Flex Your Feet
You know what activity is underestimated?
Dancing in the shower!
I don’t think we partake in the activity often enough (including myself), but when I do, it’s fun. Every. Time (best to keep most the moves upper body for obvious reasons). However flexing and exercising your feet is also nice in the shower. Feet perform quite different outside of footwear.
During my last dance session, I was thinking to myself: “Wow, I’m using different muscles than usual. It feels good to stretch them out. ” Coming across that thought alone made me realize how stagnant my feet feel being confined in shoes or even my cushy slippers.
I was so in tune what my footsies were doing..
flexing, extending, supinating, pronating. Maybe it was the water heightening the senses. Who knows?! It was fun regardless: I felt like a little kid splashing around in a puddle.
I really wanted to look into the foot question:
How beneficial is foot strength to our health?
Besides the fact “We only have two feet” I looked into resources from orthopedists, podiatrists, and physical therapists to explore how much our feet contribute to our health and function.
So here are some points made on the topic:
The muscles of the feet are important in balance, posture, and mobility of the lower body.
Foot stability translates over to knee and hip stability.
The stronger and more stable the muscles of the feet, it’s less likely that you’ll incur injury to any parts of the lower body.
It has been shown that the human foot has the capacity to contribute up to 17% of the energy required to power a single stride. 17% may not sound like much, but those internal muscles of the feet must put forth a lot just for walking. Think about those who are professional athletes and dancers who have a bit more power behind their step.
What I’ve gathered:
Foot strength is essential for maintaining mobility as we age. And the earlier we have a practice of building foot strength, the less chance we have of incurring an injury .
What’s an alternative perspective on the feet’s role in our health?
Let’s talk about traditional Chinese medicine and the topic of reflexology.
Now there’s very little scientific evidence behind reflexology. Nonetheless, it’s a millennia-old practice that has an interesting approach to mirroring several body systems in the feet.
Here are some examples: Reflex areas of the spinal column and stomach are in both feet; the organs on the right side of the body (e.g. the liver) are on the right foot, those on the left side (e.g. the spleen) are on the left foot; lungs and kidneys are on both feet; the toes correspond with the brain and its organs.
When a reflexologist stimulates these pressure points, the theory is that vital energy — called Qi in Chinese — flows through the individual’s body, reaching the corresponding area. The goal is to bring the person back into balance.
Say what???
I’m going to connect reflexology with dance for a second: Can I say that while I’m dancing I’m stimulating (and maybe even balancing) all of my bodily systems??? It’s a thought (and a fun one at that).
No, reflexology is much more complex and there are licensed practitioners who support those who are seeking alleviation in stress, pain, or digestion issues (to name a few conditions).
So, if you want to have a reflexology session, Why not try it out? There’s not much risk associated with reflexology.
But if you want another type of release, try out dancing (if it’s within your capacity).
Dancing is beneficial regardless: it boosts your physical and mental well being. I’ve heard someone describe dance as a honest form of communication between the mind and the body. That’s a wildly obvious thought we often overlook. Some, including myself, would view dance as a way to achieve a balanced healthy lifestyle.
Whatever activity you choose, boost your mind, your body, and get a chance to flex. One foot at a time.
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P.S. If you are looking for any help or support to keep you accountable during your wellness journey feel free to reach out to me for a consultation. Just click the link below to schedule!