The Foot to Core Connection
Unlocking Your Core Strength
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Start by lying on your back with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor. Ensure that your ribcage and pelvis are stacked (no ribcage flaring), which will put your spine into a neutral position. Place one hand on your chest and the other hand on your belly.
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Begin to inhale through your nose and exhale through your mouth. Note which hand moves on the inhalation, trying to keep the movement only to the hand on your belly. As you inhale into your belly, you should also feel your rib cage expanding laterally and your pelvic floor relaxing downward.
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Follow this deep inhale with an exhale, led by the pelvic floor rising as your belly falls back down.
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Continue this movement at least 5 times (or until you have it mastered) — inhaling through your nose and letting the belly rise while your pelvic floor muscles relax downward, then exhaling through your mouth as you draw your pelvic floor muscles up and your belly lowers down.
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Start in the same position, lying on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Imagine that the base of your pelvis is like the face of a clock with 12 o’clock being your pubic symphysis (front of your pelvis) and 6 o’clock as your tailbone.
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Begin your diaphragmatic breathing like above — taking 5 seconds to inhale and 10 seconds to exhale. This time though, as you exhale and engage your pelvic floor, visualize drawing 12 o’clock to 6 o’clock. This should be associated with the sensation of tension or pressure in your deep abdomen but no movement of the pelvis should occur.
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Continue this movement at least 5 times, or until you have it mastered.
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For this final step, we begin in a standing position, as ultimately that’s how the body functions. NOTE — It’s best to do this barefoot, as there are thousands of nerves in your feet, which we want to stimulate. These nerves are so sensitive that they too are connected to your core!
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Begin by standing with your feet facing forward, parallel to each other, and shoulder width apart. Find your “foot tripod,” which is under your 1st toe (or big toe) and 5th toe (or pinky toe), and your heel. Lift your toes, spread them out, and place them down on the ground.
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Push the tip of your big toes down into the ground. Find the coordination of pushing down and connecting through both big toes at the same time. As you push your big toes down, your pinky toes should also connect to the ground. Hold for 5 seconds and repeat.
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Now, let’s try to tie in the feet with the diaphragmatic breathing and pelvic floor activation. Stay standing with your feet shoulder-width apart, knees slightly bent and a stacked ribcage and pelvis. Place one hand on your chest and one on your belly.
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Begin by inhaling through your nose for 5 seconds — feeling your ribcage expand and pelvic floor muscles relax and lower down.
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As you exhale through your mouth, start to draw 12 o’clock to 6 o’clock (remember step 2!), feeling the tension of your pelvic floor. Simultaneously as you exhale, begin to push your big toes down into the ground so that you feel the stability between the feet and core.
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Relax, inhale and repeat 5 times or until you have it mastered. With each repetition, you should notice and appreciate how your breath, deep core, and feet are connected or coordinated.
Dr. Splichal actively sees patients out of her office in Manhattan, NY with a specialty in sports medicine, functional medicine and regenerative medicine (www.dremilysplichal.com). She is actively involved in barefoot training research and barefoot education as it relates to athletic performance, injury prevention, and movement longevity, and serves as a consultant and expert for some of the top fitness, footwear and orthotic companies, including Aetrex Worldwide, Bunion Bootie, Crunch Fitness, Lissom Footwear, NIKE Innovations, PowerPlate USA, RAD Roller and Trigger Point Performance Therapy.