The Pilates for Beginners course started last Tuesday, and week one was about your feet and how you connect to the ground to improve movement.
Each foot has 7000 nerve endings, which get desensitized when we are in shoes – the thicker the sole, the more problematic the shoe. Those nerves are meant to read the terrain to send messages through the nervous system so your body knows what muscles need to fire in what order and at what intensity.
Wearing shoes takes that information away, making our step heavier and the impact through the joints more intense than it should be… Then we end up with osteoarthritis (where the joint wears down), and ankle, knee, and back pain because the muscles aren’t firing appropriately to support the joints.
In addition to the joint issues, your muscles will not get stronger either because they are not firing as they should… We need strong and supple muscles to protect us as we age.
Unfortunately, our streets are not made for walking around without shoes on…
So, unless for particular health or mobility issues (diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, injury), I encourage you to move around your house without shoes (or socks) as much as possible, and if you do Pilates with me, we do exercises to help build strength in your feet and ankles.
2023 November/December in-person Pilates for Beginners course is full, but if you want to register interest for 2024 courses, please reply to this email. Or, if you want to get started today, you can with my online course. JOIN HERE
