Let’s stop and think about your feet. Move them around, wiggle those toes too. Other than putting on socks and shoes, you probably don’t give your feet much thought. Which is crazy considering your feet carry you around all day. Without them you wouldn’t be able to balance, lunge, leap, walk or run.
It’s time to show your feet some love. After all, your entire body reaps the benefits of good foot care. You don’t need to spend hours or loads of money to treat them well, simply practice these foot health tips regularly and your feet will thank you.
Foot Support
Your toes naturally want to spread to help you balance and move. Painful bunions and hammertoes can be a result of toes being squished together. Therefore, it’s important to wear proper fitting socks and shoes that provide wiggle room. We can help.
We’re big into foot health so we design our socks with the architecture of the foot in mind:
- For the toes… every pair of ToeSox, sport, grip and casual, has a 5 toe design to embrace the natural movement of the toes – let those baby move!
- For the arches… we include an arch band to gently lift and support the mid-foot when it gets exhausted and wants to collapse.
- For blood flow… wear compression socks to help circulation for optimal rejuvenation and recovery.
The feet bear the weight of your whole body and something as simple (and magnificent) as a technically designed sock can make all the difference.
Foot Hygiene
As much as we want to trust the cleanliness of the equipment, floors and mats in our Pilates, Yoga, and Barre classes, there are still dirt and germs lurking on these surfaces. You want to leave the studio with the same clean feet you walked in with. Protect your feet with five toe grip socks that act as a hygienic barrier while still allowing full movement of the toes. If everyone in class wears grip socks, then that’s an even cleaner, healthier place for your feet (and your whole body) to be.
Foot Strength
Just as the body moves better when it’s stronger, so do the feet. The stronger your feet are the better they can move and the less they should ache. Take five minutes of your day (at bedtime feels awesome) to bring attention down to your soles with these little exercises:
- With feet flat, lift and spread your toes. Repeat 10 times.
- Curl your toes under as though you were raking leaves with them. Repeat 10 times.
- Stand on a hard surface with your toes on the edge of a hand towel. Gather the towel under the arch of your foot with your toes.
- To stretch, sit on the edge of a chair with a firm seat. Bring your foot onto the opposite knee and pull all the toes down with your hand until you feel a gentle stretch. Then push the toes up.
- Lace your fingers through your toes – like holding hands – and circle your ankle 3 times in one direction and 3 times in the opposite direction.
Feet are your foundation and caring for them is crucial to your overall body’s health. Take good care of them and they will take good care of you.