Feet First: Posture from the Ground Up.

Bi-weekly tips, habits, and practice guide for building a better back—improving poor posture that is making you look (& feel) old.

☀️ Summer is finally here.

That means flip-flops, sandals, bare feet in the grass, and long walks outside. It's also the time of year when we actually notice our feet. Maybe they've become a little stiffer, a little achier, or they simply don't look like they used to.

Here's something I want you to remember throughout this series:

Your feet are the foundation of your posture.

When we work together in Pilates, we always build from the ground up. Before we can lengthen the spine, stabilize the core, or improve balance, we need a stable foundation. If that foundation isn't doing its job, everything above it has to compensate: your knees, hips, pelvis, spine, shoulders, and even your head.

Over the next four newsletters, we're going to take a closer look at the most overlooked part of your body. And I think you'll be surprised by how much your feet have been trying to tell you.

Let’s Start with something fun.

Kick off your shoes and take a look at your feet.

Specifically...which toe is the longest?

Believe it or not, there are three classic foot shapes.

The Roman Foot has a broad, squared-off front where the first three toes are nearly the same length. This shape creates a naturally stable base and often tolerates standing and walking quite well.

The Greek Foot has a second toe that's longer than the big toe. It's sometimes called the "model foot" because it's commonly seen in classical sculpture. It often distributes weight beautifully across the front of the foot, although that longer second toe can sometimes become irritated in tighter shoes.

The Egyptian Foot has a long big toe followed by toes that gradually slope downward. It's elegant and the most common foot shape, but it's also the one most likely to develop bunions because that dominant big toe absorbs so much of the work every time you walk.

None of these shapes are good or bad.

They're simply different blueprints.

And once you know your blueprint, you'll begin to understand why your feet and even the rest of your body, move the way they do.

One of the biggest mistakes we make is believing painful feet are simply part of getting older.

They're not.

Our foot shape is something we're born with, but how we use that foot is something we learn over decades. The shoes we wear, the muscles we neglect, the way we stand, and even the movement patterns we unconsciously picked up from our parents all influence how our feet function.

The wonderful news?

Your story isn't finished.

Awareness is the first step toward better movement. Once you understand the foundation you're working with, you can stop fighting your body and begin supporting it.

Curiosity —> not criticism is where change begins.

This is just the beginning.

In the next issue, we'll dive into the foot problems so many people struggle with: plantar fasciitis, bunions, hammer toes, Tailor's bunions, and more.

We'll talk about what's actually happening inside your foot, why that first morning step can feel like stepping on broken glass, and why these problems are usually the result of years of mechanical changes - not simply aging.

Once you understand the "why," the "how to fix it" becomes much clearer.

Here's a fun little homework assignment.

After your next shower, step onto a dry bath mat or place your damp foot on a piece of paper and look at the footprint you leave behind.

A wide print through the middle usually suggests a lower arch.

A narrow print with a large empty space along the inside often indicates a higher arch.

Take a picture and save it.

We'll come back to it in the next couple of weeks, and you'll start seeing your feet in a whole new way.

Your feet contain 26 bones, 33 joints, and more than 100 muscles, tendons, and ligaments - that's nearly one-quarter of all the bones in your entire body.

No wonder they deserve a little more attention.