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Becoming a Toe Ninja
You should be able to lift each of your toes individually. You’re wired for it. Being able to lift your toes one at a time is a basic human ability.
But for most people, it’s a struggle to even lift the big toe on its own.
Why should you care? A few reasons. First, when you can’t use a muscle, even a tiny little one, that muscle will wither away. The cells starve, and the area becomes vulnerable to disease and injury. How vulnerable? Some 75% of North Americans will have foot problems at some point in their lives. The majority are women (because of our poor shoe choices) and the pain usually begins in our 40’s, 50’s and 60’s (because our bodies did a heroic job of compensating for the microdamage until then). Plus, foot problems aren’t always foot problems – often, they’re back and hip and knee problems that are created because our gait is so unfunctional. You can go the orthotics and surgery and gradual immobilization route, or you can put in some time and dedication – it’s all completely fixable.
Practicing this toe lift exercise is a major step to regaining functional foot strength. Here’s how to become a toe-lifting ninja:
Level One: Sit down (ideally on a bolster instead of a chair). It’s usually easiest to do one foot at a time. Start with just lifting and lowering the big toe. Once you nail that (it took me about a month, but my feet were in bad shape – lots of people get this no problemo the first time) then you can try lifting the four other toes while the big toe stays down. Then practice on the second foot.
Big toes up. Make sure the ball of the foot stays down though!
If this is a struggle for you and your other toes lift while you’re working on the big toe (or vice versa), you can use your hand to gently hold down the rebel toes while you practice lifting the one you want up.
I don’t yet have much movement in my baby toe. It spent a lot of years being squashed by stupid lawyer shoes.
Level One Point Five: Same thing, standing up.
Level Two: Sitting down, one foot at a time. Now we’re getting sequential. Lift the big toe. Leaving it up, lift the second toe, then the third, and so on until all your toes are up. Make sure it’s one toe at a time – they like to clump together. You can use the hand trick here, too, if needed. Then, lower each toe in turn – littlest to biggest. When you’ve practiced a few times, switch feet.
Level Two Point Five: Same thing, standing up.
Level Three: This one is black belt – lift and lower each toe on its own. Only the big toe up, then big toe down. Only the second toe up, then it goes down before you attempt toe #3. And so on.
My finest moment. Haven’t managed the other ones yet, though.
Although this exercise isn’t at all like something we would have done naturally while moving back in hunter gatherer times, it will help restore strength and mobility to the forefoot.
It’s super hard – it’s taken me about two years to get to where I am – but oddly rewarding, and you can practice it any time you’re not wearing shoes which is, I hope, a lot.
Add it to the rotation with your unsquishing and mobilizations for the ultimate intrinsic foot muscle workout – this should set you up nicely for some good barefoot & minimal shoe time this summer. I might add that this is another one you can do while you stand to work. No excuses!!
Hi! I’m Petra.
My grandfather’s cousin was born with no arms and could move all of his toes individually, easily. I’m glad because everyone on my dad’s side of the family was born with the same gift. I just tried these exercises and could get all the way to 1.5! I can’t wait to start doing these exercises. Thanks!
I meant past 1.5…I got to step 2
Good job 🙂
Bodies are amazing, aren’t they! It’s incredible how much you can regain all the function that shoes take away – just be patient and have fun! Enjoy!
how long should you do this excerise, i’m only level 1 & need to hold my toes down so my big toe can rise ??.
sorry exercise
I usually do it for a couple of minutes at a time – it’s too frustrating to do it for long 🙂 Stick with it though and you’ll see huge differences over time!
Dear Petra, I teach healthy singing, and to prepare before singing , we do various foot exercises. Also we try to move each single toe. Do you know anyone personally, who have mastered this ? I wonder, whether it is possible to even nearly accomplish . (Although the exercise helps very much even when ouwardly unsuccesful – that I have experienced).
So my question is : have you seen that ?
Thank you for your answer, best wishes, Anna, Czech Republic
Great question! And that’s really interesting that you use foot exercises as part of your work – does it have an impact on people’s singing or is it more generally to help them be more healthy? I have seen people move the big toe, second toe, and third toe individually but not the last ones. I don’t see why it would be impossible in principle – all of our toes should have movement – but they’ve been so squashed for most of us for so long! And as you say, even just attempting this is helpful – you’re still increasing your neurological connection with your foot muscles 🙂
Oh such a long comment and it fell. I´ll try again.
Ack! That is the worst!
Yes, exactly so – and both is so. The renewed neurological connection … in other words … mind, soul and spirit reaching the once forgotten parts of the body… is good for the health as well as for the singing. And there is more to it 🙂 I have observed, that awakening oneś feet is miraculously benefitial. It influences breathing, body posture, energy flow…
The body is thus happy and we feel it. It makes the body permeable to the sound and voice flow.
You put that so beautifully! The deep connection of everything is so amazing, isn’t it?! When you work on one thing that needs work, everything else responds too – it is magical.
Yes – it does. It is. 🙂
I tell you only one from countless examples – gentle lifting of foot arch (or how you call that vault) while gently singing a tone on the sound “ng” immediatelly lifts the singing voice up and sends it through the face, sinuses and in the skull arch. It lifts the soft palate, skull, streightens the spine (especially cervical but not only) , makes the sound beautiful and easy flowing … and it is good feeling. Energising, happy.
When it doesnt work with someone, imagination of skilfull picture helps.
But it has to be sung with listening, not spoken, or it might send the powers wrong direction. The physiology of singing, when one is listening it, leads the way of circulation…
Listening one ownś voice prevents one from any violence on oneś vocal cords or on the body. Isn´t there a nice paralell with any physical exercise ? 🙂
I am learning at Schule der stimmenthuelung and practicing for about four years now. We do there a lot with feet. But trying moving single toes I have learned elsewhere – at a Butoh workshop with Ken Mai and I have added it to my teaching 🙂 I feel very fortunate to do such a work and study.
I hope to learn more, I am still a beginner because the theme is very complex. I share your enthusiasm about the human body and its interconnections. 🙂 They are great healers – healthy singing and healthy movement.
They bring both health and happiness .
If you happen to travel to Europe, Czech Republic, come to visit, we can share.
Anna
Petra, Hi! I am 36 and am developing bunions that HURT SOOOOO BAD and quickly! It’s like they came out of no where. I do have neck and back issues from accidents I was in in Dec. 2016 and Feb. 2017. Also, it seems like I have been walking different ever since too so maybe that is the reason for the immediate onset of the bunions??? Anyhow, I am not scared to have surgery, however, in the meantime, I would like to do some “bunion exercises” if there are any. What do you think? I am also going to physical therapy due to my injuries to my head, neck and back, however, I still feel pain and wore out everyday. Is there anything you suggest? Today is the first day I have visited your website and I am extremely interested in getting back in shape and feeling better!!! Please help 🙂
Hi Stephanie – I’m not a huge surgery fan for bunions since it doesn’t change the cause, which is typically your mechanics. So you spend a lot of money and go through a lot of discomfort and at the end of the day the bunions often come back. The alternative is lots of hard work though so you have to know what you’re willing to do. I’d suggest you try Katy Bowman’s book, Simple Steps To Foot Pain Relief, as a starting point. I also offer free consults and work by Skype if you want more personalized suggestions. Good luck on your journey!