Why Your Big Toe Might be the Most Important Part of Health & Fitness
In the health and fitness realm we tend to succumb to a top down approach that emphasizes large muscle groups, cardiovascular health, or overall body strength. That being said, did you know that the big toes are vital for your overall physical wellness? These super-small but powerful little bits of your body are often forgotten about, yet they play such important roles in so many aspects of balance, posture and movement. Why You Should Be Paying Attention to Your Big Toes in your Workouts
1. Balance and Stability
The other keys to keep you stable are your big toes. They are where the rubber meets the road when you run — they provide the energy necessary in your push-off phase of gait. This push-off plays a critical role in keeping you on your fee when walking, running and performing other physical activities. We need strong and flexible big toes or it will affect our balance (and risk of falling / injury).
2. Posture and Alignment
Good posture starts from the feet up. The toes also let your feet know which muscles they need to use more or less in order to align the structure of you legs, hip and spine. As a result, long term poor posture can lead to back pain, hip discomfort and other musculoskeletal issues when the big toes (and soon after inordinate compensations) cease working appropriately. Keeping your big toes healthy can help maintain a more appropriate and centered posture.
3. Force Distribution
Each step, each jog and jump creates force that the body will take in… or not, responsibly. This process is largely influenced by the power of your big toes. They distribute the force coming from your body when hitting into your feet correctly in a manner that reduces stress occurring on various other parts of yourself including ankles, knees, and even hips. These weaknesses and limitations at your big toes will cause compensatory load on other areas of the body which can lead to overuse injuries or chronic pain.
4. Improved Athletic Performance
The toe is a big deal when it comes to athletics and activity. The strength and flexibility of your big toes can improve your performance, whether it’s while sprinting or jumping or even lifting weights. A solid big toe pushoff may mean quicker sprints, higher jumps and more stable lifts. This, along with toe strengthening exercises can help you get ahead in your sport.
5. Injury Prevention
A strong big toe can prevent many types of injuries to the feet and lower limbs. Problems with the big toe frequently lead to conditions such as plantar fasciitis, bunions or Achilles tendonitis. When you keep your large toe strong and flexible, it can prevent the development of these painful problems while preventing pain in other parts of the foot.
How to Build Strong Big Toes
So why not incorporate big toe exercises into your workout routine because after all the feet are one of the most used yet under-appreciated part of our body. You can start by doing these basic exercises:
Toe Curls: Place a small towel on the floor and scrunch it up towards you via your toes. This drill will also help reinforce the muscles in your toes and the arch of you foot.
Lift up just your big toe while keeping all the other four toes on ground. This movement works against the muscles that move the big toe up.
Resistance Band Toe Press: Wrap a resistance band around your big toe and press up against it, as if pressing on the gas pedal. This will help both to improve flexibly and strength.
Even though your big toes are tiny they can have a massive impact on how healthy or fit you are. Which means — from balancing your stability to improving sports performance and reducing the risk of injury, these tiny fingers do some heavy lifting when it comes to overall health. Your big toes play a huge role in helping you to stay balance, minimize your risk of injury and even bounce again during physical activity. I lied, when you reflect on your fitness routine don’t forget about your big toes.
