Your Shoes Are Causing Foot Issues

321go • July 25, 2023

We live in a society where wearing shoes in public places is normal and probably for good reason since it would be not hygienic. Walking barefoot on public grounds/floors would be a recipe for athlete’s foot and plantar warts. So it’s understandable that we walk with shoes on for most of the day.

However, that doesn’t go without consequences. 87% of humans will experience some form of foot issues at some point in their life. Part of the contributing factor is your shoes for two reasons.

1) The width of your shoes

Most of the shoes out there are too narrow which bring your toes closer together then they are supposed to. This can lead to bunions and other anatomical deformities in the foot that can cause injury and make your feet less stable on the ground. Below is a picture of how spread apart your toes should be!

A close up of a person 's feet with a black background

2) The cushion in your shoes

The more support your shoes have, the less your foot muscles have to work when you are walking, running, or lifting. Which can be good in some cases if you are dealing with acute foot issues. However, like any other muscle group, they need to be trained. Shoes often become a crutch for foot dysfunction which doesn’t just lead to foot injuries but also knee, hip, and back issues potentially. A recent study actually showed people who experienced plantar fasciitis actually had signs of tendonosis of the plantar fascia when evaluated which means the discomfort might have been caused by the tissue degenerating and becoming too weak to support the foot.

So what should you do?

Well first, get a wide toe box shoe that allows you spread your toes and perhaps purchase a toe spreader that you wear 30 minutes per day to get your toes aligned in optimal position. The second thing you should do is incorporate foot strengthening exercises that include:

**Do 3 x 10 reps of each 2-3x/week

Towel curls – put towel down on hard surface and use your toes to curl up the towel as much as possible

Bodyweight Squats(Barefoot)- While performing the squat, think about grabbing the floor with your toes and maintain the foot tension throughout the movement

Calf Raises(Barefoot)- Feet relatively close together, press through pads of feet to elevate heels off the ground and think about grabbing the floor to maintain foot tension throughout the movement

If you are experiencing tightness or discomfort in your feet I recommend using a lacrosse ball and rolling out the plantar fascia area for 5 mins per foot before performing the exercises!

If you want to learn more about what you can do to improve your foot health, you know where to find me!

Coach Evan

References:

The Foot Collective

https://www.facebook.com/thefootcollective/posts/your-toes-should-be-the-widest-part-of-your-foot-most-shoes-compress-your-toes-t/258432711272010/

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Don't Focus on Just Calories for Weightloss

February 11, 2025

The body content of your post goes here. To edit this text, click on it and deleteI preach this all the time about how we need to shift our focus from just looking for the amount of calories in the foods that we are deciding to eat to evaluating the nutrient profile and the amount of ingredients instead. Now, it's not inherently a bad idea to know how many calories you are consuming when you are trying to lose weight HOWEVER, when you look at the foods that are very nutrient dense and don't have many ingredients, usually those foods naturally have a lot less calories than the ultra processed foods you see in the grocery store(chips, cereals, etc.) with a few exceptions like olive oil(120 calories per tablespoon). It's not even just about the calories though. You want your body to function optimally right? You want energy. You want to maintain muscle mass. You don't want to suffer from indigestion. You want a strong immune system. You want to optimize the way your body burns body fat. The fact of the matter is that whole foods naturally will help with all of these because in order for your body to be in the best possible place, it needs the resources to do so. It needs a certain amount of macronutrients and micronutrients in order to function the way that it needs to so you can feel your best! This is what whole foods eating does! So long story short, focus on the QUALITY of the calories. Not just the calories. Consume single ingredient foods that are high in nutrients and you will not just see changes on the weight scale, but you will also feel better!

Meaningful Goals = Meaningful Results

By EA Fitness & Performance • January 3, 2025

It’s that time of year again. New Year’s resolutions. Packed gyms. New Year, New me. Lot’s of people have really good intentions of using the New Year as a way to refocus and reshape what they are doing in their lives within their health, career, and just overall personal development. A couple of issues that lead to north of 90% of failure of resolutions within the first three weeks of the New Year include: 1)Not enough meaning behind the goal. -Let me give you an example. The person that just says I want to lose 20lbs with no other reason probably will fail. You need a strong WHY. WHY is it important for you to lose that 20lbs? The why is what is going to get you through the days when you feel tired and unmotivated to take action required to reach the goal. In this case, not losing the 20lbs. Reality is that your extreme feeling of motivation in the beginning of the year will wear off. It’s human nature to stop doing something if there isn’t a good reason for it, which is why finding the deep meaning of your goal is extremely important to long term success. 2)No daily habits established -You need to know clearly what you are going to do and create a path that will lead to the success of your goal. It won’t go perfectly all the time but having a clear understanding of what you need to do is crucial for success on your journey! 3)Not embracing the process -You should embrace the actions you are taking to reach your goal. You should embrace all the things you are going to learn about yourself during this journey. This doesn’t mean you will enjoy every minute of it. What it does mean is that you get some joy out of the daily things you are doing to reach your goal instead of just focusing on the result(which you will get if you learn to embrace the process first). If you are thinking about your fitness goals, thats okay. Start with creating a meaningful goal, then establish daily habits, then when you are on your fitness journey, embrace the process and the results will follow! If you are struggling at any point of your fitness journey, feel free to reach out to us and we would be happy to get you on track! Evan