How To Care For Your Arches!

Centuries ago man walked everywhere in his barefeet and on every type of surface.  While walking in barefeet his foot reflexes were stimulated on a continuous basis which promoting overall health.

Now a days we walk in thick soled shoes on very hard, flat surfaces.  These hard, flat surfaces are not good for our feet, arches and back.  Depending on the shoe there can be little to no arch support when walking in shoes, but when walking in barefeet our arches are supported by the flexibility in the ground.

How To Care For Your Arches?

If your arches are starting to ache the best thing you can do is to strengthen them.  One exercise to strengthen my arch was introduced to me by my mother a ballet instructor.  She showed me that pointing my toes and holding this position for a short period of time contracts the arch muscles and builds muscle strength.  This exercise can be repeated five times on each foot daily.

Do you find when you get out of bed in the morning your feet ache until you have walked on them for a bit.  Your feet and legs have been in a rested horizontal position while sleeping.  It is best to sit up in bed first and dangle your legs over the bed.  Move your feet and legs around a bit to waken up the muscles before putting all your weight onto your feet.  If you are feeling ill it is especially important to follow this process before getting out of bed as your body is weak.  Stepping quickly on them can overstress your arches.

Take some time to walk around in your backyard barefoot to stimulate the reflexes in your feet and improve your health.  As a Certified Reflexologist I do recommend monthly reflexology sessions if you are unable to kick off your shoes and feel the grass under your feet.