How to Maximize Your Head to Toe Health
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In this episode of the Foundational Health Podcast, Dr. Kevin Schultz takes a holistic approach to health that goes beyond diet and exercise. Discover simple, low or no-cost tips and tricks to keep you and your family healthy from head to toe. Dr. Schultz shares insights from his 25 years of chiropractic practice, focusing on the five pillars of foundational health: nutrition, motion, hydration, recovery, and intention.
Learn how to incorporate daily habits that can help you with everything from reducing knee pain to improving sleep. Whether you're dealing with common ailments or looking to prevent them, this episode provides practical advice to support your journey to looking better, feeling better, and healing better.
Daily Tips to Follow to Reduce Pain and Increase Overall Wellness
Modern life has a way of disconnecting us from our bodies. We rush through the day, ignore aches and pains, mask symptoms with meds, and sit far more than we move. But your body is always communicating—and it’s time we started listening.
In this episode of the Foundational Health Podcast, Dr. Kevin Schultz shares a holistic, head-to-toe guide to long-term wellness. This isn’t about quick fixes or expensive tools—it’s about simple, powerful habits you can start today to keep every part of your body strong, mobile, and pain-free.
Whether you’re struggling with fatigue, joint pain, poor sleep, or just want to feel better in your own body, this breakdown will help you reconnect, rebuild, and heal—starting from the ground up.
Before You Start: The 5 Pillars of Foundational Health
No matter how much stretching, strengthening, or biohacking you do, true healing doesn’t happen unless your core foundations are in place. That’s why Dr. Schultz always starts with these five:
1. Nutrition
Your body rebuilds itself cell by cell every 100 days—based on what you feed it. If you’re building with ultra-processed food, low-quality oils, or hormone-filled meats, you’re not giving your body the tools it needs to heal. Focus on nutrient-dense, whole foods and ditch the low-quality supplements in favor of high-potency, whole-food-based options.
Pro Tip: Follow the 90/10 rule. Don’t aim for perfection—aim for consistency. 90% clean, 10% real life.
Learn more in our nutrition episode of the Foundational Health podcast!
2. Motion
You don’t get energy from sitting—you generate it through movement. That’s why the more you move, the more energy you’ll have. Build movement into your day with exercise “snacks,” resistance training, and intentional walking.
Learn more in our motion episode of the Foundational Health podcast!
3. Hydration
Your body runs on water. Sip (don’t gulp) throughout the day, add electrolytes, and aim for half your body weight in ounces per day.
Learn more in our hydration episode of the Foundational Health podcast!
4. Recovery
Healing happens at night. Prioritize deep sleep, protect your circadian rhythm, and block blue light after sunset. Don’t underestimate the power of rest—it’s your body’s natural reset button.
Learn more in our recovery episode of the Foundational Health podcast!
5. Intention
Your mindset matters. Set goals that inspire you. Feed your mind with positivity. Be the example you want your kids, spouse, or community to follow.
Learn more in our intention episode of the Foundational Health podcast!
The Head-to-Toe Guide to Daily Healing Habits
Feet Health Tips: Your Foundation
Your feet aren’t just the base of your body—they’re the first line of communication for your entire musculoskeletal system. Weak arches, tight fascia, or improper footwear can create a chain reaction of pain all the way up to your neck.
Daily Habits for Healthier Feet:
Roll a ball under your foot (Dr. Schultz recommends a racquetball) for 3–5 minutes to loosen fascia, reduce inflammation, and limit the effects of plantar fasciitis.
Stretch and strengthen your calves with standing calf stretches and full-range heel raises. This improves achilles tendon health and helps prevent plantar fasciitis.
Ditch the traditional shoes. Choose shoes with:
Zero-drop soles (no raised heel)
Wide toe box (so your toes can spread)
Flexible soles for natural foot movement
Bonus: Use elastic laces to give your foot more movement without sacrificing support.
Knee Health Tips: Strength Through Balance
Most knee pain isn’t about the knees themselves—it’s about the muscles surrounding them. Tight quads, hamstrings, or calves pull on the joint and create tension that leads to pain over time.
What to Focus On:
Stretch the whole leg daily—especially quads and hamstrings.
Do bodyweight squats and combine them with heel raises for full-range motion and tendon support.
Try “good mornings” (hip-hinge exercises) to strengthen your hamstrings and protect the knee joint.
“Bad knees” don’t run in families—sedentary habits do. The more you move, the more resilient your knees become.
Hip Health Tips: Your Power Center
Your hips are the center of all movement—walking, standing, lifting, and even sitting. Tight hips affect spinal alignment, digestion, and circulation. They’re also one of the first areas to suffer when we sit too much.
Daily Hip Health Habits:
Walk 8,000–10,000 steps per day with big strides and arm swings.
Avoid prolonged sitting—stand, stretch, or use a standing desk when possible.
Keep your spine loose with regular spinal mobility work (more on that below).
Shoulder Health Tips: Stability Over Strength
Shoulder injuries are one of the most common pain complaints—but most are preventable with better posture, mobility, and strength.
What Dr. Schultz Recommends:
Hang from a bar on a regular basis (start small and build up to 1–2 minutes) to decompress the spine and strengthen the grip and shoulders.
Practice range-of-motion stretches every morning to prevent stiffness and impingement.
Strengthen the deltoids with front, side, and rear dumbbell raises (use light weights and focus on form).
Want to learn how strengthen and stretch your shoulders? Check out our shoulder mobility quick guide to start improving your shoulder health today!
Spine, Back, and Neck Health Tips: Your Central Communicator
Your spine houses your nervous system—your body’s command center. Misalignments, poor posture, and chronic tightness can disrupt everything from digestion to energy levels.
Daily Spinal Habits:
Do spinal hygiene stretches every morning and evening to maintain mobility.
Practice smart posture—especially when driving, working at a desk, or using your phone.
Consider chiropractic care to maintain spinal alignment and prevent degenerative changes.
Looking to improve your posture and reduce neck and back pain? Check out our foundational posture quick guide to learn more!
Eye Health Tips: Small Muscles, Big Impact
Eye strain, blurry vision, and even headaches can stem from weak or overused eye muscles. Just like any other part of the body, they need movement and rest.
Foundational Health Tips:
Do eye muscle exercises (Dr. Schultz provides a free guide) to improve focus and reduce strain.
Practice “distance gazing”—look at something far away (like the horizon) to reset your vision.
Get natural light in your eyes first thing in the morning—no sunglasses, no screens.
Start improving your eye health and reducing sight issues with our eye strengthening quick guide!
Mouth & Teeth Health Tips: The Gateway to Your Body’s Health
Your mouth affects your gut, brain, sleep, and immune system. But most of us are still brushing with chemical-filled toothpaste and breathing through our mouths at night.
To Upgrade Your Oral Health:
Mouth tape while you sleep to promote nose breathing, deeper sleep, and better oral microbiome health.
Switch to non-toxic toothpaste—ditch the fluoride, dyes, and synthetic chemicals.
Brain: Powered by the 5 Pillars
Everything you do to support your body also supports your brain—especially sleep, hydration, and stress management.
One Tip That Makes a Big Difference:
Block blue light at night with orange bulbs and blue-light-blocking glasses to preserve melatonin production and deepen sleep.
Skin, Hair & Nails: Health from the Inside (and Outside)
Your skin is your largest organ—and everything you put on it enters your bloodstream. The same goes for your hair and nails.
What to Avoid:
Fragrance (a catch-all for dozens of toxic chemicals)
Parabens, sulfates, and artificial dyes in skincare and makeup
Fluoride-based products
What to Use Instead:
Clean beauty products with essential oils
Magnesium-rich lotions and epsom salt baths
Whole-food supplements that nourish from within
Final Thoughts: Your Body Wants to Heal—You Just Have to Let It
The best part of this head-to-toe approach? It’s simple, accessible, and rooted in your body’s natural design. You don’t need a gym membership, a supplement cabinet full of pills, or expensive wellness tech.
What you need is consistency. Awareness. And a willingness to listen to your body instead of silencing it.
Top 3 Takeaways from This Episode
Simple habits done daily create lasting transformation. Health isn’t built in a week—it’s built brick by brick, choice by choice.
Don’t follow the crowd—follow your body. Just because something is common (like headaches or joint pain) doesn’t mean it’s normal. Address the root, not just the symptom.
You are the example. Your kids, spouse, coworkers—they’re watching. Let your daily health choices be a model of what’s possible.
