Toe Spacers for Better Mobility, Reduced Pain and Improved Performance

Toe Spacers for Better Mobility, Reduced Pain and Improved Performance

Sometimes the smallest things (literally) can have a big impact! While these toe spaces may be tiny, they are mighty! At the recommendation of our FANTASTIC physical therapist Dr. Mark Bautista my husband and I started wearing them to help improve the alignment of our toes which can get squished and abused in shoes over time and from loads of activity like hiking and running.

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Get More Mobile Ankles and Stronger Feet in 3 Minutes

Get More Mobile Ankles and Stronger Feet in 3 Minutes

I’ve had multiple clients ask me this week how to take better care of their feet. Whether you have joint pain (foot, knee, hip or back) now or simply want to avoid it in the future, here’s my gameplay for healthy tootsies.

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Couch Talk with Morgan and JJ: Foot Love

Couch Talk with Morgan and JJ: Foot Love

Your amazing foot is filled with 26 bones, 30 joints and loads and loads of mechanoreceptors which provide critical information to the brain to help it make all sorts of decisions. Unfortunately, our feet can easily get stiff and immobile by stuffing them in ill-fitting shoes, walking around on weird surfaces or just not using them enough. So in this month’s Couch Talk we get up off the couch and show you some yummy and effective foot mobility and strengthening drills to give your feet (and your brain) some love!

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How Weak Ankles and Ankle Mobility Affect the Rest of Your Body

How Weak Ankles and Ankle Mobility Affect the Rest of Your Body

As a successful personal trainer for Equinox in San Francisco I’ve worked with hundreds of clients. They want to be lean. They want to be strong. They want to be healthy. But no one ever says “I want strong feet and mobile ankles.” Yet weak feet are often the biggest roadblocks to achieving their health goals. The ankle is one of our most important and commonly overlooked joints. Pain and injuries in the knees, hips and lower back can often be traced to issues at the ankle joint. Think of how often and how many ways we use our ankles: walking, running, biking, squatting, yoga, balancing, dancing (you get the idea). If the muscles acting on your ankle are chronically tight or if the joint itself is jammed or lacks proper mobility the impact can be painful and damaging as the body will compensate at other joints to accommodate movement. Check out my interview in Shape Magazine to learn how to improve your ankle mobility, reduce pain and improve performance in your workouts.

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Unjam Your Body’s Highway from the Foot Up

Unjam Your Body’s Highway from the Foot Up

Some of the brain’s most important sensory input comes from our feet. When the joints of our feet get jammed (from wearing the wrong shoe, having unstable arches or any number of other issues) the information flow from our surroundings to our bodies to our brains (and from our brains to our bodies in response) gets jammed. It’s like we’re stuck in traffic and the brain looks for whatever detour it can take to make movement happen. Until we unjam these joints and free up that highway we’re stuck with poor movement that can lead to pain, injury and less than optimal performance. Read on for a video of a simple drill that might help you move better!

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