Exercises for healthy feet: tips for happy feet

Why are foot-specific exercises important?

Our feet carry us through all our adventures. As we normally wear shoes and spend our lives walking on flat, tarmacked surfaces, our foot muscles don’t really have a lot of work to do. However, it’s worth showing them some TLC and doing foot-specific exercises: this will help you improve your stability and balance when hiking over all kinds of terrain. It can improve your sensitivity and muscle control while climbing, too. Mobilising and strengthening your feet can also have a positive impact on your health. Finally, having strong, flexible feet can reduce your risk of injury, as well.

How often should I do the foot exercises? And how long should I do them for?

This really depends on your goals. You can incorporate the exercises into your day-to-day life or specifically do them before and after subjecting your feet to more substantial exertion. If you have any foot deformities or experience any pain, I’d recommend discussing the relevant exercises with a specialist.

Easy exercises for at home or on the go

These exercises are just the ticket for healthy feet – and they don’t take long to do:

• Brush your teeth standing on one leg, alternating the leg you’re standing on. You’re best off doing this on a soft carpet. This improves your sense of balance and strengthens your foot muscles.

• Pick up a cloth with the front part of your foot: put a cloth in front of you, then try to pick it up with your toes and pull it towards you. Next, push it away from you. You can do this exercise in a seated position to help you keep your balance – and even try to lift the cloth.

• Strengthen your ankles: while you’re sitting down, lift one leg and rotate your foot ten times in each direction. This mobilises your ankle.

• Walk barefoot: this not only improves your sense of touch but also enhances your balance and strengthens your muscles. Bear in mind, though, that this places great demands on your feet and you need to get used to it gradually. Simply going for a ten-minute walk outside or in the garden is enough. Then, gradually increase how long you do this for. If you don’t want to totally eschew footwear while outdoors, barefoot shoes protect you from dirt or sharp stones, leaving your soles less vulnerable.

• Already got great balance? Regular slacklining or trampolining will help you strengthen your muscles even further.

• Foam-roll your feet: if your feet feel tired, massaging the fascia with, for example, a Blackroll can help. 

• If possible, change your shoes halfway through the day to wake your feet up.