Younger Longer: Baby Those Feet

Hole 18  at the Trails in Norman with a newly created water hole in the middle of the fairway.

The Fitbit clicked 10,000 steps as I stepped onto the 10th tee. (I did take the dog for a short walk before playing golf that day, so perhaps I should rethink my daily habits.)  Staring at nine more wet holes of cart path only golf,  I looked at my feet and sang, "Baby the rain must fall, baby the wind must blow, wherever my shot leads me, that's where I must go..." I don't imagine that Glenn Yarbrough would be too pleased with my rendition of his song  Baby the Rain Must Fall (click here for the original song), but I enjoying singing while playing golf so that my brain relaxes, and I don't think about my tired feet.

AND BABY THE RAINS HAVE BEEN FALLING

Normally, riding a golf cart and walking on a dry day relates to about 7,000 steps, but for the last month we've been experiencing a tremendous amount of rain, and our golf courses are feeling the effects, and so are our feet, knees, and hips. Obviously, many of us are not in shape for playing walking sloshing golf that the Fitbit says is 14,000+ steps.

Since I know my feet are going to be tired, even though I wear inserts,  I am learning to care for my feet in the evenings by soaking them in Epsom salts. My feet begin to tickle and giggle when the aches wash away. Perhaps the most important step I take is to roll my feet every morning and often at night. The rolling gives me the chance for a free foot massage and to actually release some of the tight knots that build up with lactic acid and inflammation.

First, select the level of pain you want experience, or the level of comfort that your souls want to feel.

The golf ball is the hardest, but will cut into a pained knot or plantar fasciitis quickly. 

The pink ball is a racquetball size and the in between for soft exterior and firm inside.

I prefer the softer rubber ball or tennis ball because of the texture and relief.  

If I stand to roll my feet I make sure I am holding a door frame or chair, so that balance does not become an issue. Most often I sit and bend forward so I can put more weight on my foot when needed. I start on the top inside of my right foot, rolling is back and forth downward toward my heel, then around the heel and back up the other side.

 If I feel a sore place then I stop and concentrate on that one place by applying more pressure and rolling it slightly back and forth.

Another explanation can be found on the following websites:

Foot Rolling

The MELT method is the most detailed





Our feet play a vital role in the overall health of our body, and need to be treated like other muscles in our body--warm up the ankles and feet by rolling in circles before even getting out of bed.  Stretch them along with the calf or hamstring stretches before and after walking.

You may have noticed that my big toe has begun to move inward forcing the 2nd toe to cross it. It is commonly called 'hammer toes' and can be quite painful. That's one reason I wear professionally built inserts and toe spacers.  While writing this and researching foot rolling, I discovered this video on relaxing and stretching the toes. She's correct, I can barely get my fingers between my toes, but oh baby, did it feet good.   I can hardly wait to relax outside tonight by skipping barefoot through the wet grasses and then while sitting on the patio I will put my fingers between the toes to stretch and relax them.

It's almost like the care we give babies to hear them giggle and wiggle their bare feet.  Unlike babies we are now totally responsible for taking care of ourselves, so start soaking those feet and priming them for the next walk in the park. 

A Mother's Name

I called her "Mom." My sister, Jonya, called her "Mimz."  The kids all knew her as Mrs. Stapp.

Mom visiting Washington, DC

Her friends called her Helen.

Golfing acquaintances called her "The Pro's Wife" and his "Better Half."  They were correct about the later.

The teachers called her "Letty's Mom" or "Jonya's Mom;" the PTA President and the Brownie Scout Leader.

When she died I heard her referred to as the "salt of the earth", as "lovely," and as "gracious." Sincere words that described her, but I only wanted my "mother."

Yes, she was and is all of those things to me, and I miss her everyday. It has been twenty-nine years, two hundred and fifty seven days since I last held her hand and cried when the hospital buzzer called "code blue."

Our hearts broke at 9:00 am that day when her heart stopped beating.