Flat Footed

Another Brian post:

Brian had me doing another strength/balance exercise. As I held on to an upright support with one hand, arm extend out straight, I slowly lowered a weight towards the floor with my other hand. I did this while bending from the waist, extending one leg straight out behind me as I lowered the weight. When I returned to an upright position, one leg stayed planted as a pivot point while the other hovered just above the floor until I bent over again.

This human pendulum maneuver is harder than it looks, at least for me. You see, I have flat feet. The flattest. I’m talking about feet so flat that when I walk barefoot in the sand, my footprints leave an impression of the entire foot. You won’t see that familiar half-moon image left by people with functioning arches.

Not me. No arch. Never had one. Never will.

So this means that anytime I’m trying to find balance on one foot, I have to compensate for my foot’s natural tendency to roll inward. It doesn’t mean that I can’t do the exercise; it just means I have to work a little harder at it. And I always will.

To the outside observer, this exercise may seem like a piece of cake. They may look at me and wonder why it takes me so long to get started, and why it takes me longer to do my reps.

The point: we’re all made differently, and we may have to find our own way to get to the same result. Just a piece of awareness to carry about ourselves, and about those around us.