Saving Soles

These 6 simple exercises will keep your feet in tiptop shape in the upcoming walking season!

Americans walk an average of 100,000 miles during their lifetimes. That’s like hiking from New York to California – more than 30 times. And that pounding can take a toll on your tootsies; more than 300 ailments can affect your feet, according to the American Podiatric Medical Association from bunions to heel pain. Foot-friendly accessories can help-acrylic socks that wick away moisture to help you avoid blisters, well-fitting shoes that don’t pinch or put pressure on your feet-but the key to wellness is exercise, which can strengthen muscles, sooth achy joints, and improve range of motion, say Paul Langer, D.P.M., author of Great Feet for Life. To work on specific issues, go barefoot and try these six targeted moves.


Marble Pickups

What they do:

Strengthen muscles in the bottom of the foot and ease arthritic joints in the mid-foot.

How to do them:

Sit on a chair and use your toes to pick up marbles from the floor. Drop marbles into a bowl on the floor; repeat pickups with your other foot. Do for 5 minutes in total; work up to 10 minutes.


Arch Rolls

What they do:

Ease heel pain and loosen tight arches.

How to do them:

Sit on a chair and roll a tennis ball or water bottle back and forth under one foot. Do for 2 to 5 minutes; repeat with your other foot


Towel Scrunches

What they do:

Strengthen mid-foot muscles and ease discomfort from fallen arches and plantar faciitis (an inflammation of the connective tissue on the bottom of the foot that causes arch and heel pain).

How to do them:

Lay a hand towel on the floor. While sitting or standing, use your toes to pull the towel toward you. Do 5 to 10 times with one foot; repeat with your other foot.


Toe Stretches

What they do:

Improve flexibility of the bottom of the foot, which can help ease the pain of plantar fasciitis.

How to do them:

Sit on a chair. Cross one leg over the other so your ankle rests on your thigh. Grasp the toes on the crossed leg and gently pull them toward your shin; hold for 10 seconds. Repeat 3 times with each foot.


Toe Writing

What it does:

Maintains the range of motion in your toes, feet, and ankles.

How to do them:

Sit on a chair and raise one foot off the ground. Next write the alphabet in the air with your toes, making big, bold letters. Repeat with the other foot.


Calf Stretches

What they do:

Loosen a tight Achilles tendon and tight calf muscles, which can cause pain the forefoot or heel.

How to do them:

Stand with your palms flat against a wall and your arms straight. Move one foot so its 12 to 24 inches behind the other. Bend your knee that’s closest to the wall, and keep your rear leg straight. Both feet should stay flat on the floor. Hold for 10 to 30 seconds. Then also bend the knee of your rear leg and hold for another 10 to 30 seconds. Repeat once with the opposite leg.

*Article found in the AARP magazine March/April 2010 issue, written by Susan Crandell