This month I would like to address how to have strong feet, muscularly speaking.

Shoes are fantastic at protecting our feet from the outside elements. However too many of us rely on them for everything. A lot of women will only wear shoes with a heel on them which can interfere with your body’s proprioception.

What is Proprioception?

Proprioception is your body’s ability to sense movement, location, and action. Walking in shoes can often create a barrier, a cushioned barrier, between the feedback your feet would normally gather from the ground. This feedback is vital in how your feet and ankles move, how your knees, hips, spine, shoulders, neck, and head move.

How do you overcome this and not cause temporary, or permanent, damage to your feet?

You can start by walking around barefoot at home and in your garden. Be more aware of what you are standing on. Do not assume you will not damage your feet just because you are at home.

Walking Around Barefoot

I sincerely believe that walking around barefoot is one of life’s simplest pleasures. Providing your feet are issue free, start with ten minutes a day barefoot in your house. I recommend starting indoors, in the spring or summer, so that your feet do not get cold.

Next, if you can walk about barefoot enough to know that your feet can handle being completely flat to the ground, and you don’t experience calf pain or fatigue by existing this way at home, then you could investigate shoes that allow you to continue this way of walking while outside the house.

I highly recommend Altra Shoes as they have a wide range of cushioned and lightly cushioned shoes that provide a wide toe box to allow your toes to spread and widen and move freely, they mostly have a zero drop, which means flat to the ground with no heel. If you need arch support, I recommend either custom orthotics from Medipod Clinics, or built in arch support as found in Birkenstock shoes and sandals.

There are also the hotly debated Vibram toe shoes, with individual pockets for each toe to move independently. These have a lot less cushioning; you can feel everything through the shoe – every bump lump and stone… these can be quite uncomfortable and take a lot to work your way up too, and probably only good for those with years of barefoot walking experience.

Not Strong Enough?

But what if your feet don’t feel strong enough to transition into those types of shoes?

There are exercises. Of course, there are exercises! That special magical work that prevents and cures most bodily ailments, EXERCISE.

The top exercise for getting stronger feet is to simply walk and exercise in general more, and if possible, in bare feet. We are not suggesting cardio in bare feet, but yoga, Pilates, resistance bands, dumbbells even, if you’re careful of where you put them. Every move you make during a workout will add to how your feet are able to adapt to different positions and loads. If you lift heavily during squats and deadlifts, you will already know that it is optimum for the whole body to do so in bare feet. So why not the rest of your workout?

Walking over lumpy ground like at Burbage Common or at Bradgate Park, in shoes, is a great way to train your ankle and foot mobility and strength. Taking up a martial art requires bare foot work, and this will also increase strength.

Exercises

Targeted exercises for your feet though are a little different, but these can either be incorporated into your normal workout routine, or when you’re sat relaxing in front of the TV. Simple scrunching and spreading of toes is a good one to get started. You can practise lifting just your big toe up, then just your little toes up, this can be challenging, but worthwhile. Calf exercises are an excellent partner to foot exercises, and the simple yet effective calf raise can be done seated at the same time as your feet exercises.

Want some inspiration for more exercises? Go here, or Email chloe@astralfitness.co.uk and ask, and she will send you her top exercises for your feet, no obligation*.

If your feet are aching and need a little help before you get started on strengthening them, please do pay myself or Jen a visit at Astral Fitness and receive a great sports massage as well as personalised advice.

Until next time,
Chloe and Jen.

Astral Fitness
Greene King Stadium, Leicester Road, Hinckley, LE10 0NQ.

Thank you for reading – Chloe Clark – Guest Blog.

Faye Vogiatzoglou
Clinical Director

http://medipodclinics.com/

*Generalised foot exercises sent are not to be taken as a diagnosis or definitive advice for your particular foot condition. Your email will be added to my weekly mailing list. You can unsubscribe at any time.

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“Mum, what do you need me to do?” said Anya.
“Just do an easy routine on the trampoline, without somersaults, so that children can practice at home”, I said to her.

So this is what she did!

“Anya, I said easy, without somersaults! Not every child has big trampoline like yours!”

“Rita, GET OFF THE TRAMPOLINE! Only one person at a time!”

“But, MUM, IT WAS MY TURN ON THE TRAMPOLINE!”

“Where did you come from? I wasn’t even talking to you, Rita! If you want to contribute, perhaps you can do a floor routine.”

“Anya, stop digging the ground!! Where are you going? Are you going to do this or not?”

At this stage Rita has started doing Tic Toc!! Really? I mean, REALLY? I feel like throwing her phone far, far away….
My SON, NOW, decided that this was the perfect time to play football and started kicking the ball on to the girls! OH MY GOD! KILL ME NOW!

There were tears, loud voices, huffing and puffing…..

This was meant to be easy, fun and relaxing! My life is spinning!

“Guys, I just need to video an easy, straight forward routine on the trampoline and a fitness floor routine! Is this too much to ask?”

This continued for quite some time….. I am now pulling my hair out, regretted my decision to have children and wished I could book a one way flight to Australia or something!!
I find it so much easier to talk about feet! Ingrowing toenails, corns, calluses, fungal infections, heel pain, verrucas… I miss all of these so much!!

Everybody walked off! Well, I did, while they were all still bickering!

Later in the evening I got the girls to complete the routines!!!

They may not be the most professional ones, but somehow I got an amazing sense of achievement!!

The post A blog..a bit different from the others! appeared first on Medipod Clinics.

Staying warm when it’s cold outside can be a challenge. As the weather gets colder, small blood vessels temporarily close up and you might see a change in the colour of your skin, which could look pale or blanched and waxy at first, before becoming bluish. This is because the oxygen in the blood has been used up by the tissues.

So, to help your feet stay warm this year, we have compiled some top tips to keep your feet healthy and ready for action when spring finally arrives.

Top 10 tips to keep your feet warm

1. Wear suitable footwear all year around. Waterproof boots can be very beneficial during the winter months, especially when dealing with rain and snow.
2. Wear socks and hosiery made of natural fibres. A combination of at least 70% wool with cotton works quite well if your feet are cold. Wear double socks if necessary.
3. If your socks get wet in your shoes, change them as soon as possible.
4. Make sure your boots/shoes fit properly; you should be able to wiggle your toes, but the boots should have a stiff heel counter in order to be supportive.
5. Regular exercise is very important as it improves circulation and opens up new ways for the blood to reach your toes.
6. Avoid extreme cold or hot situations. Hot water bottles, electrical blankets, fireplaces and radiators can damage seriously the small blood vessels in your hands and feet, especially if your extremities are freezing cold. The best way is to warm them up gradually so that the capillaries have time to respond to the sudden change of temperature.
7. Massage your feet and hands regularly to stimulate circulation.
8. Wearing long trousers, socks, leg warmers, or boots, gloves and hats can also help in preventing your extremities (hands, feet, ear lobes, nose tip) from getting cold.
9. Its better to have a warm bath instead of a foot soak, if your feet are cold.
10. Do not hesitate to seek medical advice or see a podiatrist if you need further information.

Podiatrists at Medipod Clinics are trained to assess extensively the circulation in the lower limb using Ultrasound equipment (Doppler) in order to listen to the pulses on your feet.

We understand how your foot works and we tailor a treatment plan to your needs. If you are already concerned about your feet, we are more than happy to help. With our expertise and experience, you will have full peace of mind when it comes to your foot health.

We also offer other podiatry services, counselling, audiology and physiotherapy services.

For more information about our podiatry services, please contact us on 01455 246100. We would love to help you with any foot related questions.

Thank you for reading.

Faye Vogiatzoglou
http://medipodclinics.com

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