1. Feelings: Take a walk, and really notice how your feet interact with the ground. Where does your heel hit the ground? Does your foot roll from the back to the front, or does it hit the ground all at once? Do you walk on the outside or the inside of your feet?

Our feet are designed to take all the stresses of the body impacting the ground. If we walk the way we're designed to, that is. You should try to contact the ground with your heel, slightly to the outside of the center. The part of our feet that contacts the ground is on the outside (not the arch), and that goes all the way up to our forefoot. At the forefoot, the pressure on the ground should then transfer to the ball of your foot, and then on to your first two toes for pushing off. If you think about it, the most stable parts of our feet are carrying the weight of our stride. One part of the foot should always be on the ground so that you have some momentum working for you in your stride. If your entire foot hits the ground at the same time, you are effectively planting your foot in the ground with nowhere to go. Remember to roll!

2. Sounds: When you walk, can you hear your feet? Do they make more noise when you first hit the ground with your heel, or later? Is it loud or quiet?

If your feet are making a lot of noise, it's a symptom that you aren't using them effectively. You might be hitting the ground too hard with your heel (which can result in low back pain) or flapping the ground with your feet after heel strike (which tends to happen if your shins and ankles aren't strong enough). You can also hear if you're scraping your shoes against each other or the ground. Anyway it sounds, noises from your feet mean that you are wasting energy. See what you can do to quiet down your feet. This should help you make your stride smoother too. Remember, you're walking, not marching!

Pay attention to your feet and they will be good to you!

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