Summertime can be BRUTAL on our little tooties! All those super flat sandals that lend NO arch support and hurt just as much as the heels we wear every other day of the year... I saw this article in June 2011 Yoga Journal Magazine and I HAD to share with those of you that are as shoe obsessed as I am.
Article written by Carol Krucoff - page 26 of June 2011 issue of Yoga Journal (article abridged)
Foot Notes
Heal your heels (and toes and arches) with 4 simple moves.
Weaving (Helps relieve symptoms of bunions): Weave the fingers of one hand between each of the toes of your opposite foot. With a firm grip, stretch and massage the toes and the ball of the foot, encouraging mobility and opening space between the toes.
Towel scrunches (Strengthens arches, eases plantar fasciitis): Sit with your feet flat in the ground, knee bent at 90 degrees, with a towel spread under your feet. Scrunch your toes to grab bits of the towel and pull it toward you, inch by inch, so it bunches into your arches.
Palm tree Strengthens ankles and calves): Stand in Mountain Pose, lightly touching a wall with your hands for balance. Inhaling, lift your heels as high as possible; exhaling, bring them back to earth. Repeat 5 to 10 times.
Squeeze and flex (Good for restoring flexibility, relieving bunions and hammertoes): Sitting in a chair, rest your heels on the floor. Inhale and flex your toes so there is space between all of them. Exhaling, squeeze your otes in to form a toe fist. Repeat 5 to 10 times.
