My tight toe extensors were so noticeable in that last photo I put up, it reminded me that I've been neglecting my foot stretching. And calf stretching. (You name it.)
But it's so easy to do Top of the Foot Stretch! -- Here, I'll show you:
It's simple to do -- just bend one knee and place the top of that foot on the ground behind you. (But darn it, I had the wrong pants leg rolled up, and the stretching foot doesn't even show!)
If this is the first time you're trying this, perhaps you should hold on to something for balance (a wall, a chair), though that is not what I'm doing here. I was typing on the computer at the kitchen-counter-standing-work-station, demonstrating how we can do some things that are helpful for our bodies while we work, rather than just ignoring and wrecking our selves. It is so simple, BUT we need to get into a few necessary lower body alignment points.
(For even more fun, read Katy Bowman's STANCE blog).
ALIGNMENT from the side: LATERAL ANKLEBONE, KNEE and MID-PELVIS LINED UP
See how my standing leg (the straight one) is lined up so the middle of my pelvis is not forward of my knee and ankle? You might quibble that my pelvis is actually back a little behind the anklebone (aka malleolus), but that is okay in this case. It's good that my weight is in the heel of my standing leg, not the forefoot, so my toes are free, not scrunching up to keep me from pitching forward.
That way we give our quadriceps muscles (front of the thigh) some slack, and they need that. (They need it because we use chairs, they need it for the sake of our knees. And hips. And backs.)
Is your stretching foot cramping? Don't worry, you are not damaging yourself, just shake it out and try again. It will get better (and more ALIVE) with practice. DO PUT SOME PADDING under those toes. I used a folded-up sheet, you can use anything.
But it's so easy to do Top of the Foot Stretch! -- Here, I'll show you:
It's simple to do -- just bend one knee and place the top of that foot on the ground behind you. (But darn it, I had the wrong pants leg rolled up, and the stretching foot doesn't even show!)
If this is the first time you're trying this, perhaps you should hold on to something for balance (a wall, a chair), though that is not what I'm doing here. I was typing on the computer at the kitchen-counter-standing-work-station, demonstrating how we can do some things that are helpful for our bodies while we work, rather than just ignoring and wrecking our selves. It is so simple, BUT we need to get into a few necessary lower body alignment points.
(For even more fun, read Katy Bowman's STANCE blog).
ALIGNMENT from the side: LATERAL ANKLEBONE, KNEE and MID-PELVIS LINED UP
See how my standing leg (the straight one) is lined up so the middle of my pelvis is not forward of my knee and ankle? You might quibble that my pelvis is actually back a little behind the anklebone (aka malleolus), but that is okay in this case. It's good that my weight is in the heel of my standing leg, not the forefoot, so my toes are free, not scrunching up to keep me from pitching forward.
That way we give our quadriceps muscles (front of the thigh) some slack, and they need that. (They need it because we use chairs, they need it for the sake of our knees. And hips. And backs.)
Is your stretching foot cramping? Don't worry, you are not damaging yourself, just shake it out and try again. It will get better (and more ALIVE) with practice. DO PUT SOME PADDING under those toes. I used a folded-up sheet, you can use anything.
Here is a closeup of the stretching foot:
At first you may only be able to get your toenails on the ground and trying to do more may be painful. DON'T BE PAINFUL. I mean, seriously, if you aren't being nice to yourself you are not doing it right! Keep doing a little bit, but often (like, up to a minute 1 to 10 times a day) and it will get easier, and it will start to feel great. Think of "letting go" in your foot, and do both feet.
Notice how my front foot looks like it's levitating? That's just because I'm externally rotating my femur. "What, huh?" you might say? I will explain another time.
Alignment from the front: OUTSIDE EDGES OF FEET STRAIGHT, FEET HIP WIDTH APART
At first you may only be able to get your toenails on the ground and trying to do more may be painful. DON'T BE PAINFUL. I mean, seriously, if you aren't being nice to yourself you are not doing it right! Keep doing a little bit, but often (like, up to a minute 1 to 10 times a day) and it will get easier, and it will start to feel great. Think of "letting go" in your foot, and do both feet.
Notice how my front foot looks like it's levitating? That's just because I'm externally rotating my femur. "What, huh?" you might say? I will explain another time.
Alignment from the front: OUTSIDE EDGES OF FEET STRAIGHT, FEET HIP WIDTH APART
Feet "hip-width apart" means that the middle of your ankles, as seen from the front, should line up with your front hip bones, or ASIS's. If you have trouble finding your ASIS's, write me and I'll help.
This move stretches and improves circulation and innervation down the lower leg (where the extrinsic muscles of the foot live), ankle, and top of the foot, but also gives an experience of slack and relief to the calf muscles, Achilles tendon, and plantar fascia, and wakes up the intrinsic muscles in the foot.
This is a great exercise to alternate with The Calf Stretch, going back and forth between the two and getting circulation and lymph flow pumping through the area. You can give excellent therapeutic massages to your own self with techniques like these. (Definitely great for doing anytime you're standing -- but at least part of the time give yourself some exclusive attention, listening in to your body and its sensations.)
HAS THIS BEEN TOO HARD ON YOU?
If you aren't ready for standing up and squashing your toes on the ground, maybe sitting in a chair is the way to go for now. Or, maybe you want to have this trick handy for when you have to sit in a chair and you need to occupy yourself while trapped in a boring business meeting. I think the pictures below are self-explanatory, but I'll just explain this much: try different positions and be gentle.
This move stretches and improves circulation and innervation down the lower leg (where the extrinsic muscles of the foot live), ankle, and top of the foot, but also gives an experience of slack and relief to the calf muscles, Achilles tendon, and plantar fascia, and wakes up the intrinsic muscles in the foot.
This is a great exercise to alternate with The Calf Stretch, going back and forth between the two and getting circulation and lymph flow pumping through the area. You can give excellent therapeutic massages to your own self with techniques like these. (Definitely great for doing anytime you're standing -- but at least part of the time give yourself some exclusive attention, listening in to your body and its sensations.)
HAS THIS BEEN TOO HARD ON YOU?
If you aren't ready for standing up and squashing your toes on the ground, maybe sitting in a chair is the way to go for now. Or, maybe you want to have this trick handy for when you have to sit in a chair and you need to occupy yourself while trapped in a boring business meeting. I think the pictures below are self-explanatory, but I'll just explain this much: try different positions and be gentle.
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| HAS THIS BEEN TOO EASY FOR YOU? Okay, here's a treat for you then: First of all, don't hold on to anything, making it a balance exercise, too. Then, bend both knees and reach one leg back into a careful lunge, with the top of the back foot on the ground. Now straighten both legs. Don't let your pelvis drift forward of your front ankle, and keep your front toes liftable and relaxed. |  |  |
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Wow, was this too damn much? But THERE'S MORE! There's more I need to say about why and how to stretch the top of the foot, and there's more I need to say about GREECE!
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