Here’s what she says:

A firm foothold from which to grow and develop!

The incredibly designed feet support the massive bodily weight, even though only a relatively small area is in contact with the ground. Despite the thickness of the soles, an incredible amount of vibrancy is transferred from the ground, through the feet, to intermingle with ethereal energies absorbed into the body from the atmosphere. During health this absorption is powerful, forcefully reinforcing and strengthening the whole.

Mental tension and anxiety physically deprive the body of essential life-forces, making it increasingly vulnerable to disorders and disease. The soles are less supple and their resistance diminished, making them more impressionable.

The feet are considered our roots, metaphysically speaking. By turning our attention to them we an attain an inner peace and tranquility. Deeper understanding of life and gratitude for all that has preceded the present are essential steps in the healing process.

Here are some general aspects of the feet

Visualise bodily parts as reflected onto the feet in minature

• The front of the body is mirrored onto the soles of the both feet and the back of the body onto the tops of the feet
• Energies of the right side of the body rebound onto the right foot, whilst energies of the left side of the body are reflected onto the left foot.
• Impressions and markings on the tops of feet reflect all that is perceived to be going on behind one’s back

In the same way we bet you never appreciated your mum packing you healthy school lunches, we bet you’ve never thought how lucky you are to have healthy feet

As soon as you’ve called your mum to thank her (she won’t mind its taken so long) we’d like you to think about this.

Your feet are like the foundations of a skyscraper. When they are strong, balanced and in position, they allow your body to function the way it is designed to.

But mess with those foundations and suddenly all kinds of dodgy things start to happen with your structure.

Think about a building with a lean. It is considered structurally unsound.

When our bodies have a “lean” we too are structural unsound and something has to give.

We are designed for minimum gravitational thrust. – in other words our bodies are largely up and down. When we are leaning, we increase the gravitational pressure on our body (side/forward/back) and there is suddenly an enormous imbalance that our muscles need to compensate for.

That compensation results in a wearing of the bones. Maybe it is the knees, the hips, the spine, or the neck.

The good news is many fabulous shoes these days are designed with exactly this in mind and can help give you back your grounding.

Because that’s what its all about. (We bet your mum tried to tell you that as well.)

Here is what wikepedia has to say about it

Reflexology (zone therapy) is an alternative medicine method involving the practice of massaging or applying pressure to parts of the feet, or sometimes the hands and ears, with the goal of encouraging a beneficial effect on other parts of the body, or to improve general health.^{[citation needed]}

The Reflexology Association of Canada defines reflexology as: A natural healing art based on the principle that there are reflexes in the feet, hands and ears and their referral areas within zone related areas, which correspond to every part, gland and organ of the body. Through application of pressure on these reflexes without the use of tools, crèmes or lotions, the feet being the primary area of application, reflexology relieves tension, improves circulation and helps promote the natural function of the related areas of the body.

There is no consensus among reflexologists on how reflexology is supposed to work; a unifying theme is the idea that areas on the foot correspond to areas of the body, and that by manipulating these one can improve health through one’s

Concerns have been raised by medical professionals that treating potentially serious illnesses with reflexology, which has no proven efficacy, could delay the seeking of appropriate medical treatment. A systematic review of the efficacy of reflexology found one study showing a statistically significant effect in the treatment of urinary symptoms in multiple sclerosis patients. All other conditions reviewed in this study showed no evidence of any specific effect.

On a personal note, I have been to a reflexologist several times and thought I’d died and gone to heaven.

Sometimes size does matter

This is one of those things that everyone assumes you know how to do once you are an adult. Like lighting a campfire and removing red wine stains from a white silk blouse (that you borrowed from a friend but that’s another story). But what do you do if you were away the day they did shoe fitting 101 in high school?

You go to our blog of course. Because, we know that lots of people don’t know how to get shoes that fit properly. So read on and learn…

We’ve have had lots of people contact me and come into the store wanting to know more. It seems we have struck a chord by suggesting more attention needs to be paid to how we connect with the earth and how good footwear can improve posture, wellbeing and balance. And it’s not just diabetics who can benefit – everyone operates better when they are working from a solid foundation.

So, I am going to focus on how to make sure your shoe fits.

1. The first (ahem!) step is to find a good shoe shop. Someone who stocks loads of good quality brands and who is happy to spend time with you to make sure you get what you need.

Once you’ve done that, make sure you have plenty of time.  Getting the right fit needs a bit of thinking about. If you only have 10 minutes, by all means check out the styles on display but wait until you can really concentrate before you start trying shoes on.

2. Before you head into the shop, take a good look at your foot. What kind of arch do you have? Is there any particular place that regularly gives you pain? Are your feet narrow or wide? Once you know what the issues are, you will be in a much better position to let someone else help you.

3. Don’t get hung up on your shoe size. Remember, it is just a number and really doesn’t mean anything. A size 36 in one brand, might be bigger than a 38 in another. The thing that matters is whether it fits your foot.

4. Make sure the foot fits comfortably within the rim. If you can, take the insole out, put it on the floor and put your foot on it. Does your foot fit  with a comfortable space around the edge?

For diabetics, it is particularly important to check that there is no stitching on the inside of the shoe. As we discussed in the last column, diabetes can sometimes result in a lack of feeling in the feet, so you may not even be aware that your shoe is rubbing on your feet and doing damage.

5. This is a good time to ask yourself some questions. Will this shoe do the job you need it to? Is it the right colour. Is it comfortable? Does the whole base of the foot touch the ground the way it was designed to, or if there is a heel does the shoe provide extra support and padding?

6. Walk around the store to see if the shoes are comfortable. Never buy shoes without trying them on and don’t assume they will get comfortable with wear. Don’t let anyone tell you the shoe will stretch. Good shoes fit properly when you buy them

7. And the really big news is this. The days when you had to suffer ugly shoes just to be sensible are GONE. There are dozens of companies like Think! Earth, Birkenstock, El Naturalista who know how important shoes are to your overall wellbeing. They know a person has more nerve endings in their hands, feet and lips than in the rest of their body put together. And they know that shoes that are designed right and fit right can help your posture, your breathing, your balance and even your sense of grounding.

And they can do all that and still look great.

Sally Mcgregor is a podiatrist who owns and runs Children of the Revolution, a shoe store specialising in Intelligent Shoes. She is passionate about helping people to be healthy from the ground up. You can find out more about Sally at www.childrenoftherevolution.com.au

Blogging blows my mind. My first temptation is to run away fast with my hands over my ears murmuring the words “blah, blah, blah”. But I won’t.

And you know why I wont? Not because it would be childish (that’s never stopped me before but because Sally who owns and is the heartbeat of the store (have I mentioned Sally yet?) really has something to say.

Something that we should all be listening to…..

(How’s that for a cliffhanger? Can’t you tell I’m also a novelist in my spare time). Back soon.

Here’s another photo so you can get another fix.