If your goal is to live a long life, there's a lot to keep track of. Regular doctor visits and a healthy lifestyle are key for keeping your heart health, brain health, digestive health—and the list goes on—on track.
We're living longer than we were 100 years ago. But if you live to be 95, do you want to spend your last decade of that time in bed and in pain, taking too many medications to keep track of?
The word "healthspan"—aka how long you can live feeling well—has entered the conversation more recently. And while modern medicine is incredible, taking daily, diligent care of your body can help quite a bit if you want to prevent issues like heart disease, dementia, fatty liver disease, chronic pain and more.
The common recommendations for improving the outcomes in all of those areas? Move your body every day (ideally, for 150 minutes per week). Eat a healthy diet (The Mediterranean Diet is a favorite among doctors everywhere). Stay socially connected, keep stress at bay and get enough sleep.
But there's one predictor—and more specifically, body part—relating to longevity that we don't talk about nearly enough. And Dr. Courtney Conley, DC, co-author of the new book Walk: Rediscover the Most Natural Way to Boost Your Health and Longevity―One Step at a Time is begging you to pay attention to it.
Read on to find out what it is, and what changes you can make to keep this part of your body in good shape for as long as possible. ?SIGN UP for Parade’s health newsletter with expert-approved tips, healthy eats, exercises, news & more to help you stay healthy & feel your best self?
The Body Part We're Not Paying Enough Attention To
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Dr. Conley says we're not paying nearly enough attention to our feet. "We don’t treat our feet the way we treat the rest of our bodies. If someone has lower back pain, we'll encourage core strength or glute strength, for example, to help alleviate pain," she explains. "This is not the conversation we have with our feet."
If someone has heel pain, she continues, they're often instructed to get orthotics or a heel cup. "This is treating the symptom, not the root cause—the foot can be strengthened just like everywhere else in our bodies to improve function," Dr. Conley says.
Related: 7 Best Walking Shoes for Travel, According to Celebrity Stylists
Our feet have evolved to handle multiple times our body weight when walking, and when they're placed in restrictive footwear, or shoes that don’t respect the anatomy of the foot (think narrow toe box and higher heels), their function is compromised and weakness and pain ensue. "We sometimes refer to modern-day footwear as ‘shoe coffins,'" she tells Parade. "If you don’t use the strength and function of your foot, you will lose it."
Our feet are responsible for keeping us upright and balanced when we walk, Dr. Conley explains, noting that there are thousands of sensory receptors in our feet constantly gathering inputs to help us move better. "Think of your feet as ‘sensory organs,'" she says. "As we age, we gradually lose the sensitivity to these receptors. It takes more pressure for these same receptors to get stimulated. We lose the ability to ‘feel’ if you will."
We also lose muscle mass as we age, something many of us know—but we don't think about it happening in our feet. "We need strong feet to keep us stable when we walk, to create propulsion when we step forward and to keep us from falling over," Dr. Conley says.
Related: Not Into Running or Spin? Worry Not, Because the Simple Act of Taking a Walk Has Some Incredible Health Benefits
She adds that toe weakness is a factor in increased fall risk as we age, so strengthening your toes—again, something we don't think about much!—is important.
Here's a toe-strengthening exercise Dr. Conley recommends:
Place a washcloth under the tips of your toes so the muscles are in an elongated position.Lean forward and press your toes into the washcloth. Hold for 5 seconds, repeat 20 times.Many falls occur at the initiation of gait, she explains, so working on this forward lean position can be really helpful for building toe strength and preventing fall risk. "There is also research stating that wearing minimal footwear can increase the strength of your feet, but this needs to happen gradually and can be very beneficial," she adds.
Related: Here’s Exactly What Happens to Your Body When You Walk 20 Minutes a Day
What To Do To Start Taking Better Care of Your Feet Right Now
If you're thinking, Oh no! I need to take better care of my feet ASAP! Dr. Conley's first suggestion is to take your shoes off and look at them.
"Pay attention to what they look like and feel like," she recommends. "Are your toes the widest part of your foot? Do your shoes respect the anatomy of your foot, with the widest part of the shoe being the toe box or is the shoe narrow and pointed?"
And, she suggests, try walking barefoot for small increments, for five minutes per day.
"Let your foot feel the ground and move as it was intended," she says. "Practice toe dexterity. Try lifting just the big toe and then just the lesser toes. These inputs will begin to improve the awareness and function of your feet."
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Sources:
Dr. Courtney Conley, DC, co-author of the new book Walk: Rediscover the Most Natural Way to Boost Your Health and LongevityLifespan and Healthspan: Past, Present, and Promise. Gerontologist. 2015 Nov 10;55(6):901–911Effects of Barefoot and Minimalist Footwear Strength-Oriented Training on Foot Structure and Function in Athletic Populations: A Systematic Review. J Clin Med. 2025 Oct 28;14(21):7629.Hence then, the article about a doctor says the strength of this body part predicts longevity and almost no one realizes it was published today ( ) and is available on Parade ( Saudi Arabia ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
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