If you’re like a lot of people, the concept that your feet should be mobile and pain free rather than stiff and sore can be difficult to comprehend. Most of us just put up with having sore and tired feet that ache at the end of the day, but it doesn’t have to be this way.
While it was many years ago for me now, I’m well aware of just how many people suffer from tired and achy feet as, before I started my family, I worked as a podiatrist.
So, my days were spent trying to make people’s feet feel more comfortable and pain free, but often it was just accepted that, as you got older, your feet would become sore and tired.
But, there is another way! I’m not sure what triggered it but I recently found myself being targeted by ads for The Foot Collective Australia. Led by a physiotherapist, The Foot Collective has developed tools and training systems to help people restore their natural foot function and balance.
They offer heaps of great products such as balance beams, socks and footwear, all designed to help restore your feet and get them functioning the way nature intended.
If you think about it, we are all animals who should be walking around on the undulating natural surfaces of the ground outside – think dirt, grass, rocks and sand.
Walking, barefoot, on surfaces such as these would be an excellent workout for all of the small muscles in our feet and would, ideally, keep our feet working as nature intended. But, as human beings evolved into the modern, sophisticated creatures that we are today, we designed flat, hard surfaces for us to walk on.
These surfaces are not natural for our feet, so we invented soft, padded footwear to wear while walking on these artificial hard surfaces. Shoes and hard, flat surfaces have done a lot of damage to our feet over the years.
Of course we can’t just all walk around barefoot all of the time – I live in Melbourne, it would be far too cold! But, there are things we can do to help our feet to function in the way they were naturally designed to.
Going barefoot whenever you safely can is a good start but, by using some tools and apparatus from The Foot Collective, you can start to get those small muscles in the feet working again, the way they are meant to, which means sore, tired and aching feet will be a thing of the past for you!
I was intrigued by the ads I saw and, as I often get some foot and ankle pain after my daily run, was keen to give their products a try. I reached out to James, the founder of The Foot Collective here in Australia and asked him where I should start.
He suggested the Solemate Kit would be a good place to start my foot restoration journey. It comes with the SoleMate which is their all-in-one foot health balance and mobility tool which can be used as both a balance beam and a massage roller.
In the kit you also get a hacky sack, some toe bands and some ‘Wild Toes’ to help put your toes back into the position in which they belong.
The Solemate Kit also comes with access to a full online training system to guide you through all the different drills and exercises so you won’t be left overwhelmed and not knowing what to do with your new foot equipment.
The Foot Collective also has a YouTube channel which is an excellent free reference for anyone wanting to learn more about restoring their foot function.
This is not a magic cure. You can’t just buy the kit, use it once and expect your feet to function perfectly and have all of your aches and pains disappear.
No, you have to put in the work and do the activities and exercises to reap the benefits. But, don’t worry, the exercises are fun to do and it feels good to take control of your own wellbeing rather than just relying on a magic pill.
My family and I have had lots of fun balancing on the beam (that the solemate can turn into) and challenging each other to pick up the hacky sack with our toes – some of us were more successful at this than others!
But my favourite part of the Solemate Kit is the ‘Wild Toes’ – it feels good for me to have my toes pushed out this way rather than crammed together and squashed inside shoes. I also love using both the small and large rollers to roll the tension out of my leg muscles after I’ve gone for a run.
As I said before, the Solemate Kit is not an instant fix but rather a set of therapy tools that you can use to start the process of ‘freeing your feet’. You will need to devote some time to practicing the exercises and allow your body the time it takes to see and feel the positive changes.
You don’t have to go through the journey alone (although you can if you want to). The Foot Collective have so much information available, especially on their YouTube channel, and they even run live workshops in various locales from time to time.
And, to help keep you motivated and inspired in your foot health journey, you’ll even get an email each week with a ‘Movement Snack’ which is a video of a quick exercise or stretch for you to incorporate into your routine.
While I would not say I am completely pain free yet, I almost am! I can now complete my (almost) daily run (about 4-5kms) without any foot pain, although I am still getting some pain between my right Achilles tendon and ankle after a couple of kilometres.
Nothing too bad and the pain stops when I stop running. I use the rollers to roll the muscles on the side of my leg – it feels deliciously painful, but then much better when I’m done!
If you suffer from sore and tired feet I highly recommend that you look into The Foot Collective and everything they have to offer.
Use this coupon code at checkout to get 10% off your Order: MUMKNOWSBEST
Even if you don’t feel ready to commit to buying a Solemate Kit or any other apparatus from them, there is so much you can learn about your foot health just by checking out some of the videos and information available.
With my background in podiatry, my feet have always been fairly well looked after – I always wear the right sorts of shoes and shoes that fit me properly.
But I have been so grateful to The Foot Collective for teaching me new ways to stretch and exercise my feet so I can, hopefully, keep them in good, working condition for many years to come!
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