Inner Foot To Opposite Shoulder
Every movement we make affects the entire body.
We are a dynamic collection of bones and connective tissues that all work together in concert.
Pay attention to lifting your big toe and you might feel it in your index finger.
From that perspective, walking engages the whole body with every step.
For example, when we walk each step should create a spinal twist as both sides of the body move in opposition to each other.
This is ideal but there is a distinction to be made between walking and walking correctly.
Walking correctly can’t happen without access to the big toe and inner foot.
Most people are not creating a spinal twist when they walk due to poor movement patterns.
For this twist to happen, when the right foot goes forward the left arm should go forward as well.
And the opposition of the arms and legs creates a gentle twist that is unbelievably healthy and necessary.
This twist facilitates so much good energy in the body that I think many people are lacking.
Improved digestion is one of the benefits that this easy spinal twist can provide.
Digestion works through peristalsis, the involuntary constriction, and relaxation of our intestines.
Creating a spinal twist with each step you take will help with peristalsis and offer the best environment for digestion.
The issue is how we make or fail to make, this twist happen.
I think most people walk with their legs first when we should move from the core.
While it is obvious that our legs are majorly involved in walking, the initial energy should begin deep in the core.
Initiating movement from the legs does all sorts of bad things to the body.
One of many issues is that it forces people to walk more on the outsides of their feet.
And we can’t create the essential twist that connects the inner foot to the opposite shoulder if we walk on the outsides of our feet.
How Do You Wear Out Your Shoes?
Just check out how you wear out your shoes.
If the wear is more on the outside than the inside, you need the lessons of my CoreWalking Program.
My first order of business is to get the legs more properly situated under the hips.
Begin walking with the legs under the hips and finding your way to the inner foot is much more likely.
Once we use the inner foot more regularly and successfully, all manner of good things can start to happen.
It might sound crazy but the entire weight of the body is on top of the big toe during each step.
And the push-off from this position propels us forward in a powerful way.
Needless to say, this doesn’t happen if you are wearing your shoes out on the outer foot.
So the inner foot helps with a spinal twist, and with the push-off to the next step.
Is there more? But of course.
The connection of the inner foot translates to the inner thigh. This happens when the energy of a step rolls from the outer foot across to the inner foot.
As it should for each and every step.
Getting the legs under the hips and using the inner foot helps the body to move more fluidly through space.
It does this in large part by accessing the body’s most important muscle, and my favorite, the psoas.
The psoas is the walking muscle and if you aren’t using your inner foot you aren’t using your psoas.
Once we have that spinal twist happening the opposite arm and leg can start moving together.
When the left leg goes forward the right arm should move forward in the same way.
Great things can happen once this pattern is established.
To return to where I started, every movement affects the entire body.
When we move well we are making the most of the self-healing machine that is the human body.
Create a relationship between the inner foot and opposite shoulder and the body will be able to work its best magic.
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