Tips for Healthy Feet
Most people don’t spend anytime strengthening their feet and yet, your feet are the foundation to all your movements. We stand and walk on them all day long, we run on them, jump on them, they propel us forward, and they absorb impact. It’s clear that the foot is one of the most important areas to train, however it’s the most neglected!
Foot Exercises Tips: Add to your workout program to increase the health of your feet
Feet & Toe Range of Motion
Move your toes and feet while watching TV or working at your desk. Separate your toes wide, flex and bend and extend your toes, point and extend your feet, rotate your ankles, tap your toes…Move your feet, ankles and toes to get blood flowing to the muscles, tissues and joints. Do it at least a minute at a time whenever you think about it every day.
Toe/Ball Curls
Take a small soft ball like a stress ball and squeeze your toes around the ball. Continue for 1 minute.
Heel Raises
Lift your heels quickly pressing up onto your toes. Continue for 1 minute.
Toe Taps
Lift your toes up and down quickly tapping them for 1 minute.
Towel Crunches
Lay a towel flat on the floor in front of you. Place your bare feet on the towel edge closest to you and then curl your toes pulling the towel closer and closer to you. Continue this exercise for 1 minute. It’s an easy one to do while you’re watching TV or reading.
Golf Ball Releasing
When you are working at your desk or watching TV, roll your feet over a golf ball with the intent of kneading away any tight tissue. When you feel a tight area, you can hold for a few seconds until it releases and/or gently roll back and forth over the area.
Barefoot Exercise
Perform some low-impact exercises barefoot to strengthen your feet. Participate in activities that are conducive to bare feet like Yoga or Barre.
Wear Athletic Shoes That are Flexible and Have a Wide Toe Box
You should be able to bend your athletic shoes which would allow your feet to function as they were designed. Your toe box should be wide allowing your toes to spread versus get crunched. Many professionals suggest going a half size to full size bigger than you think you wear. Consider purchasing your athletic shoes from a local specialty shop like Foot Traffic or When the Shoe Fits to get fitted correctly. We spend a ton of time on our feet so be sure to invest in their overall health.
Spend Less Time in High-Heel, Rigid Shoes
Try to avoid wearing any shoe that has a very high heel to toe ratio and is very rigid which can negatively affect the anatomy of the foot. If you opt for high heels or stilettos, try to wear these types of shoes for special occasions only (definitely not daily) and avoid walking in long distances while wearing them.
Yours in health & fitness,
Sherri McMillan
Sherri McMillan
Sherri McMillan, holds a master's degree in exercise physiology and has been inspiring the world to adopt a fitness lifestyle for more than 33 years. She has received numerous industry awards including 2010 CanFitPro International Presenter of the Year, 2006 IDEA Fitness Director of the Year, 1998 IDEA Personal Trainer of the Year, 1998 CanFitPro Fitness Presenter of the Year and 2005/2006 ACE Fitness Educator of the Year - Runner up. She is a fitness trainer, fitness columnist for various magazines and newspapers, author of five books and manuals including "Go For Fit - the Winning Way to Fat Loss" and "Fit over Forty" and the featured presenter in various fitness DVDs. She has presented hundreds of workshops to thousands of fitness leaders throughout Canada, Australia, Mexico, Jamaica, New Zealand, Germany, England, Spain, South America, Asia and the U.S. She is the owner of Northwest Personal Training in downtown Vancouver, the founder of WHY Racing Events & WHY Community, participates in various community fundraisers and can be found running, biking, or hiking around the community. Find more information at nwpersonaltraining.com.