The leaves are officially turning on us. Beach towels and flimsy sandals of Summer are slowly slipping into the caverns of our closets. Socks cuddle your tootsies and boots await on the front stoop. But, before you squeeze your souls into tight cow hides take a moment to treat your feet.

Poor toes. What a life. One extreme to another. One day they spread with glee in the warm sands of Summer and the next they are choking for air, mangled to their neighbor in knee high pointed boots as you puddle hop. Easily one of the most neglected appendages of the body, feet might be ugly, but they need our support, literally.

As the root of our posture and movement, the foot is one of our most powerful sensors. The cutaneous sensory system in the foot sends vital messages to the rest of the body about weight distribution and temperature, thus aiding in balance, propreoception, muscle development and bony alignment. While the knee joint takes the most beating from carrying body weight around, ankles and feet are the fragile and flexible stabilizers.

Like our hands, feet hold unreal amounts of tension. Stiffness we don’t allow to enter into awareness unless our focus is drawn to it, like during a pedicure. This tension, unbenounced to us, trickles throughout the vast network of fascia, nerves, muscles and soft tissue leading to all sorts of issues down the line including; plantar fasciitis… where you’ll have to wear one of these fab stretching boots every night…

bunions, and hammer toes. High heels are not your friends ladies…

Not to mention the ankle, knee, hip and back pain and injury that can evolve from flat arches and other misalignments of the foot and ankle. Low back pain? The root of the ache could stem from those sore dogs.

Now that you are clamoring to air out your toes, here are some remarkable ways to treat your feet.

Simple Massage:
Lope into the dusty garage and grab a tennis ball. Not a golf ball (too hard), or a football (too large and ackward), but a fuzzy lime green cousin. Drop it on the floor and discover the easy technique for rolling out the soles of the feet.

No tennis ball laying around? Opt for a more specific alternative that was created just for your foot releasing pleasure, Foot Saver and Wakers from the Yamuna massage technique. Tension releases instantly as you position the half domes strategically up and down the arches. Activating pressure points that then spreads the good vibes throughout the body.

While relaxation is important, strengthening and stretching the nimble nubs is essential. Try picking up marbles or scrunching up a towel with your toes followed by a hardy calf stretch.

Optimize Soles:
Lacing, strapping or buckling up supportive shoes is key to healthy, happy feet. Sandals lack arch support and heels mangle toes, so why not try out the latest innovations. Barefoot running shoes and massage sandals.

Vibram Five Fingers barefoot shoes are all the rage in running circles planet wide. The secret behind the neoprene magic is that they not only spread the toes and support your arches, but allow the foot do what it does best, send feedback. By running or walking barefoot the sole of the foot can accurately feel where and how much pressure you place on it. In bulking trainers you end up pounding your joints to death because the foot cannot feel properly through the fluff. When the foot can accurately feel and you are consciously aware of what’s going on down there with pressure and alignment, then you can improve your gait, walking and running form and posture.

I found these comfy soles throughout Oz. Great invention eh?! Too bad they are flip flops.

If all else fails just start by swamping heels for flats a few days a week and wearing sandals less frequently. No need to toss out those glossy pumps.

Self Massage:
Try this 3 min follow along massage video. Finish up by placing a finger between each toe and giving a good grip. Fingers gripping the foot and toes curling and gripping around the hand. Feels amazing!

What are some other ways you treat your feet? A deep soak and cold plunge is my favorite after a long day. Or try this legs up the wall stretch.