The Body Part That Could Be Holding You Back
We tend to think of mobility issues as something happening in the hips, shoulders, or maybe the spine. But there’s a part of your body that often gets overlooked, despite its direct link to everything from balance and posture to knee and back pain.
Your feet.
Strong, mobile feet create a solid foundation for movement. But when your feet get stiff, weak, or stuck in one pattern (a result of always wearing shoes and little variation in movement), it doesn’t just affect your toes. It changes how you walk, how you stand, how your knees track, how your hips stabilise and even how your spine responds to movement.
When your feet aren’t doing their job, the rest of your body has to pick up the slack. And over time, this can lead to overload in the knees, hips, lower back or even the neck.
I’m not saying you need to go barefoot all day or start doing calf raises at the bus stop. But bringing awareness and variety to your foot movement can affect how your whole body moves.
Here’s a simple question to ask yourself:
When was the last time your toes actually spread out and moved?
If your feet are always tucked into shoes, or you’ve had niggly issues with balance, hip tension, or achy knees, it’s worth bringing some focus back down to the ground.
Try this:
- Walk barefoot on different surfaces (grass, sand, carpet), even if its only for a few minutes each day.
- Spend 2 minutes gently rolling the sole of your foot on a ball – a spikey ball is best, if you need one, get in touch.
- Practice lifting and spreading your toes while standing—can you lift just the big toe? Just the little ones?
You might be surprised at what wakes up when you reconnect your brain to your feet.
Like everything I teach, it’s not about smashing yourself or doing more, it’s about moving smarter and giving your brain better movement options.
One of the first things we’ll do when you work with me is get your shoes off so we can get your feet moving with the rest of your body. If you try that in the gym, you’ll probably get in trouble but keep working out in your shoes and you’re missing out a big part of the movement puzzle.
If you’re curious about how to build a stronger, more mobile body from the ground up, let’s chat.
