You probably won’t think twice about your feet…

…Until they’re suddenly a major problem and you’re in terrible pain and can’t even walk half a block.

Let that sink in, about how much that would impact everything in your life, and the amount of adventures you want to be able to experience in your life. And if you think that the best solution for foot problems is to just wear better shoes and get really good orthotics, you would be wrong.

We walked 66 miles through London and Paris last week, and I didn’t experience any foot pain.

This is nothing short of an absolute miracle.

In 2002, I had foot surgery. I inherited bunions from my mom, and the misalignment in my big toe joint was causing such excruciating pain that I had a full bunionectomy with full knowledge that I would probably need to have surgery performed on the other foot at some point in the future.

In 2003, I had to have a second procedure done on that foot to remove the hardware from the surgery which ended up causing major issues.

In 2010, I was sitting on a table in a PT office with my foot in the PT’s hand as she looked up to and said that my plantar fascia was so mangled, I would probably never be able to run again without pain and would have to wear orthotics forever.

Over the course of this time, I spent thousands of dollars on shoes, running races that I had to completely abandon due to foot pain, and even bikes that I bought because I couldn’t run anymore or even walk for very long distances.

Fast forward 14 years after sitting on that PT table and hearing that my feet were shot, I do not wear orthotics, I can run anytime I want, and the bunion on my other foot never aggravates me and I most likely won’t need surgery.

What I’m going to tell you today is what I have done to completely reverse the problems in my own feet and have taught countless others to do the same.

Highly Frustrating

If you experience foot problems, you know that they are some of THE MOST frustrating issues to deal with on your body. A lot of that is because they frequently occur when you start becoming more active.

• You WANT to go for long walks, you want to exercise and run, and so you try, but then your foot literally slams on the breaks

My mission…

In my opinion, I wholeheartedly believe that you should never have to deal with anything on your body that’s preventing you from being active the way you want to be.

• I never want you to have to think twice about doing something physical

You have a guide!

I dealt with bunions, but the most nagging thing for me was plantar fasciitis. This can feel like a stabbing pain sensation in your heel.

There are many foot problems that you could be dealing with (bunions and plantar fasciitis like me) or neuromas, and even shin splints.

Most foot problems stem from:

• PSF - Lack of posture, strength, flexibility of the foot and ankle and entire leg
• Posture - arch (too high or too collapsed) and ankle (rolls inward or rolls outward)
• Flexibility - through the plantar fascia and toes, and then up the backside of the leg (story about my mother-in-law sitting in a car for long periods of time and developing plantar fasciitis)
• Strength - the soft tissues of your feet and ankles (observe all of the tiny flexions that are occuring when you balance on one leg)

What did I start doing 14 years ago to take my feet from being a constant problem, to no longer having issues?

I started doing my workouts barefoot

• That was when I transitioned for working out at a gym, to doing my workouts at home
• I stopped wearing my shoes doing my workouts, and slowly my feet go stronger and stronger over time

Why does this work?

• Strengthens your foot and ankle muscles, tendons, ligaments and even fascia

How you can ease in to barefoot training

• Don’t just start walking around your house barefoot - repetitive stepping could overwork weaker tissues
• Do your workout barefoot

What to think about while you’re working out barefoot

• Spread your toes
• Learn how to grip with your toes
• Learn how to flatten your arch and how to pull it up
• This really came in handy on all of our walking - while standing in the subway, inside of my shoe I would flare my toes and bunch my foot

Make sure this is part of a larger functional fitness routine

• Strong core, strong glutes, long and strong hamstrings and hip flexors all matter

Big Takeaway

If there’s only one thing that you learn from this episode, let it be the toe flare and grip. Do it all the time. And then start using it when you do balancing exercises, and not only are you going to feel your feet get way stronger and healthier, but you’re going to be confident that you can walk all day for multiple days in a row, through London and Paris,  for many years to come.

If you haven’t done it yet, do my Balance Masterclass. It’s totally free, but I teach you this foot strengthening work in real time and we apply it to real exercises. Head to www.vigeofit.com/balance to get started today!

More Resources & Links

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