The feet are the foundation for our entire body.  With approximately 7,000 proprietors, they are the most densely innervated part of the body (the second is the spine).  There are locations in the structures of the foot that “communicate” directly with segments of the spine and pelvis and vice versa.  So, for every portion of the foot that does not have a healthy link to the floor, there is a corresponding weakness in the back.  These shortcomings are very likely to create a compromised postural habit or improper compensation that will cause pain in the body.

The feet are the first station of our body’s coordination and dance with gravity.  The energy drawn up from the floor through our feet is like a recoil (think suction cup) that filters it’s way through the pelvic floor, transverse abdominals, and diaphragm. When these structures are optimally aligned, stacked like building blocks, our spine and pelvis are able to achieve a natural flexibility and strength to ensure correct posture.  A healthy arch in the foot enables the postural muscles of the body (pelvic floor, transverse abdominals, diaphragm, and multifidus) to work well.  The kinetic energy drawn up from the floor through the feet allow the skeletal structures (pelvis and spine) to properly bear weight and create a dynamic rhythm of the bones thereby improving posture and gait.

So if our feet are so vitally important, why is it that we often overlook them?  Think about your daily routine.  You probably roll out of bed in the morning, take a shower, brush your teeth.  You then dress for the day and get into your car.  You drive to work, sit in a chair for 8 hours, drive home, eat and then collapse into a heap onto your couch. How much time out of your day was spent getting up from a position where your hips were lower than your knees?  Probably very little. The body requires hundreds of muscles to perform this task.  And working this way reinforces the importance of the foot’s relationship to the spine.  As a “civilized” society, we spend very little time on the ground or rising from the floor so we’ve lost our ability to strengthen the biomechanics of our feet.  Our feet have become de-conditioned and weak and therefore, so has our spine.

Want to work your feet more effectively?  Here are 4 easy “steps” that we can all do everyday to improve the health of our feet…

1.  Get on the floor 
Spend some time sitting on the floor on your knees.  Practice this by either sitting on your heels, with either the toes curled underneath you or top of the arch of your foot on the floor.  If you have difficulty doing this because of knee or hip issues, place a pillow or two underneath your seat on your heels.  You should sit in this posture for as long as you can, increasing the amount of time everyday.  This position encourages flexibility through the hips and lubricates the joints.  Sitting on your toes also provides the required strength for push off in an efficient gait pattern.

2.  Take off your shoes! (and socks) 
For most of us, our feet are stuffed into cramped shoes for too long during the day, desensitizing us to the floor. Socks can act in the same way.  Think of the socks on your feet like gloves for your hands.  How difficult would it be to button your shirt with mittens on?   When was the last time you really felt the floor?  Walking on uneven surfaces with bare feet, such as rocks or a sandy beach, directly stimulates the firing patterns of segments of the multifidus, a major core muscle in the spine.  Additionally, if adequate glide in the ankle does not exist, the hips and back have the potential to lock up as well.  The gliding action of the ankle bone as it negotiates an irregular surface stimulates movement of the hip bones and the pelvis since the heels and sitz bones mirror each other.  Freedom in the ankle creates the potential for a more released spine.

3.  Take the stairs
The next time you’re tempted to hop into an elevator, use the long way.  The secret is that you need to get your whole foot on the stairs.  Ascending stairs with only the forefoot engages the quads and calves.  Overuse of these muscles can lock up the ankles and therefore the pelvis.  Walking up stairs by pressing through the heel strengthens the whole back line of the body, primarily the hamstrings and glutes.  Proper engagement of these muscles encourage the disassociation of the thigh from the pelvis and spine, so that you can move your leg without affecting the back.  Often people with back problems walk by swinging their leg and pelvis together as they step forward.  This faulty pattern of movement causes extraneous weight to be shifted directly onto the back when walking.

4.  Have a ball
One of the most inexpensive and simple tools for strengthening and stretching your feet is a tennis ball.  Work your feet by standing on the ground with one foot on the ball.  Roll your foot on the ball with both feet in parallel.  Focus on the inside, middle and outside of your foot.  Make sure to apply adequate pressure onto the ball.  For some this can be uncomfortable as you are loosening the plantar fascia, or connective tissue, underneath your foot.  It also conditions the bottom of your foot.  The fascia underneath the foot must be supple enough to conform to the surface off the floor, but also strong enough to negotiate and rebound from it.   As you can see, we can all take simple to dramatically improve the integrity of our spine and feet. Vitality and well being are never more than 4 “steps” away.

- Written by Angelique ]]> http://www.bellaformapilates.com/blog/from-the-floor-to-the-core-4-steps-for-a-better-back/feed/ 0 http://www.bellaformapilates.com/blog/do-you-know-bill-phillips-yet/ http://www.bellaformapilates.com/blog/do-you-know-bill-phillips-yet/#comments Sat, 28 May 2011 22:49:07 +0000 admin http://www.bellaformapilates.com/?p=573 Bill Phillips is the author of the #1 health and fitness book of ALL TIME, Body-for-LIFE® (over 6 million copies sold), and the legend who has over ONE MILLION before and after success photos from his ravings fans (these photos take up an entire warehouse there are so many!), just released his brand new Transformation Solution Program after more than a decade of tireless research.

(And just wait until you see some of the new before and after photos and success stories at the link below…Ahhmaazing and so inspiring!)

That’s the good news, the GREAT news is that I was personally contacted by Bill to offer this new program to our VIP customers (YOU!) at a special discount… but it isn’t available to the general public… Bill is donating all of his profits from this program to charities for children, so it’s also for a good cause…which sealed the deal for me.

The Transformation Solution < ===== Click Here

If you’ve struggled to drop body fat in the past and don’t know why, then you really owe it to yourself to discover the real roadblock that is keeping you from what you want in life and the breakthrough solution to overcome it.

What I like about this program is it addresses both the physical (eat smart and get exercise) and also the emotional (questions to ask yourself about your choices) as these always go together.

I couldn’t recommend a more credible or knowledgeable coach than Bill Phillips and this new program is groundbreaking. I just started it myself as I have my 20th high school reunion AND my brother’s wedding coming up! Would you join me?

Bill has helped over ONE MILLION people transform and he will help you, too. So pick up a copy of your Transformation Solution Program today.

To Our Transformation!
Gina

The Transformation Solution < ===== Click Here

Want to find out more about our Pilates Classes? Visit http://www.bellaformapilates.com

The Bella Forma Pilates Team with Rael, Founder of BASI, at Avalon Workshop

Want to find out more about Pilates? Visit http://www.bellaformapilates.com
 

Learn more about Pilates . Visit http://www.bellaformapilates.com

You’ve probably heard of the legendary Vitamix, the ideal way to make sure you and your family are consuming enough vitamins and nutrients through delicious and healthy smoothies, soups and other recipes.

If you’ve been around the studio owner, Gina, lately you know she is crazy about hers and decided to give one away to one lucky pilates client this Fall!

Each time you attend a pilates lesson or class your name will be entered in to a random, online drawing system.  You’ll also get an additional entry for each friend you refer to us now through October 31 (thank you!).

We’ll announce the winner Tuesday, November 15th just in time for the holidays and promise to include our favorite  recipes.

Joseph Pilates says this of cats in his booklet Return to Life Through Contrology:

Observe closely how all [the cat’s] back muscles actually ripple as it stretches and relaxes itself. Cats as well as other animals acquire this ideal rhythm of motion because they are constantly stretching and relaxing themselves, sharpening their claws, twisting, squirming, turning, climbing, wrestling, and fighting…. [Pilates] exercises emphasize the need for this constant stretching and relaxing. (4)

One member of the cast of Cats is using Pilates to learn to move like a cat. Click here to read about her.

Want to learn more about our Pilates Classes? Visit http://www.bellaformapilates.com

WooHoo! That means that 8.6 million Americans are finding the balance, core strength, flexibility, and focus gained by practicing Pilates!