Foot Health and Posture are Intricately Linked – Anya's Reviews: How I Turned My Living Room Into a Foot Health Haven
Anya Jensen, who also goes by the moniker The Barefoot Queen, is the hardworking mother of two behind the eponymous Anya’s Reviews. Anya’s Reviews is THE place to learn about hard-to-find barefoot brands the world over, which you can then purchase at Anya’s Shop. Anya is a prolific blogger with over 200 minimalist shoe reviews (hundreds more in her newsletter!), and she has a catchy and cute but also educational presence on social media sharing about her transformation from sick and injured to strong and healthy. Her self-effacing approachability shines through when she modestly describes herself in her blog titled, Being Me: A Journey to Barefoot: “I’m small, low energy, have low-ish muscle tone, and lax ligaments.” Don’t be fooled because her foot and postural transformation has inspired a movement to follow in her footsteps! But Anya is still certain so many people appreciate her story because as she says, “maybe the story of a normal person is just what normal people need to hear.”
Anya’s story of strengthening her feet is intricately linked with improving her posture. Upon learning about her rigid big toes, medically termed functional hallux limitus, Anya also learned about her scoliosis, kyphosis, and general lack of postural symmetry. And upon reading Katy Bowman’s primer on the subject, Whole Body Barefoot, Anya had a fire lit inside of her to improve her foot health, posture, and lift herself out of pain and disfunction. The rest, as they say, is history.
When Anya’s husband Justin reached out to Venn with the idea to surprise Anya with the living room makeover of her dreams, we jumped at the chance. We’ve been long-time followers of Anya and referred many to her website referencing helpful blogs about the best sandals for a wedding, or the best boots for wet or winter. Justin and Anya had been eyeing Venn Sitting Cushions for quite a while but transforming their living room in the way they had in mind was a philosophical leap that required planning.
“Ever since I discovered barefoot shoes and the world of natural foot care, I have dreamed of turning my living space into a movement friendly utopia. Because when it comes to the body, everything is connected.”
Check out Anya’s awesome Reel above, and then click the button below to read the blog. We’ve attached a small excerpt to whet your appetite. Click through to read all of Anya’s process and unique solutions, and finish off with some tips from Petra Fischer, a floor sitting and movement guru.
Anya, Petra, and Katy are all shining examples of creating a home and work environment that inspires movement and multiple postures. At Venn, we call this creating a Movement Rich Environment. Read on to feel inspired and dream up your own foot health and posture transformation!
Why We Needed a Change
Your spine and hip mobility all impact what you can do with your feet, and that means your lifestyle has a tremendous impact on your foot health. The lowest hanging fruit here is how you sit.
Sitting in chairs all day every day for years is not a good way to keep your spine and hips healthy. When you don’t have traditional furniture you change position often, moving SO many more parts in your body than you would in a chair. This keeps things limber and strong, from your head to your toes.
But as a society we are very attached to chairs and couches. And my family thought not having those things would mean being uncomfortable at home. No one wants that!
So here is how we took a measured approach to reducing the traditional furniture in our house while still keeping it cozy. And now, 6 years later, we primarily sit on the floor (or stand, run, jump, and roll around)!
Anya thought to include a few links to some of her most popular blogs that would be of interest to Venn’s readers.
Perhaps you are looking for:
The Best Barefoot Minimalist Kids Shoes
The 10 Best Affordable Barefoot Shoes for Adults
The Benefits of Wearing Barefoot Shoes