Moving From the Tips of Your Toes

Are your feet aching, sore, or tired? We spend so much time on our feet but spend so little time looking after them. Whilst that pedicure might look pretty we’re talking about exercising your feet. Try the Pilates for feet exercises below to soothe tired and achy feet, you might notice your posture improves too!

Did you know?

Our feet are a complex structure with no less than 26 bones, 33 joints and more than a hundred muscles, tendons and ligaments. There are more than 200 potential foot problems!

They’re super important!

Feet and ankles are especially important as they are a major part of our walking gait. That niggly knee, hip or back could actually be due to your feet. Lack of movement through the ankle & foot means other things have to work much harder. Other issues could include poor balance, shin splints and bunions.

Remember, where you feel pain isn’t always where the problem is; you have to look for the cause not just the symptoms. When we experience pain, whether it be in the feet or elsewhere, we often just stop moving. It’s critical we keep as active as possible for as long as possible.

Help yourself

We also want you to be able to love your feet at home after a long day on the go, go on… be kind to yourself!

Quick fixes:

• Prop feet up when sitting down
• Get up and stretch the legs after sitting down for a while
• Take regular walks to increase circulation is feet and legs
• Have a soak in warm water or a foot massage
• Use lotion and massage it into those tired feet yourself
• Just wiggle those toes!

Exercises to help release feet and ankles:

Toe Wiggles with fingers between toes (there’s no video for this one as we all needed a pedicure before we’d let you see our feet 😊) – great for plantar fasciitis, bunions and contracted calf muscles.

• Place foot on the opposite knee (glute stretch)
• Place fingers in between toes and move fingers around to provide gentle joint release through the front to the foot

Enjoy the exercises in the videos below! And if you have any questions, please make sure you ask us.