- Do You Ever Experience Foot Pain?
- Do You Ever Feel Like Your Toes Are All Jammed Together?
(especially if you’re a gal that likes to wear pointy-toed shoes!) - Do You Like To Wear Flip-Flops or Other Strapless Shoes?
- Do You Have Hammer Toes?
When our toe joints get jammed together it affects the whole foot. If the bones of our feet are too close together, the muscles and joints can’t move properly, which means our feet don’t work like they should when we walk and run. It’s all about freedom of movement! And we need good joint space to move well.
Here’s a video to demonstrate the Fantastic Feet exercise of the Week: Toe Circles!
The Fantastic Feet exercise of the week is Toe Circles!
Sit in a comfortable position, and take your shoes & socks off so you can see your feet. If you can’t reach your toes, find a friend and work together to practice this exercise.
- Begin with the Big Toe. Grab it close to where the toe meets the rest of your foot and gently pull it away from your foot to increase the space at the metatarsal joint. Then, while you’ve created that little extra joint space, use your fingers to move your Big Toe in a circular motion about 3-5 times one direction, then switch directions.
- Repeat this with each individual toe on one foot.
- Stand up and see if you can notice a difference between the foot you just did your toe circles with and the one you haven’t exercised yet?
- You may notice that your weight is more evenly distributed through the foot.
- If you have more of a flat foot, you might feel like your arch is a little more lifted.
- If you have a high arch, you may feel like your arch is a little more relaxed.
- If your toes tend to drift to the right or left, they might be pointed just a little straighter ahead.
Balance is important! Sit back down and do your Toe Circles with the other foot. Do 3-5 circles one direction, then reverse the circle. Repeat this for each toe starting with your big toe and working to your little toe.
With just a couple of quick toe circles, you will probably already start to see and feel a difference in your feet! Imagine how they’ll feel after you’ve consistently practiced your circles a couple times a week! Take a couple of minutes before or after your workout, while you’re watching TV, or soaking in the tub to treat your feet with Toe Circles!
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Love to hear about how your feet feel after practicing your Toe Circles! Drop me a comment and share your thoughts.
Click on the links to visit Centerworks.com if you’re searching for more great Foot Fitness information and helpful foot care products.
Also for toes, consider toe spreads: should toe separators be used to stretch the toes sideways?
Hi Brian!
Thanks for your comments & question:) I do encourage some clients to play with toe separators, or wearing the pedicure pads around the house, to help stretch the toes apart, but I also teach clients the “Terrific Toe Series” exercises from my book Fantastic Feet! as well as using the sticks in the Centerworks Foot Fitness Kit, so they can learn how to use the muscles of their feet and toes in a medial/lateral direction to improve strength, mobility, and control. We need the passive stretch that something like a toe separator helps provide, as well as the strength, flexibility, and mobility to actually move our toes apart on their own.