Author: Sherry

We all need to move more if we want to be healthy. Our bodies are designed to move. Nothing new here. But, are you moving enough every day to stay healthy?

I teach four Essentrics classes a week and practice it about twice a much. But I also take walks around my neighborhood most days and work in the flower garden

How are you moving today to stay (or help to get) healthy?

As we age, every aspect of our lives tends to slow down, imperceptibly at first and most clearly noticed when we are around those younger than us who move at a much faster pace and with much less effort.

While slowing down to appreciate the world around us can be nice, we don’t want to give up the option of having a bounce in our step and energy in our bodies! We want the choice of moving rapidly or slowly, and it starts with your feet. The beauty of having strong flexible feet and lower limbs is that they give us not only increased energy, but also a bounce in our step!

Loss of stamina is from a lack of pumping action in the calf muscles. The calf muscle is known as the second cardiac muscle due to its large size and its distance from the heart. The more we bend our ankles and knees, the more blood can be pumped upward. Rigid, locked ankles block the ability to stretch and release the calf muscle. If you can’t bend your ankles, you can’t bend your knees — limiting the pumping action needed to circulate blood efficiently.

Regular foot exercises, along with bending the knees and ankles, gives you the ability to pump your blood efficiently throughout your system, increasing the oxygen in your muscles and improving your stamina almost instantly!

Try this quick mini-workout to unlock your toes and ankles:

• Lift one leg slightly, point your foot, flex your toes, then flex your ankles. Reverse.
• Rotate your ankles slowly, and in both directions.
• Holding the back of a chair for balance, lift both heels slowly and then lower slowly.

taken from: https://essentrics.com/boost-your-energy-start-with-your-feet/