foot exercises

Movement Snacks

Movement snacks are short bursts of movement throughout the day much like you’d have a snack between meals. They are not meal substitutes. It would still benefit you to get a workout in, but whether you workout or not, adding small bursts of movement throughout the day is vital to health.

If you absolutely don’t have time for a full workout, adding in movement snacks is better than nothing. More and more research indicates that any movement you can make time for is worthwhile. A recent study out of Japan found doing one bicep curl a day increased muscle strength by 6-12 percent. Our body really responds to any movement we give it.

The goal of a movement snack is to figure out how movement can fit into your day. I’ve provided some suggestions below, but really you want to think about what will actually work in your day. Consider what is a new habit you can form. In the video below Taylor Kinzler from NBC CT LIVE mentions how she could fit in a movement snack while her videos are uploading at work. That’s the idea…think like that. But if you need some tips… try some of these:

Wake Up & Pandiculate

Your […]

Movement SnacksMaggie Downie2023-08-29T13:45:18-04:00

Bunion Pain Relief

Ouch! Looking for some bunion pain relief? A bunion is a deformation of the big toe joint. If you’ve got one, you’ll notice a boney protrusion at the base of your big to and your big toe will point in squishing all your littler toes. Genetics and footwear can lead to or worsen bunions, which are more common in women.

Aside: If you develop a bunion at your pinkie toe, it’s called a bunionette, which sounds SOOO much cuter than a bunion.

Finding Relief

Ditch the Heels Ladies (and men):

Nearly every pair of shoes you purchase (unless they are minimalist shoes) has a slight or drastic heel lift. The higher the heel lift, the more pressure on that bunion. So stick to shoes with a lower heel. Often men’s shoes have a slight heal lift too.

Traction

I have a bunion, and I find relief when I gently pull on my big toe trying to create a little space between the toe and foot. It […]

Bunion Pain ReliefMaggie Downie2019-03-15T17:29:21-04:00

Foot Pain Probably Plantar Fasciitis

Love Your Feet!

If you have foot pain in the sole of your foot it’s a likely culprit is plantar fasciitis. Most people have never heard of fascia, but most have heard of plantar fasciitis—a painful inflammation of the fascia in your foot. Fascia is connective tissue that runs through your whole body. At the sole of your foot it is a fibrous material that connects to your Achilles’ tendon. And when it hurts it hurts. Most people find it especially hurts first thing in the morning. And that is because fascia responds to movement and hydration. After sleeping, we haven’t drinking in eight hours and we’ve barely moved. The fascia stiffens.

Here are some tips to help your fascia feel better. Some of these are beneficial for the fascia throughout your body. All are specific to the fascia in your foot causing pain:

Drink Water
Ice—you can toss and ice pack under your foot whenever you are sitting down or freeze a water bottle and roll it back and forth under your foot.
At night use this time as a little R&R and rub some lotion […]

Foot Pain Probably Plantar FasciitisMaggie Downie2017-12-29T20:18:08-05:00