Start Summer from the Ground Up: 3 Tips for Stronger Feet and Better Walking
By: Dr. Ryan Peeters
Summer is here. Which means longer walks, time at the beach and most likely an increase in your daily step count.
While increasing your step count can be an easy and effective way to improve your health & wellness, for some it can mean the onset of foot pain.
If you want to be able to walk all day, see the sights, or enjoy time in the sand there are a few key things that you can do to take better care of your feet.
Your feet are the first thing in contact with the ground and greatly determine your strength, balance, and posture when it comes to walking. A mobile and strong foot ensures you are best set up to handle the demands of walking, keeping up with your kids/grandkids and decreases your need to have frequent rest breaks to alleviate sore feet.
Instead of relying on orthotics, special shoes or minimizing your walking time here are Dr. Ryan’s top 3 tips for better foot health so you can outwalk your friends and family.
Manage Pressure
Your foot is filled with hundreds of thousands of sensory nerve endings. In fact, our feet have more sensory receptors per square centimeter than almost any other part of the body. Unfortunately for most people the foot is contained inside shoes all day and night without much time to stretch, splay, and get stronger.
Just imagine if you had to wear oven mitts on your hands all day long–that wouldn’t make your dexterity very precise and you would certainly begin to lose valuable grip strength.
Follow this simple ball rolling drill to desensitize your feet allowing them to feel more of the ground and respond better to standing, shifting weight, and walking across different terrains.
2. Improve the Mobility of Your Big Toe
Your big toe is twice as big and four times stronger than the rest of your toes for a reason. It serves as your most important lever so you can effectively propel your body forward as you walk. If your big toe cannot extend well it alters your mechanics and the rest of the foot is prone to compensate–meaning you do not transition your weight through your foot and up the rest of the leg efficiently.
Stretch this out and follow along with this Big Toe Mobility Fix.
3. Strengthen the largest muscle in your lower leg
Your calf is composed of your gastrocnemius and soleus muscles. They are the powerhouse of muscle activity when it comes to walking and even running. Both muscles connect to your heel via your Achilles tendon. Your Achilles tendon is the largest and strongest tendon in your body and responsible for transmitting energy from your foot to the rest of your leg.
If you struggle with sore feet and tight calves then there’s a strong chance you could have limited strength.
Follow along with this calf raise exercise to make sure you are strengthening them correctly. As little as 3 sets of 10-12 reps a day can help improve your walking function and raise the strength capacity of your lower leg.
At the end of the day, better walking is a result of stronger and more mobile feet. Your time spent working on your foot health will pay dividends on your ability to remain active through all decades of your life.
Do not neglect your feet.
Once foot pain has limited your ability to walk, stand, and participate in activity you will soon realize how much you take your feet for granted in day to day life.
About the Author
Dr. Ryan Peeters
Dr. Ryan is a Physical Therapist, a Certified Distance Running Coach, and the owner of Path to Movement Health & Wellness. He has been a Delco resident since 2017 with his wife and two daughters. He started his business in 2022 to combine physical therapy and performance training into one seamless process for lifelong athletes. His mission is to supply others with the necessary tools to perform the activities they love for a lifetime