The great thing about weight-bearing exercises is that you don’t have to stock up on equipment. Using the weight of your own body to build and tone your muscles is efficient and cost effective. But what if you have flat or arthritic feet; or worse, you have suffered a foot injury? Part of the healing process means you have to exercise your feet; but, because you won’t be able to put any weight on them, you might feel limited. Luckily, fun and effective non-weightbearing exercises for your feet may be done while you're sitting.
Half Frog Pose
This Hatha yoga pose is therapeutic for flat feet and is ideal for those who’d rather not perform weightbearing exercises while standing. Lie on your stomach on a yoga mat or rug. Extend your arms in front of you and then lift your head and shoulders off the floor while pressing into the floor with your hands. Keeping your right upper thigh on the floor, fold your right lower leg back toward your right buttock. Reach back with your right hand and clasp your right foot by the toes or at the ankle. Bring the foot slightly to the side of your right hip. Maneuver your hand until it’s resting on top of your toes and press down gently. Stay in this pose for 30 seconds before switching sides.
Foot Countdown
Lie on your back on the floor. Extend your left leg along the floor and flex your foot. Lift your right leg off the floor and bend your right knee until your lower leg is parallel to the ground. Clasp your hands together behind your right knee and, using your toes, draw the number 15. Work your way down from number 15 to number one and then repeat the maneuver on your left side. As an alternative to drawing numbers, try writing the alphabet with your toes.
Towel Toe Curls
Arrange a flat-backed chair in front of a towel that has been spread on the floor. Place a weighted object such as a shoe or paperback book on the part of the towel farthest away from the chair. Rest your bare heels on the floor and your toes on the edge of the towel. Grip the towel with your toes and start pulling it toward you a little bit at a time. When you’ve maneuvered the whole towel toward you, spread it out on the floor again and repeat two more times.
Yoga Foot Stretch
Sit on a yoga mat or rug on the floor with your legs pointed away from you. Place your hands on the floor behind your back and lean back slightly. Flex your feet at the ankles so that your toes are pointing upward. Inhale and spread and flex your toes toward you. Exhale and curl your toes down. Repeat three times and then on your next inhale, point your toes toward the ceiling and stretch each foot from the heels to the toes. On the exhale, flex your feet down and away from you. After three repetitions, on the last downward flex, start rotating your feet in a clockwise manner and then in a counterclockwise fashion three times.
