Even if you don’t suffer from foot pain, this 5-10 minute routine feels great to ‘wake up’ your feet and keep you moving comfortably.  Your feet are the base your body stacks on, so it’s important they stay mobile and working fluidly so they can support comfortable movement of your body.
Naturally, we are meant to walk barefoot on a variety of surfaces; grass, sand, dirt or rocks.  The unevenness of the surfaces encourages our feet to mold and adapt, massaging and mobilising the numerous muscles and joints in our feet.
Modern life finds us constantly wearing shoes and/or walking on smooth, hard surfaces.  We wear boots with hard inflexible soles, or thongs that make us curl our toes to hold the footwear on, restricting the fluid roll through the foot as you walk.  Wearing high heels puts unnatural pressures on your ankles and joints of your feet.  This means our feet lose their mobility and can become painful.
In my mid forties I began long distance running, and after a couple years developed foot pain.  I spent a lot of time and money looking for solutions.  This routine is a result of that research and self experimentation to come up with a combination of exercises and movements that has worked well not only for me, but also for numerous clients I have shared it with.
I recommend you aim to do the routine twice daily, especially before a walk or running activity to warm up your feet and get the joints moving freely.  Your feet will thank you.

 

What if 2020 tuned out to be the best year of your life?
What if the restrictions brought about by COVID-19 were the best thing that ever happened to you?
Try exploring these questions.  I have found they can be an excellent way to change your mindset and view the current situation in a different light.  Look at the opportunities and possibilities and the things we CAN do rather than what we can’t. Much, much better for our mental health!
Change can be challenging and scary.  Fear of the future can leave us frozen.  Read More…

A couple of weeks ago as I was cycling along Dick Ward Drive I was pleased to see how many people were commuting on bicycles.  I remember my granddad cycled to and from work for most of his life.  In those days it was common for people to walk or cycle as their primary mode of transport.  In fact, a normal day 50 years ago incorporated much more incidental activity than these days.

The growing use of computers, television, appliances and service industries, has led to a sedentary population and an increase in the dis-ease associated with inactivity.

How did you spend your last 24 hours?  Was most of it spent sitting? Studies show that many adults spend more than 8 hours sitting each day and almost 50% of the population do no physical activity at all!

Sitting has been called the “new smoking’ because of the associated negative health effects, such as:

• weight gain and poor circulation potentially increasing your risk of heart disease
• back and neck pain – the seated position puts huge stress on your spine
• increase risk of cancer – lung, colon and endometrial
• increased risk of diabetes
• varicose veins caused by blood pooling in the legs
• Weak bones leading to osteoporosis – move it or lose it!

Even if you go to the gym and work out regularly, 7 hours spent sitting can undo all that good work. It’s not just less calories burnt, it’s the actual sitting.  Many offices have introduced standing desks, but what about the time you spend commuting, watching TV or on electronic devices?

Hours spent sitting alone with a screen-based activity, can disrupt sleep and often causes you to avoid socialising, withdraw from family and friends, potentially leading to social anxieties and depression.

Even just short bursts of activity throughout the day accumulates to provide numerous benefits and an increased level of activity going a long way towards avoiding the health risks above. Read More…