Tips for Building Function in Everyday Movements & Moments: Lower Body
Developing an exercise practice can be challenging and it can take a while to reap the rewards, for it to become an enjoyable part of daily life. While I am an advocate for exercise, I am also an advocate for starting slow and for building quality movement into daily life. One of the best ways to start to improve posture and reduce aches and pains is to focus on functional movement; said another way, moving well and with the mechanics of the body. Doing so promotes postural balance, stability and mobility rather than wear and tear.
With this in mind, and based on my direct experience in practice since 2011, here are two general lessons about how the body functions, with emphasis on the lower body, and two corresponding movements for experiential practice and functional development:
Pressing down through the heel of the foot activates the posterior chain
Pressing through the toes of the foot activates the anterior chain
What are these chains I’m talking about? No muscle lives in isolation. They’re all connected to each other by the joints they cross, which translates into the movement patterns we make.
When we press through the heel, we activate the posterior chain, which is the back of the leg (calf, aka gastrocs, soleus and others), back of the thigh (hamstrings), the back of the hips (glutes) and the back of the torso and head (ESGs+). All of the muscles of the back of the body all work together.
The same chain from toe to face is the anterior chain and includes the front of the leg (tib anterior+), the front of the thigh (quads), the front of the hips (one quad plus lower abdominals+), the front of the torso (abdominals) up the throat into the face.
What I see mostly in my practice and on the streets is an over-engaged anterior chain and an under-engaged posterior chain. The power houses in the back of the body are not being utilized nearly enough due to our dominance in the sitting posture and our shoes with lifted heels. Most modern shoes have a heel lift, even the most popular running and athletic shoes all pitch us forward onto our toes. This is bad for the business of the body.
So here’s what to do:
Practice getting off your toes when walking up the stairs. It’s super easy to get into the habit of bouncing up the stairs on our toes rather than deliberately stepping down with our whole foot, one at a time, to push through the heel and lift ourselves up to the next level. (This is actually a slowed down version of walking, where we balance on one foot in order to move the next one forward and repeat. It should go, heel to toe, heel to toe, heel to toe.) Use these moments to slow down and feel the back of the leg working as it elevates your body to the next stair and the front of the standing leg working as it stabiles the movement.
Sit and stand deliberately, every time. When you sit down, press through your heels, bend your knees, send your pelvis back and lower yourself down. Feel the back of the body working as it contracts to control your descent. When you stand, press through the heels, hinge through the hips slightly, contract the back of your body to lift your pelvis off the seat, then straighten your knees by pressing more into the toe and contracting the front of the body. Again, these are small moments to slow down and notice the integration of the front and the back of the body.
After a little practice, these habits will become normal and not something you have to think about. Your body and your brain will thank you! It’s what we do everyday that matters, not just every once in a while. Everday, we have the opportunity to choose small moments of well being.
