I sprained my foot 3 weeks ago. 1 week before we were to leave for Europe for a month. If you have not been to Europe, specifically Amsterdam and Paris, you may not know that both cities require A LOT of walking. Not to mention the long 2-day affair it takes to get there. Airports, heavy luggage and 2 small children were enough to make me almost opt in for the rental wheelchairs.

I trudged through, with ibuprofen, ice, arnica and pure mom power. Our first stop was Amsterdam for 3 weeks and to my joy, the culture is that of bicyclists! Riding a bike everywhere saved my foot and allowed it to heal slowly (while giving my body some long overdue cardio).

What came to my surprise was the awareness I had while walking my sons to the playground during our second week. As I activated my pelvic floor I could literally feel the arches of my feet pick up! As a Pilates educator, dancer and mover my whole life I had never experienced this before. I knew that the chain from feet to pelvic floor existed. In all my teacher training, learning from excellent mentors and the results I saw with the incredible power of the feet from my own clients, I knew this to be true. But… perhaps because I have always been training my feet until my 2nd son was born, I had never truly felt the connection.

The feet provide the foundation for the rest of the body up top. You can think of it like a house. First, you need to be a solid base from which to build upon a solid frame and continue outward. Same for the body. The arches of our feet (our base) in particular create buoyancy and cushion for the impact we have with each step we take. If the arches are weak, they fall inward creating a chain reaction up the body. The ankles fall in, the knees fall in and then the pelvic floor follows suit. All the goodie midline muscles start to collapse and lead to a lot of compensation elsewhere.

So… I know so many of us are taught these great pelvic floor exercises like kegels, squats, breathing, etc. but why is no one giving us footwork? Maybe if you have an informed trainer you are getting that but if not, try to implement some exercises for the feet. Below are two links below that will give you easy, at home, in the office, doable whenever/wherever you can exercises. You can also grab a handy TheraBand and get some excellent movements with a little resistance.

Footwork should be done daily if possible. If you are a busy human, like most of us, do it even if just a few minutes a day. Add it on to your current workout. Do a little in front of the television. Do a mini workout under your desk. A little goes a long way!! All the way up to your pelvic floor actually!

Wearing foot supports in your shoes less (or not at all) and walking barefoot more can also pump up those forgotten muscles!

Give those feet some love! They carry you through life and should get a little more attention than they probably do.