If you knew modern shoes contributed to things like:
- Fallen arches
- Knee pain
- Inactive glutes
- Shin splints
- Plantar fasciitis
- Morton’s Neuroma
- Bunions
Would you still wear them?
I know it sounds dramatic, but once you understand how your feet work, it makes perfect sense that modern shoes contribute to these problems.
You have 33 joints in each foot, 66 total, between the two.
These joints are meant to move and respond with every step you take.
But most shoes block this movement and change how your feet work.
It might not seem like a big deal, but the movement inside of your feet doesn’t stop in your feet.
It sets off movement in other joints—like your ankles and knees.
When this internal foot movement is blocked, it creates a domino effect throughout the body–kind of like throwing a wrench in your gears.
As dull as it may sound, investing time in your feet daily pays off big rewards for your whole body, especially if you have any of the problems mentioned above.
In today’s video, you’ll learn a simple exercise to enhance the mobility of your feet and get those foot joints moving.
After you check it out and give it a try, I’d love to know how it goes. You can tell me in the comments below.
With foot mobility,
Sydney
P.S. Want to learn more about enhancing your feet to benefit your whole body?
There’s a brand new “4-week Feet, Ankles & Knees” class plan inside the Pilates Tonic Online (PTO) membership.
This plan takes you through a four-week class to restore your feet, ankles, and knees.
When your feet function well, the rest of your body benefits!
The PTO membership currently costs $79 a month.
(The price will increase soon, but you can lock in the current rate by signing up now. If you maintain your membership, your rate will always stay the same, even when the price increases for others!)
Every month, PTO members receive the following:
- Two live Zoom classes + the class recording (so you never have to worry about missing a class)
- Two new movement videos
- PTO Foundation Videos: a roadmap for alignment success so you get more out of every other exercise you do
- Unlimited access to the PTO video library
- Weekly emails
8 Responses
Thank you Sydney! What are your thought on barefoot shoes? Do you think socks around the house are constricting as well? I love barefoot, but up north feet can get too cold in some seasons.
Thanks for your great questions, Amy! I love barefoot shoes (they’re all I wear). That said, if someone has been wearing regular shoes, it’s super important to get their feet/calves ready first with exercises to prepare them for more minimal shoes.
Socks are restricting too, but I totally get needing to keep your feet warm when it’s cold!
I love this practice which starts out tough/tender there in the threading of the toes. But it makes such a difference if you stick with it. My toes were so closed up I had to go very slowly. The feet will open up and feel so much better. One thing I like to do is squeeze the fingers and toes and release a few times when threaded. There’s a lot of tension in both and it seems to break some of it up. What I also marvel at is our toes used to be like fingers when we were tiny and we lose that as we age. So often older people’s feet move like one flat unit and this practice can help avoid that from happening!
Thanks so much Sydney – as always, so helpful. All the best, Laura
Super helpful feedback, Laura! Thanks so much for sharing!
Thank you for this video, Sydney!
I’ve seen toe socks (or 5 toe socks) where each toe is encased separately. Are these good to wear? Do you recommend any particular brand?
Are there any household items that can be used to separate toes perhaps while sleeping?
Silicone Correct Toes toe spacers seem difficult to wear. Are they soft or rigid? Could they actually do more harm than good if your feet are flat because of hip alignment issues?
Hi Rachel! There are thousands of nerve endings in the bottoms of the feet informing your body about the environment you’re standing/walking/moving through, so any kind of sock will muffle this communication.
But I totally understand preferring to wear socks, and toe socks can be a good alternative to regular socks. My husband really likes Injiji.
For toe spacers, I love Correct Toes. They’re made of medical-grade silicone, so they’re flexible yet durable and can be worn inside shoes. I wore them every day for years and found them an integral part of restoring my feet.
Similar to transitioning to minimal shoes, wearing toe spacers is a process. You want to start out wearing them for short periods of time, and as time goes on and your feet adapt, you can wear them for long periods.
In my opinion, something like Correct Toes will help support any other alignment work you do, especially for the hips.
Thanks for your great questions!
Hi Sydney , absolutelly this !
I give my massages barefoot , on the sand , where i work surrounded by Nature , and can not stretch enough how important is exercise the feet ; we all can do by ourselves , each day , the feeling reflect all over 😊
Thanks for light up this , amazing and simple, body joy follows 😘
Your work setting sounds amazing, Tania! 😍 Thanks so much for sharing, it’s always great to hear from you!