http://www.katysays.com/raise-your-foot/

How did your calves get so short?

1. A lifetime of footwear with elevated heels.

2. Practicing “on the toes/ball of the foot” type activities, i.e. dancing, cheerleading, sports, running.

3. Muscle tone due to birthing process (i.e. CP)

How can I restore my lower leg?

1. Gently stretch your gastrocnemius (no bent knee).

2. Gently stretch your soleus and Achille’s tendon (keep your heel down as you slightly bend your knee).

3. Stop wearing shoes with heels.

4. Do all of these things when you’re done with your “on your toes” activities.

5. Read this book.

6. Or, don’t do any of these things and have a surgery to lengthen your Achille’s Tendon. Nice because you don’t have to change any of your habits. Except for the bed rest. And the year recovery time. And physiotherapy. And learning how to walk in a mobilization boot. And the likelihood of knee, hip, and back pain from the bed, the crutches and the boot. But, you know. Whatever.

Got tight calves? Work on them until your foot looks less like Barbie’s

and more like Ken’s. Minus the dog bites.

No Barbies were actually harmed for this blog post. Although one may not be able to say the same about those who played with them.

The Calf Stretch vs Coffee

I spent way too long at the computer today. I was on a creative roll and didn’t think to step away until my energy started to crash. Immediately I thought, “I need some coffee to wake me up.” But I knew coffee wasn’t the best choice for me so late in the day so I decided to do my calf stretches instead. Within minutes of doing the calf stretch, I could feel the blood flow through my legs and all the way up to my head. My head felt tingly, and I felt awake and energized.

When we do the calf stretch, we are working on getting our muscles to the correct length. When our muscles are at the correct length, we increase the amount of oxygen (carried by the blood) flowing through our system. Most people are filling their capillary beds by 25% of their potential, says Katy Bowman, biomechanical scientist and author of Every Woman’s Guide to Foot Pain Relief. Katy also states, “Long-term heel wearing has been shown to shorten the fibers in the lower leg by 13 percent.” Yikes, 13 percent! That means fewer capillaries, less oxygen, and less waste removal.

Coffee contains theobromine. Theobromine is a vasodilator (opens up the blood vessels) that increases the amount of oxygen and blood flow to the brain. Coffee also increases the heart rate and the force of contraction of the heart. The calf stretch, on the other hand, leaves you naturally energized, but doesn’t raise your blood pressure. When the skeletal muscles compress the smooth muscles of the blood vessels, the arteries and arterioles vasodilate, pulling more fluid into the area. This creates a vacuum-like effect so the heart doesn’t have to work as hard. There are many more differences of course, like the calf stretch doesn’t keep you awake at night or make you irritable. Basically, I can’t think of a downside to doing the calf stretch.

I’m not anti coffee, I just know it is not always the best choice for me. My limit is about 2-oz once in a while and I try not to use it when I feel like “I need it”. When I give in to the “I need it” feeling and use coffee as a drug I override my body’s stress signal instead of being kind to myself and listening to what I truly need. Everything we do is a choice. When I’m in a rut physically or emotionally I ask myself, “How can I be kind to my body right now?” My body usually says stop what you are doing, breath and stretch, or go for a walk. Sometimes it says, “Turn off Hoarding, put down that margarita and get your ass to bed.” My body knows best, I just have to listen (in that case I should have listened sooner).

 

http://alignmentmonkey.nurturance.net/2011/back-your-hips-up