Pauline Caswell is the owner of Love Pilates Wirral, and this is her latest column for West Kirby Today…
Have your feet touched the ground recently?
Sometimes it feels like our feet don’t touch the ground and literally, our feet rarely actually contact the earth. Your feet can cause you many issues… and not just in your feet… in your ankles, knees, hips, back, posture and balance too. If any of these apply to you Pilates can help you.
Your feet and awareness of your feet on the ground affect your posture and therefore how you move through life, whether that’s playing golf, taking a run or just walking and standing. If there are strange things going on with your feet, it’s likely to show up in your body, either through posture or pain and this is a two-way street.
Amongst Joseph Pilates inventions were weighted shoes (worn during exercising!), contraptions for “correcting” poor foot alignment and strength. It’s likely that he also studied Reflexology, often teaching using his hands on peoples’ feet, occasionally referring to body parts that are associated with different areas of the feet.
So let us all get this right from the start, Pilates starts with your feet…. NOT your core! Go and ask anyone you know who does Pilates, there is no point in working any other part of your body without first knowing your feet and how to use them for successful and strong movements.
There is every chance that you stepped out of bed today and slid straight into slippers, then spent the next 10 or 13 hours in trainers or shoes just ignoring them. Lots of people don’t like feet, this makes me sad. Feet are amazing. Some people can even paint pictures with theirs. Your feet send important information to your brain all the time, telling you if that was just Lego or a pin on the floor (ouch!). Your feet make up almost 40% of all the joints in your body. Just read that back, nearly HALF of all of your joints that move you… are in your feet!
Why would you want to spend another minute ignoring your feet if you want to live the rest of your life mobile and strong? Are you already experiencing foot issues? You definitely need Pilates. The rest of your body will love you more for loving your feet.
If you want to learn foot exercises with me, get in touch or come along to a class at the studio in Hoylake.
You can also join one of our community groups at The Parade in Hoylake, St. Bridget’s Centre in West Kirby, St. Hildeburgh’s church hall in Hoylake and Greasby Community Centre too.
Pauline X
Pauline Caswell is the owner of Love Pilates Wirral. Pauline is a skilled 2nd Generation teacher with a direct lineage to Joseph Pilates. She’s also a qualified teacher of Education in Biology, Psychology, Science & Health. Her practice is about helping people to feel good about movement and the body you live in, whatever your lifestyle, age or ability. For more information visit www.lovepilateswirral.co.uk.
This article is sponsored and has been paid for by Love Pilates Wirral.
