Posture Power Feet Forward

2015-03-27

Stand up. Look down at your feet. How are your toes pointed? If they are pointed forward and equally spaced, congratulations, you have good foot posture. Unfortunately, most people do not have good foot posture because they got into the habit of not exercising their full ankle range of motion, and, over time, lost that full range of motion. To make up for that range of motion, your feet either bow in or outward. It is more common for them to bow outward. If you move your feet so your toes are forward, you might notice a slight discomfort in your ankles. If you get into the habit of keeping your toes pointed forward when standing, you will be able to rebuild your ankle range of motion and this discomfort will go away and you can reap the benefits of having a powerful posture.

At first, this will feel like a chore because you have to constantly correct yourself, but you will eventually find yourself doing it totally automatically without noticing. This is the way it is with most body movements and postures, you have to focus on doing it right every time and eventually it becomes your habit. Your body can do it totally on autopilot.

Here are some places you can watch your posture:

  • At a sink
  • In the shower
  • In front of the refrigerator
  • In a checkout or order line
  • At a urinal (if you use those)

I think correcting yourself in a few places consistently will fix your foot posture in all places. Having your toes forward will become the new normal.

Having your toes pointed forward as your default foot posture is very helpful for your overall posture. It keeps your hips nicely aligned with your pelvis, and it reduces the force caving in (pronating) or bowing out (supinating) the bottoms of your feet. Also, having a good ankle range of motion will keep your ankle muscles strong and make it easier for you to walk with good form. Lots of benefits accrue from a small change consistently applied to your body.

Overall, proper posture is very important for making sure your body has the lowest chance of injury and that you can generate the most force or strength your body is capable of. Make the change today and start feeling yourself on your way to unlocking your posture power!