY if you tend to move and walk around a lot, or not used to this type of footwear.

And now for the foot exercises…

So to finish here is a short video highlighting 4 really quick and simple drills and exercises that require NO equipment and will take just a few mins to complete!

They are to be done at least once per day, but can be done more than once if you want and have time. Here’s the breakdown but watch the video:

1. Toe yoga: Work up and down the foot 1 or 2 times each side.

2. Toe CARs: 2-3 reps each one, lifting just big toe, then outer 4 toes, then tapping down big toe, then outer 4 toes…

3. Short foot drill: 5 × 5 second isometric holds, pushing down into floor with toes and trying to pull the floor together.

4. Single leg balance: 10-60s each foot, making your base of support the base of big toe, base of little toe, and centre of heel aka foot tripod.

For now thanks reading today, and stay tuned for the next edition of Train For Life next Friday!

Daryl

PS PLEASE email me on [email protected] if you have any feedback at all or simply have anything specific you would like to see in future newsletters!