This easy foot fitness exercise is done with the Yamuna Foot Savers.  Using Foot Savers for foot care  is a great way to stretch and relax tight muscles through the arch and entire sole of the foot.  Use this great foot-care product to help reduce foot pain, Plantar Fasciitis, and other foot muscle injuries.   Answer the questions in my quick foot care quiz and discover how Foot Savers can help keep your feet healthy and fit. 

Foot Care Quiz…

• Do you love your feet?
• How many hours a day are you standing, walking, or running?
• Do you ever experience foot or arch pain?
• Have you ever been challenged with plantar fasciitis?
• What have you done for to help your feet feel better?
• Do you treat your feet regularly, or only when they hurt?

I’d love to know your answers,  if the mood strikes, drop me a comment on my website, blog, or facebook fan page – http://www.Facebook.com/centerworks.

OK, back to our topic of foot fitness, and my foot-care tip for the week…

Exercising your ankles, arches and toes is important to develop the proper balance of strength and muscle control, but the other important component is flexibility. The muscles of our feet need to be both fluid and rigid so the action of work and release can happen  to help propel our bodies forward when we walk and run.  To me, fluid means flexible, or supple.  Sometimes our muscles get so tight that stretching seems impossible!  But it’s that release that will help keep our feet pain and injury free.

One of my favorite ways to help release and relax the muscles along the sole of the foot is to use my Yamuna Foot Savers.  In my opinion, this is one of the greatest little foot-care toys out there.  If you don’t have a pair yet, you’ll find them on my website at Centerworks.com in the Foot Care Products section of the store.

Here’s How I Use My Foot Savers.

• Stand with the Foot Savers under your heels.
• Maintain good, tall posture and breathe!
• Take 3-5 long, deep breaths and try to relax the heel of the foot.  If things release, you might feel like your foot sinks just a little bit into the Foot Saver.

This isn’t about balance, so find something you can hold onto.  A chair, counter, back of the couch.  Anything that’s sturdy to hang on to and help keep you upright.

• Now move the foot on the Foot Saver just a little bit forward of the heel.
• Continue with your tall posture and take 3-5 good breaths.  Focus on feeling the muscles under the foot relax.

Continue progressively moving forward along the sole of the foot through the arch.  Hold each position for your 3-5 breaths, or until you feel the muscles of the arch relax, before moving along to the next spot.

For almost everybody when you get started with these, you’re probably going to notice some tender spots along the bottom of your feet.  Sad to say, but if you feel it, you need it!  This is kind of like that love/hate relationship if you’ve ever used a foam roller along the outside of your thigh to help your IT band.  It might hurt, but it’s really helping.  I promise, the more you use your Foot Savers, the less your feet will hurt while you’re standing on these little half-balls, and the better they’re going to feel  ALL the time!

• At some point you’ll be past the tender spots and able to put your heels down behind you.  Now you’re really starting to open up the front of the foot.
• Work your way through the ball of the foot, until your foot is on the floor and toes are up on the Foot Savers.
• Then step off and notice how your feet feel.

If you’ve got flat feet, the arches may feel a little more lifted.  If you’ve got tight arches, they may feel a little more released.  What you’ve done is let gravity assist you in stretching the muscles and fascia along the sole of the foot!

I always start going straight down the center of the foot, but we’ve actually got two long arches.  The medial arch along the inside of the foot, and the lateral arch along the outside of the foot.  If you want a little bit more, you can repeat this along the inside and outside of your foot to specifically hit both of these long arches!

I think everybody should own a pair of Foot Savers! If you walk, run, dance, play football or soccer, hike, ski, rock climb, ride horses, wear high heeled shoes, skate, cycle, do Yoga, or Pilates…..Whatever your sport,  these little foot-care toys are so easy to pop in your workout bag.  I always have mine handy at home, and when I travel they’re always in my carry-on bag because they ‘re so nice and small to pack, and so valuable to use!

I hope I’ve inspired you to get your feet on a pair of Foot Savers!  If you already have a pair, but they’ve been collecting dust, get ‘em out and start using them.  Wishing you had a pair? Hop on my website at Centerworks.com and order your pair today. While you’re there, check out all my other foot fitness tools so you can have happy, healthy feet!  Your feet will LOVE You for it!