Appreciate and take care of your feet

How often are you aware of your feet? Not much, you’re probably thinking. Our
feet are amazing. Did you know that there are areas of your feet that relate to every part of you body? There is a healing massage that works just with the feet, called “reflexology.” Google that and see what you get! A foot massage is a great gift to give yourself, but it is so much nicer to get one from a professional masseuse….or from your lover! Foot massage is wonderfully relaxing and rejuvenating.

Another exercise that is very good for your feet and your body is rolling your feet over a ball, or cylinder, or rolling your bare feet gently over a golf ball, stopping to press gently into the tender places until they release a bit (don’t overdo it!). Sit down and gently separate your toes with your fingers, tenderly pull each toe out from its base until you feel the tiniest of releases. Now stand up and see how they feel. Your feet will thank you for waking them up!

Our feet are out contact with the earth – and that works, if you create an intention for it, even through concrete sidewalks. When was the last time you went barefoot in the
grass, or really enjoyed walking barefoot on the beach?

We women create all kinds of problems for our feet with the shoes we wear. Back in the 70’s it seems like, with the advent of pants suits and women’s lib in the office, high heels might go away. No such chance! They are just too sexy and too much fun. They feel great to wear even though they often can throw your back out of alignment and make it pretty difficult to get around easily! Women’s shoe heels have gotten even higher these days!

There are all kinds of unpleasant things that can happen to your feet from wearing the wrong kinds of shoes.. Bunions can occur from wearing those pointy toed creations of a few years ago. Fortunately, those aren’t as common these days, and the round toes and open toes are a bit better. Hammertoes are sometimes the result of wearing shoes that are too short or too narrow. And how about plantar fasciitis?. No fun! That’s when the tissue at the bottoms of your heels get inflamed and it can be so painful you can’t even walk. If you are getting pain in your heels, nip it in the bud before it gets worse! See a doctor to diagnose the condition. He will probably recommend as part of your cure and as prevention that you stretch those Achilles tendons really well on a daily basis and wear supports in your shoes. You can get plantar fasciitis from walking barefoot with poorly developed feet, running, jumping, wearing shoes with inadequate support while walking on concrete and other hard surfaces. It’s not a condition to ignore!

According to www.podiatrychannel.com/anatomy, this is how our feet are made:

“ • 26 bones (One-quarter of the bones in the human body are in the feet.);
• 33 joints;
• more than 100 muscles, tendons (fibrous tissues that connect muscles to bones), and ligaments (fibrous tissues that connect bones to other bones); and
• a network of blood vessels, nerves, skin, and soft tissue”

What a wonderful thing it is to stand, to connect with the earth and feel her supportive energy rise through our bodies! Early peoples did not wear shoes. Just how much have we lost by covering up these marvels and keeping them from direct contact with our planet? Who knows how much of our stress comes just from wearing shoes!