After I left my corporate job and started getting much more active, it didn’t take long to notice recurring foot pain. Initially, I looked for a pill or supplements to fix it. Some things worked, but it was a temporary fix because it just dealt with the pain and masked the underlying problem. Eventually, I became convinced that the real issue was likely caused by weak feet and ankles created by years of neglect and poor footwear. Read on for the techniques I’ve found that are perfect for re-wilding your feet.

So what is re-wilding your feet? It’s the process of correcting years of poor practices that have made your feet incapable of doing the many jobs that they have been designed for. This involves restoring natural foot function by strengthening the bones, muscles and tendons of the foot. Restoring joint flexibility in the feet and ankles is also an important consideration.

Many years of wearing modern shoes may be one of the biggest culprits for why you need to re-wild. Putting your feet in narrow shoes prevent toe splay. This, combined with features that raise your heels and provide unnatural arch support, cause the moving parts of your feet to atrophy over time. Over many years, this leads to you developing mechanisms elsewhere to compensate. Eventually, the need to re-wild can manifest in foot, ankle, knee, hip and back pain.

There are many techniques that you can use when re-wilding your feet. Most of them involve removing the crutches that have caused the need for re-wilding in the first place. Beyond this, strengthening your feet and ankles, improving mobility and restoring toe splay are the main things that you’re going to want to focus on.

Re-wilding is first and foremost a lifestyle change, so that’s where we’ll start.

Start by replacing as much of your footwear as possible with something that is “Pro Foot”. Look for toe accommodating ‘barefoot’ shoes with zero drop. I’ve written about some of my favorite barefoot shoes before.

It may be obvious, but walking barefoot is one of the simplest and most effective ways to re-wild your feet. By exposing your feet to different textures, temperatures, and sensations, you can stimulate your nerve endings and promote healthy foot function. Some different surfaces to try and their benefits:

• Grass: Soft, uneven grass is perfect for stimulating your foot muscles and promoting balance.

• Sand: Walking on sand can help to strengthen your ankles and improve your balance.

• Rocks or stones: Uneven, rocky surfaces can help to stimulate your nerve endings and improve your proprioception.

If you’re not quite ready to tackle all of these surfaces completely barefoot yet, a good alternative is to do it in an extremely minimalist shoe like EarthRunners.

As mentioned earlier, weak foot muscles are a common problem caused by relying on non-optimal shoes to support and cushion our feet. To build strong, capable feet, try these exercises:

• Toe Spreads: Sit or stand on the floor with your feet flat. Spread your toes as far apart as possible, then bring them back together. Repeat for 10-15 reps. This assists with toe splay and also helps identify other areas that you should target for strengthening/mobility improvements

• Toe Curls: Stand on the floor with your feet flat. Curl your toes under, then release. Repeat for 10-15 reps. I like to do this on a non-carpeted surface and try to pull a towel towards me.

• Heel Raises: Stand on the edge of a stair or curb with your heels hanging off the edge. Raise up onto your tiptoes, then lower back down. Repeat for 10-15 reps. As you get more advanced, you can do this weighted or one legged.

• Ankle Board: Exercises on an ankle board are a great way to target very specific problems once you identify them. With this, you can specifically target front or back foot issues and even Plantar Fasciitis.

• Jump Rope: I’m convinced that the true long term solution to keeping my feet and ankles in their best shape is using a jump rope. Additionally, this is great cardio! I’ve been using the CrossRope Classic weighted jump rope to do this.

Tight, inflexible feet can lead to a range of problems, from plantar fasciitis to Achilles tendonitis. To keep your feet flexible and supple, try these stretches:

• Toe Stretch: Sit on the floor with your feet flat. Loop a towel around the ball of your foot and gently pull your toes back towards your shin. Hold for 15-30 seconds.

• Calf Stretch: Stand facing a wall with one hand on the wall for balance. Step one foot back about a foot and a half, keeping your heel on the ground. Bend your front knee and lean forward, stretching your calf muscle. Hold for 15-30 seconds and repeat on the other side.

• Achilles Stretch: Stand on the edge of a stair or curb with your heels hanging off the edge. Slowly lower your heels down, stretching your Achilles tendon. Hold for 15-30 seconds. I like to incorporate this into my calf raise strengthen exercises.

• Toe Yoga: Anything that you do that gets your toes to move independently and generally spread out is going to ultimately be beneficial. One of my favorites is to stand on a floor with feet flat. I then alternate raising my big toes off the ground (while keeping the others in place). Hold briefly, then lower the big toes to the floor and try to raise all of the others as a group. Repeat this several times. I also use an elastic band with one end around each big toe. Stretch the band until you can feel it pulling your big toes toward each other; Hold and then release; Repeat.

• Ankle Circles: Sit down with one foot flat on the floor. Take the other foot and cross it over your knee. Try to put a finger from one hand in between each toe to spread them out. Take your other hand and put it on the opposite side of your foot. Use your hands to alternately flex the toes forward and back. Do this a few times. Now use your hands to slowly rotate your foot in a large circle around your ankle; Do this a few times and then repeat in the opposite direction.

Massaging your feet can help to promote blood flow, reduce tension, and stimulate your nerve endings. Try using a foam roller or tennis ball to massage your feet, paying particular attention to the soles and arches. You can also try self-massage techniques like:

• Toe massage: Use your fingers to massage each toe, working from the tip to the base.

• Arch massage: Massage the arch of your foot, working from the heel to the ball.

• Achilles massage: Take a golf ball and while standing, hold it in between both feet right around your achilles tendon. Do a few calf raises while holding the ball in place with your heels.

There are other means to encourage circulation in your feet. Sauna is one of my favorites. I often make the most of my time by doing my foot strengthening exercises and massage in the sauna. I keep a foot restoration kit in the sauna specifically for this purpose.

Another effective stacking technique that I use is to spend some of my time at my standing desk on an acupressure mat. When I was suffering from my worst foot pain, this was one of the easiest ways to temporarily relieve it.

Re-wilding your feet is a journey that requires patience and persistence. It would be great if switching to a new type of shoe was all that was required. Instead, it requires a holistic approach that incorporates exercises, stretches, and lifestyle changes to promote healthy, resilient feet. Have you incorporated any of these (or other) techniques? Let me know!