A few weeks back, I went for a run and tweaked my calf. This was unusual for a couple reasons. First, I was only about half a mile into the run. I had been running two miles consistently 3-5 mornings a week over the past two months, so my body Read more…
Flat feet get a bad rap. They are the scapegoat of many aches and pains throughout the body, from the feet themselves to the knees, hips, back, and even the neck. But, what is rarely ever talked about is that your feet HAVE to flatten. Your feet have to flatten Read more…
Welcome back to this week’s edition of 2-Minute Tuesdays where we are talking about one exercise topic for two minutes and giving you three reasons why you should follow our advice. Now this week, we’re talking to those of you who are preparing for golf season. The links are opening Read more…
Every day on TV, in magazines, and online we see images of fitness thrown our way. Exercises to strengthen your legs, your back, your arms, your abs, and your butt are constantly being demonstrated. But, one area of your body that is often neglected during your workouts is your feet. Read more…
Compensation often gets a bad rap. It is portrayed in a negative light as the demise of your orthopedic health and something that needs to be eviscerated by any means necessary. However, compensation is actually a brilliant way for your body to remain highly functioning from one moment to the next. Without compensation, we would likely have far more physical issues throughout our entire body. The caveat, though, is that we may not want to compensate in the same manner for an extended period of time. Not only can this put excess stress on certain muscles, it can also stress your joints.
Welcome back to this week’s edition of Two-Minute Tuesdays where we pick one exercise topic, talk about it for two minutes, and give you three reasons why you should follow our advice. This week we are talking about balance, specifically, exercise tips to improve your balance.
I remember when I started taping and wrapping my feet. I would wrap the tape so tightly that I either had to sit or, if I stood, I had to deal with the fact that my toes would be blue. This all started before the age of ten. I remember my feet hurting so badly that I told my mother that I was scared that the bottom arch of my foot was going to literally rip and snap.
I remember my mother putting each of my feet into hard plastic boots before tucking me into my youthful, flower-power pink sheets at night. I remember having to wear the ugliest and clunkiest “pronator” shoes in 3rd grade when all my friends wore pink light-up shoes. I remember hating the 1-mile run day at school because it meant that I wouldn’t be able to participate in dance class later that night. (more…)
In Part One of the Healthy Feet series, I wrote about why your feet must absolutely be able to move. Your feet are made up of 28 bones and over 50 joints, and each one of these need to be able to move in order for the joints to remain healthy. In Part Two, I wrote about why your muscles need to be strong in order to support the bones and joints of your feet. I also recommended three different exercises that you can do to help improve the strength of your feet. Now, we need to talk about why your feet must be stable in order for them to be healthy.
What?? Feet need to be both mobile AND stable?? (more…)
In last week’s post, I discussed why your feet need to move. To recap, your feet are made up of many bones and joints. In order for each of the joints to stay healthy, they have to be able to move. Performing exercises for the muscles of your feet can help with this.
One of the most effective ways of ensuring that your joints are able to move is to make sure your muscles are working well. Why? Because the number one purpose of muscles is to help position and control joints. In other words, muscles help your joints move, so making sure your muscles are working well will help to make sure your joints are moving well. As a certified personal trainer and Muscle Activation Techniques™ specialist in Schaumburg, this is a conversation I often have with my clients. (more…)
As a certified personal trainer and Muscle Activation Techniques™ specialist in Schaumburg, I understand the importance of having healthy feet. In fact, making sure my clients have healthy feet is of great importance to me because of how often we use our feet. Nearly every physical activity is heavily dependent on your feet being healthy, stable, and functioning well. Furthermore, issues that begin in the feet can quickly impact the health and function of the rest of the body. (more…)