As I launched my new Foot Fitness website, I went back into my testimonials and started reflecting upon the people I have met or helped through the internet in different parts of the world that had foot pain. I am deeply moved by this work, the wonderful progress people have made, and their awakening to believe in feet first. Thanks so much for giving your feet a chance with safe and effective foot exercises, foot therapy tools, and healthy shoes.

In Foot Fitness for ALL, RJ

Normal populations without serious clinical issues do not need rigid heel support with shoes or devices.  Our heel support is in the foot itself!  Beyond the stability of the heel, the ankle above is primarily about mobility.  Some heel support can also reduce ankle mobility depending upon design.  If you bind or restrict the ankle from being mobile, you will increase stress and chance for injury above the ankle in lower leg bones, knee, hip, and even the back plus increase stress below the ankle in the foot itself.  From a strength perspective, to obtain “strong” ankles, we need to be able to move and exercise the ankles through FULL ranges of motion—not bind them in restrictive positions because over time—bound ankles mean weakened ankles.  Again, give your foot a chance to do its job first—not the shoes, braces, supports, or other devices!

While the foot is bare in a flip-flop, it will not have normal function during gait cycle.  In order to keep the flip flop from falling off during gait, one must flex or “scrunch” toes to keep the sandal in position.  While flip-flops are fine for most people, chronic use of flip-flops can create problems with toe deformity and create foot pain.  So if you have significant foot pain and constantly wear flip-flops, you might consider not using them for a while just to make sure they are not causing the problem.  This happened to one of my clients once—when she stopped wearing flip-flops exclusively, all the foot pain went away, and she was able to return to her normal exercise routine.

I know this sounds overly simplistic, but working muscles need more blood supply than idle muscles.  When you consider that many people with “cold feet” are sedentary and wearing stiff shoes, it makes sense that their feet are cold!  If your feet are not working, they won’t require much blood.  Feet will not work while sitting.  Feet will not work as hard to stabilize while walking in stiff and overly supportive shoes.  I have learned that by increasing foot fitness, you also improve the blood supply and circulatory system to your feet.  The more blood, the warmer the extremity.  The more work, the more blood is delivered.  So, if you want warmer feet—use them!  It’s that simple.

The ankle is a fascinating joint often misunderstood.  We have historically thought of ankles needing “ankle support,” but in reality, the ankle is more of a mobility joint designed to change positions rapidly and often to help us stay upright and vertical.