Your feet and ankles suffer quite a great deal during even the most relaxed of days, let alone during those days when you spend hours on your feet, running around and doing errands. Those of us whose jobs require us to stand for extended periods of time are even more likely to have various issues that will involve their feet and/or their ankles.
The best way to avoid any injuries and issues with feet and ankles, as well as to get better after any injury or condition is to work them out, just as you would any other part of the body. Here are some of the strengthening exercises that will do wonders for them.
Workout for the toes
You may feel silly when doing these exercises but they will actually be incredibly beneficial for your toes, as well as the various muscles in your feet. These exercises involve picking up objects from the ground using your feet and holding them up in the air. You can also use your feet to write letters and numbers in the air, thus further strengthening your feet. The important thing is to do these exercises regularly, at least two times a day.
Balance act
One of the best exercises for your ankles is simple balancing. The easiest way to work out like this is to take a thicker pillow and place it on the ground. Then, you simply step on it with one foot and raise the other one in the air. Then, you simply leave it to the gravity and your body to do their thing. Namely, no matter how well-balanced you are usually, after a while, you will start to lose balance and your ankle will do everything to keep you upright. This is exquisite exercise for the ankle.
Plantar fascia exercises
The first type of plantar fascia exercises involves a chair and a cylindrical object of some kind. You simply sit on the chair and put your foot on the cylindrical object, for instance, a can. Then you simply roll it forward and backwards. You should do this at least two times a day.
Another type of exercise that will involve your plantar fascia is to stretch your legs out and make your feet perpendicular with them. Next, you take a towel or some other object and you get it around the ball of the foot. You then grab the towel with both hands and pull your foot towards you. You should do at least 10 repetitions for each foot.
Pushing down into the ground
Perhaps the simplest exercise of them all is pushing your toes into the ground. You just sit down and you use all the strength that you have in your toes and feet to push your toes into the ground. You just need to take care not to curl them or move them in any way. This may seem like doing little, but it is actually a great exercise.
There are many other exercises for your feet and your ankles and depending on what you are getting better from and what you are looking to achieve, your podiatry specialistwill recommend the different types that will help you immensely. Make sure you do them regularly and you listen to other advice that your podiatrist has for you.
Author's bio: James Burbank is a blogging maniac who enjoys an active lifestyle and who writes on fitness, green living and healthy eating. He is always ready to learn new stuff and to share his findings with other people.
Fists with your toes
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