This is a topic I’ve never covered and while it may not seem relevant to your health and fitness, it’s more important than you might think. So here’s a short primer on foot fitness. The goal of this article is to create or build an awareness of the role that your feet and ankles play in the overall fitness equation. It is not intended to be a lengthy discussion of foot health.
Your feet are involved in your posture, balance, stability fall recovery, walking, lower body strength and flexibility, and a myriad of other things that you should be concerned with as you get older.
Common problems are sore feet, weak ankles, weak foot and ankle joints, corns or callouses, fungus on toenails, blisters, lack of feeling in the feet and ankles, etc.
Poor fitting shoes are often the cause of foot problems. We spend a lot of money on shoes and foot products. But we don’t always get the good results we want. Poor fitting shoes can cause balance problems, chafing, problems with walking, cramped toes, etc. Some of those are causes and some are effects. Some are both.
Lack of circulation in the legs can be a problem too. Neuropathy is a syndrome where your feeling in your lower legs, ankles and feet are diminished or gone. This can be serious but not always. Sometimes numbness in the legs and feet can be caused by a pinched or compressed nerve, or sometimes it be caused by a more serious medical problem. this is a matter for your doctor to look at and make a determination.
Here are just a few simple things you can do to keep your feet healthy and fit. Google something like “feet and fitness” and you’ll find a lot more:
- Pick shoes that fit comfortably. They should be able to absorb the impact of daily walking and other use.
- Keep your feet clean and dry. This helps prevent fungi, blisters and other preventable infirmities.
- Keep your toenails trimmed to prevent ingrown toenails and to prevent discomfort when wearing shoes.
- Some experts suggest going barefoot as often as possible, including running or walking outside. Personally I don’t go barefoot outside except on the beach. Senior feet are a bit more tender than those of our younger brothers and sisters.
- Give your feet an occasional hand massage. It feels good. As an alternative, roll your feet on top of a golf, lacrosse, tennis or other small ball. It feels good and does wonders for your feet.
- Rotate your feet and ankles as a simple exercise you can do anytime your are sitting down. Sit in a chair or on the floor with your legs extended either in the air in front of you, or on the floor. Stretch your ankles and feet forward and then back toward you. Rotate your feet in circles both clockwise and counter-clockwise. It loosens you ankles and feels good.
- Stand on one foot occasionally to test your balance. You can feel the ankles working hard to keep you upright.
- Walk on both the insides and the outsides of your feet on occasion. It will help strengthen the muscles and joints of your ankles and help you with your balance.
- Curl your toes in the sand or even on a solid floor. Curl them in and out much the way you might do with your fingers to open and close them.
- Rise up and down on your toes. It exercises your calf muscles as well as giving a good workout to your ankles.
These are just suggestions and is by no means a complete exercise program for your feet and ankles. Remember there are muscles and joints your ankles, feet and toes that need exercise just like the rest of your body. Try the suggestions above and make them part of your daily routine. Do them when you are watching TV after dinner or simply as “Exercise Snacks” during the day.
Thank you for reading.