Oh my aching feet! Have you ever said that? Maybe you are training for a marathon or a triathlon. Or maybe you just cram them into shoes that don't allow a lot of movement for the toes. Sometimes we don't realize we should be wearing a bigger size. I remember when I was a child, my mom would take me to the local shoe store in town and they would measure my foot. Sometimes one foot would be bigger than the other, so we would buy the bigger pair. Once adults it seems we rarely have our feet measured. Certain things can affect the size of our feet, one being pregnancy. Even so most of us still wear our regular size. Just like the rest of our bodies our feet need attention. Not just a pedicure, that helps, but a fitness regime.

The foot and ankle contain 26 bones, 33 joints and more than 100 muscles, tendons and ligaments. Not to forget a network of blood vessels, nerves, skin and soft tissue that work together to provide mobility and a foundation for the body. They are meant to work together but also independently of each other. In other words, we should be able to fan our toes from little to big and then big to little. Our big toe should be able to move up and down independently of the other toes. Years of wearing tight shoes can make our toes almost move as a unit. Ouch! Do you ever get out of bed and your feet feel stiff? Do you suffer from plantar fasciitis or Morton's neuroma? Do you think you're flat footed? All of these things are caused by improper foot mechanics. A lot of them are learned habits, like pronating or supinating. Most people have an arch; they just lose it by pronating in. This can lead to stiffness, plantar fasciitis and many other foot problems. Starting a foot fitness program is as simple as standing and lifting your arches in and out, fanning your toes (not with a fan) but rather working from small to big and then big to small. Give yourself a foot massage and encourage circulation or have your partner treat you to one. Take care of callouses and moisturize your feet. Be kind to your feet. Always remember whatever happens at our feet transfers up the legs, knees, hips and back. Think of your feet as the foundation of your body. You would not build a house with weak materials, for fear it would fall down. Improve your posture by starting with your feet. Strong flexible feet will improve your body mechanics.

Start today to take care of your feet. Five minutes a day of attention can give you a life time of pain free feet. For more information about fitness and health, please contact Kay Colgan at Middleburg Pilates and Personal Training at K's, 14 S. Madison Street, Middleburg, Virginia or call 540-687-6995.