Natural Foot Care by Stephanie Tourles

Author:Stephanie Tourles
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Storey Publishing, LLC
Published: 1998-03-25T16:00:00+00:00

REMEMBER...

If the shoe fits, buy it, wear it, and by all means remember the brand name and where you bought it.

* Carol Frey, M.D., Director of the Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Center in Manhattan Beach, California, has kindly let me reprint this article on varying shoe lacing patterns. The information is geared toward athletes but can be applied to any type of lace-up shoe.

CHAPTER 6

EXERCISES FOR THE FEET

Think back... way back. How did you arrive into this world? Were you born with shoes on? Tight socks or hosiery? Did you have corns, calluses, hammertoes, or bunions? No! You arrived buck naked, soft, smooth, and barefoot.

In a world void of concrete, asphalt, tar, broken glass, metal, chewing gum, hot pavement, corporate dress codes, or fashion trends, you could continue to go through life barefoot and carefree, or at the very most wear loose sandals in summer and warm, loose moccasins in the winter (some people do). But, alas, most of us do not live in such a place.

For the shoe-wearing masses, specific foot exercises can be of great benefit to strengthen and stretch the muscles of the foot, relieve cramping and strain in the arches, ease heel pain, and the pain of hammertoes, bunions, and toe cramps. Basically, foot exercises can help to counteract the symptoms of footwear abuse.

Some of you may wonder why you need to exercise your feet. You walk a little or a lot during each day, depending on your lifestyle, and that should be sufficient, right? Wrong! This walking that you routinely do is probably done in ill-fitting shoes. Even if you wear correct shoes you are still subjecting your feet to some type of rubbing, binding, pressure, or suffocation from lack of air circulation. Your feet, just like the rest of your body, need to be toned and stretched in their natural, unbound state: barefoot. You don’t wear your work clothes to run, walk, or go to the gym in do you? You wear something loose and comfortable. So why would you wear shoes when you exercise your feet? Feet should be free and unfettered for at least ten hours per day. If you want your feet to provide you with years of uninterrupted service, treat them with the utmost care. Daily hygiene and a few exercises go a long way toward this goal. Do keep in mind though, that ten to fifteen minutes of foot exercise every day will not do any good if you continue to wear ill-fitting shoes that constrict movement and force your feet into unnatural shapes.

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