It all starts from the ground up. Your feet may not look like a very important contributor to the overall health. However, when it comes to the external aspects of your body, there is no harder working parts than your feet. They keep us moving and if you take proper care of them by strengthening them and wearing proper footwear, your feet will help prevent back, knee, and hip pain.
5 Exercises to Strengthen Your Feet, Help Prevent Pain, and Improve Your Balance
1. Toe Presses
Like any other body part, the feet have to get their muscles warmed up properly before engaging in exercise. Toe presses are a great, low impact warm up for your feet. The movement can actually be quite relaxing. Stand tall and bend slightly at the knees. Next, grip the floor with your toes and hold for a count of three. Release and perform a set of 10 reps three times a day.
2. Toe Walking
You don’t have to be a ballerina for this foot exercise. Toe walking will help strengthen the muscles in your toes, as well as the ligaments and muscles surrounding the balls of your feet. To perform the toe walking exercise all you must do is stand on your tiptoes and walk forward for 20 seconds. Once you have completed this walk, rest for 10-15 seconds. Repeat this exercise 5 more times. (Note: This exercise should be performed 2 times a day for best results.)
3. Ankle Circles
Ankle mobility and flexibility are extremely important. Ankle’s that are tight and restricted often cause the rest of the body to compensate for their flaws. That’s a situation which can result in muscle and joint pain throughout the body. If your ankles are tight you might experience hip, back, or knee pain.
To perform ankle circles, put your back on the floor and extend one leg over your head. Rotate the extended leg’s ankle clockwise for 10 counts. Then, rotate the extended leg’s ankle counterclockwise for 10 counts. Switch legs and repeat.
4. Resisted Flexion
Resisted flexion is excellent for targeting the small, hard-to-reach muscles in the foot. These muscles often play a crucial role in maintaining balance. So, strengthening these muscles will prevent injury.
To perform this exercise you will need one exercise band. Sitting on the floor, straighten your feet out in front of you. Next, wrap an exercise band around a sturdy chair or bedpost, and then place the band on the top of your feet. While in a seated position on the floor, slide back until you feel tension in the band.
Flex your foot backward and hold for a count of 5, release and repeat this movement for 10 repetitions.
5. Toe Pencil Pickups
Toe pencil pickups are easy to perform and can be done almost anywhere. All you will need for this exercise is a pencil (or pen). Stand in front of the pencil you wish to pick up. Using your toes grab this pencil and lift it off the ground, hold for 10 seconds, then drop it. Repeat this movement 5 times for each foot.
This exercise routine should only take about 20 minutes to complete. Perform these exercises in a succession of each other every 2-3 days for best results.
If you’re looking for relief that will last, something we love adding to you exercise recovery routine is myKore Essentials transdermal magnesium. No digestive discomfort – just fast-acting 100% pure magnesium oil to soothe your pain and lower inflammation.
