Feet Are Not and Are Hands

In a recent post I mentioned my Vibram Five Finger "shoes"


https://bahzobsblog.blogspot.com/2020/06/feeling-my-feet-vibram-fivefinger-shoes.html

I did so as a prelude to this post.

I've been very lucky regards aches and pains while cycling. But recently I have had issues with my right foot.

It's been all sorts of issues, I won't go into the gory details.

However, finally, thanks the Cyclefit London I got the root of the problem.

Long story short my right toe is arthritic and this means my right foot cannot make a proper arch.

Which is a lead in to my favourite scientific area - evolution.

IMO Charles Darwin and Alfred Wallace were two of the greatest scientists to ever draw breath and the theory of evolution is the most beautiful thing that the human mind has ever devised/discovered.

The foot is a wonderful example. As humans we are among an extremely rare group of bipeds. Great apes our closest "cousins" (an evolutionary incorrect term but still useful all the less) can use their feet as extra hands.

We cannot.  Our feet have morphed into something unique thanks to our foot arch and, despite living with them for all our lives, we are still discovering new things about them.

https://www.nationalgeographic.co.uk/science-and-technology/2020/03/why-human-feet-evolved-arches-and-what-happens-if-you-lack-them

Like so many other aspects of our body our foot arch is something you either use or risk losing.

The risk is especially big since the foot is so often hidden from display. The design of many shoes exacerbates the issue, with insoles and soles that prevent them feeling the ground as they were intended to.

This is why I love my Vibrams so much. While your feet are not hands it is useful to sometimes imagine they are and practice trying to grip the floor.  

Most workouts ignore the feet, but they need tlc too. Just trying to squeeze the floor by itself is good for your feet. It is also the best way to prepare for any activity that will load up your body. 

Just like a skyscraper it is best to build on firm foundations. So if lifting anything start by

• Grip the floor with your toes, really feeling the arch lift (tip if you check in a mirror the ankle bones of both feet should be level)
• Counter rotate your feet, (so left goes anti-clockwise, right goes clockwise)

This simple act will automatically engage your entire lower body, stabilising and strengthening it so it behaves more like the Empire State than the Leaning Tower of Pisa. 

PS I could not possibly mention feet without thinking of Douglas Adams, one of the 20th century's greatest authors, philosophers and comedians. It still hurts so much that we lost him so soon. 

He came up with many brilliant notions, including the shoe event horizon, more about which here,


https://hitchhikers.fandom.com/wiki/Shoe_Event_Horizon

Genius, pure genius.