Twinkle toes & Yeti feet
Kiddies feet are just the cutest. I know. I’m naturally biased, but my little ‘uns feet are perfect little works of art. As I marvel at my youngster’s tootsies I am reminded that most children at this delicate young age have yet to develop any negative body images common in adulthood. I myself suffered much self-inflicted teenage angst trying to squeeze what I thought were humongous troll’s feet (a mere size 7) into shoes that were far too small for me. Women especially are presented with images of immaculately pedicured, slender feet. However in reality we sport a wonderful array of irregular shapes and sizes.
Whether you love ‘em or hate ‘em our ten toed beauties are there for a reason. Housing one quarter of the bones in the human skeleton, our feet are designed to bare the weight of the entire body, keeping us upright and enabling locomotion. I am in agreement with Leonardo da Vinci – ‘The human foot is a masterpiece of engineering and a work of art’. The arches of our feet rival the finest renaissance ceiling enabling them to act as shock absorbers, effectively transmitting forces required in walking and running. Our forefoot and toes are dexterous enough (with practice!) to produce beautiful paintings.
If I’m feeling a little unsteady in life I turn to my feet for support. Just holding them brings me back to earth and I realise that I cannot move with positivity into the future unless I acknowledge where I am in the now.
Be kind to your feet. Give them a little massage. Walk barefoot in some green grass. Get your toenails painted or buy yourself a new pair of socks..
Love your feet exercises – watch out for any pain or cramping as a sign to rest your feet or come to stillness.
-Stand in mountain, feet hip-width apart. Feel the weight of the body distributed through both feet equally.
-Inhale slowly and steadily lift the heels up off the floor coming onto tiptoes. Exhale slowly and gently lower heel to the floor. Repeat as long as comfortable.
-One foot at a time, gently roll over the tops of the foot bringing the top of the toes in contact with the floor.
-Step one foot forwards, keeping the toes of the other foot on the floor and gently lift/roll the heel upwards stretching into the ball of the foot. Repeat on each foot.
-Looking down at the toes bring the big toe to the floor and raise the other four toes off the ground.
-Raise the little toes off the floor, keeping the other toes resting on the floor (no really! it is possible!).
-One by one try to raise each toe off the floor individually.
Shake out any accumulated tension in the feet, walk around and notice any difference in how the feet feel.
May 2015 is ‘National Walking Month’. Find out more information about this and other inspiring walking campaigns on Living Streets, UKs Pedestrian rights charity website.
Twinkle toes & Yeti feet.
