If you want to feel instantly stronger and more stable during squats, deadlifts, and other lower-body exercises, try this simple trick: Kick off your shoes.

That’s the latest recommendations from Yahoo Health’s Amy Rushlow recent article “3 Exercises You Should Do Barefoot”.  Check out her post on doing dead lifts and other exercises without your shoes.

I also recommend barefoot activities for my patients.   Most recently I posted about doing calf raises to help with plantar fasciitis.  This recent article suggested doing the calf raises without shoes using your toes to grip a rolled up towel to facilitate the use of your toes to strengthen your flexor muscles which in turn can make for a more stable foot.  Making the foot more stable will take some of the workload off the plantar fascia and other intrinsic muscles of the foot and help ease the pain.