Your feet are your first point of contact with the ground and set the foundation for all upright movements. They also set the stage for the movements of your knees, pelvis and spine. Exercising your feet can improve your stability and prevent injury. Girls can especially benefit from working out their feet because female footwear tends to place stress on the joints, muscles and ligaments of the feet. Women have nearly four times more foot problems than men, according to Dr. Ben Kim of Ontario, Canada.
Toe Exercises
Your toes may not get a lot of exercise, unless you practice a barefoot sport like yoga or dance. Most girls are downright mean to their toes, squishing them into shoes that fit poorly, restrict movement and force your toes into an awkward position. Practice moving your toes independently, grasping hold of toes that you can't keep still yourself, as well as together. Practice moving them downwards, upwards, together and apart. Provide resistance to squeezing movements by placing cotton balls between your toes or lacing your fingers in the space between your toes.
Foot Doming
Moving your foot into a dome shape helps develop awareness of your metatarsal arch and foot muscles, areas that are commonly neglected because of female footwear. Sit in a comfortable position with your feet flat on the floor and a neutral spine. Keep your heel and toes on the ground while you lift the center of the sole of your foot off the ground. The movement will cause your toes to move slightly towards you while the center of your foot forms a small dome. Hold for three to five seconds and release. It may be difficult to perform doming at first, but keep practicing.
Ankle Movements
A girl's ankle joint can become stiff or weak because of her footwear, affecting the mechanics of her feet and knees. Your ankle joint is actually two different joints, one which allows up and down movements and one which allows side to side movements. Several exercises improve ankle range of motion and strength for women. Try drawing in the air with your feet, making circles and the alphabet. Make sure you moving from the ankle and make each movement as big as possible. Stand while rolling your feet from the inside blade to the outside blade, moving from both your ankle and the arch of your foot. Rise on your tip toes, return to the ground and then lift the ball of your foot off the ground. Girls who are ready for more challenging strengthening exercises can use a resistance band. The band should be flat and tall, like a big ribbon. Use the resistance band while you point and flex your foot and wing your ankles in and out.
Picking Up
Integrate all the movements of your feet, toes and ankles by picking up objects with your feet. Picking up objects with your toes engages your toe muscles and even some of the muscles of your lower foot and metatarsals. Try picking up a hand towel off the ground, then progress to paper towels and tissues. Progress to marbles, attempting to move them from one dish to another.
