The CirqularX365 Medicine Wheel’s focus in the fall season is all things physical, this includes the space and body you live in.

The medicine wheel represents the horizon line with you in the center. Your feet connect you to earth and are the foundation for your physical body. Healthy feet are essential to quality of life. They are the beginning of your kinetic chain and they affect your body’s alignment and every movement the body makes. The foot and ankle complex contains a total of 26 bones. These bones, along with joints, ligaments, tendons, fascia, and muscles work together to provide support, mobility, and stability.

We take our feet for granted - until they hurt. Life is difficult when you’re in pain from blisters, bunions, plantar fasciitis and other conditions. Pain can cause us to compensate and hold our weight differently, changing our stance, balance, gait and ability to move through space with grace and ease.

Some foot issues are hard to avoid as there are a number of things that can affect them including genetics, but some factors are in our control. Conditions such as diabetes and gout can be (in many cases) controlled by avoiding inflammatory foods and alcohol. A sedentary lifestyle can make your feet weak and lazy, affecting the ability to walk properly. Being overweight increases the load your feet bear. On the flip side, over-exercising, too much impact on hard surfaces or rapid training volume increases can strain the muscles, ligaments and tendons.

Taking care of your feet pays dividends. Start this by habit stacking. For example, while you watch your favorite show, use a foot massager or roll your foot with a tennis or lacrosse ball. While listening to a podcast, perform foot stretches. Wearing toe spacers while walking around your house barefoot will help reduce foot stress and can improve mobility. During workouts, try exercises such as calf raises, and do some barefoot training when appropriate to strengthen your feet and ankles.

One of the best things you can do on a regular basis is get a pedicure to keep your nails manicured and dead skin removed. It’s important to keep your feet clean and free from dry and flaky skin, callouses and moisture. You should moisturize your feet at night, but avoid moisture between the toes.

Walking while wearing the right shoes is great for strengthening your feet. “The foot feels the foot when it feels the ground," is an important mindfulness saying. Shoes with a wide and flexible toe box and level sole are best. You should be able to articulate your toes correctly and use all the muscles of your feet when you move. This is a controversial topic as most shoes that are fashionable like athletic shoes with giant soles and higher heel lift or high heels in general put your feet in a compromised position. The cloud-like cushioning may feel comfortable but over time it makes your foot and ankle complex weak. High heels look sexy, but they contribute to tightness in the calf muscles, tendons, ligaments and usually bind the toes causing bunions and other imbalances that affect the entire body. It is important to move away from damaging footwear but do so incrementally. Totally changing everything all at once can shock the musculature. Try wearing flatter, wider shoes for a couple of hours a day, then increase their use over time.

Movement is life; it keeps us healthy and balanced mentally, spiritually, emotionally, and physically. When you focus on strength, endurance, and flexibility of the body do not forget the importance of healthy feet! Every journey begins with a single step, including foot care.