Healthy Feet (Part Two): Three At-Home Exercises to Help Strengthen Your Feet

In last week’s post, I discussed why your feet need to move.  To recap, your feet are made up of many bones and joints.  In order for each of the joints to stay healthy, they have to be able to move. Performing exercises for the muscles of your feet can help with this.

One of the most effective ways of ensuring that your joints are able to move is to make sure your muscles are working well.  Why?  Because the number one purpose of muscles is to help position and control joints.  In other words, muscles help your joints move, so making sure your muscles are working well will help to make sure your joints are moving well.  As a certified personal trainer and Muscle Activation Techniques™ specialist in Schaumburg, this is a conversation I often have with my clients.

Regularly exercising, especially performing strength training exercises, can help improve how your muscles are working, as well as help to maintain their current function.  Strength exercises for your legs, arms, and abs can be easily found in magazines and online.  But what about strength exercises for your feet?

Here are three exercises you can do at home to help strengthen the muscles of your lower legs and feet:

**Disclaimer**  Please make sure that you have been cleared for regular exercise by your physician before employing any of the exercise tips or advice below.  This advice is only for those who have been cleared for regular exercise.

1. Calf Raises (Ankle Plantarflexion)

Calf raises are great for targeting the muscles on the backside of your lower leg, such as your gastrocs, soleus, and posterior tibialis muscles.  This exercise can even incorporate muscles that help control your toes!  You can perform this exercise while seated or standing.

How to do it (Seated):

 

• Sit with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor.
• Focus on squeezing the muscles on the backside of your lower leg to pull your heel up towards your knee.
• Keep the front balls of your feet and your toes the floor as your heels lift.
• Take 3 seconds to get to the top of the motion, pause for 2 seconds, then lower your feet back down flat to the floor for 3 seconds.
• Once your feet are on the floor, continue to focus on squeezing the back of your lower legs for 2 seconds before lifting your heels again.
• Repeat for a total of 40-60 seconds before resting.

How to do it (Standing):

 

• Stand with your knees comfortably straight (not locked) and feet flat on the floor.  Position yourself near a sturdy structure, such as a table, that you can hold to help you keep your balance.
• Focus on squeezing the muscles on the backside of your lower leg to pull your heel up towards your knee.
• Keep the front balls of your feet and your toes the floor as your heels lift.
• Take 3 seconds to get to the top of the motion, pause for 2 seconds, then lower your feet back down flat to the floor for 3 seconds.
• Once your feet are on the floor, continue to focus on squeezing the back of your lower legs for 2 seconds before lifting your heels again.
• Repeat for a total of 40-60 seconds before resting.

 

2. Toe Lifts (Ankle Dorsiflexion with Toe Extension)

Toe lifts are easy to perform at home or at the office.  They can be done while at dinner or in a meeting without anybody noticing!  This exercise is great for targeting the muscles on the front of your lower leg, such as your anterior tibialis, as well as the top of your foot and your toe muscles.  Try performing this exercise seated before attempting it standing.

How to do it:

 

• Seated with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor, point your toes up towards the ceiling.
• Think about squeezing the muscles on the front of your legs and tops of your feet to pull your toes and feet toward your knees.
• Keep your heels on the ground as your toes and feet lift up.
• Take 3 seconds to get to the top of the motion, pause for 2 seconds, then lower your feet back down flat to the floor for 3 seconds.
• Once your feet are on the floor, continue to focus on squeezing the front of your lower legs and tops of your feet for 2 seconds before lifting your heels again.
• Repeat for a total of 40-60 seconds before resting.

 

3. Toe Curls (Toe Flexion)

Toe curls are great for working the bottom side of your feet.  These muscles can be especially important to strengthen if you have ever had any kind of plantar fasciitis symptoms.  This exercise can be done seated.  Incorporate a towel to increase the challenge!

How to do it:

 

• Sit with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor.
• Focus on squeezing the muscles on the bottom of your feet and toes to curls your toes. Think of this like trying to make a fist with your foot.
• Squeeze and hold for five to ten seconds and then relax, letting your toes straighten.
• Repeat five to ten times.
• If you want to increase the challenge, you can place a light towel down on the floor under your feet.  You can practice grabbing and pulling the towel towards you with your toes.
• If your feet start to cramp, lighten up with how hard you are squeezing.  As your feet get stronger, you may be able to squeeze harder without them cramping.

Remember, in order for your feet to be healthy, the bones and joints of your feet have to be able to move.  The things that should be moving your bones and joints are your muscles.  In order to make sure the muscles of your feet are moving well, they need to be strengthened.  Often, we focus on strengthening other areas of our bodies, but we neglect to specifically strengthen our feet.  Incorporating the three at-home exercises listed above can not only help to improve the strength and function of the muscles of your feet, but help the bones and joints of your feet move better and stay healthier for longer.

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