How the feet, ankles, and heels are positioned for proper body alignment is very important for foot fitness. Our posture and gait for walking and running is affected by how well the muscles of the feet and lower legs are working. Stiff ankles, or weak feet and ankles, can increase the risk of injury, and can contribute to foot pain, knee pain, and even back pain.
Here are some foot fitness tips for a simple Seated Heel Lift exercise to help improve the strength, flexibility, and functional alignment of your feet. When we walk and run, a lot can be happening at our heels that affects how well we move and our ability stay injury-free. Use this easy foot fitness exercise to pay attention to what your heels are doing when move your feet.
Foot Fitness Exercise: Seated Lift & Lower (Heel Raise Exercise)
Starting Position:
Start sitting in a chair.
Place a mirror in front of you so you can see your feet AND sit tall to maintain good posture.
Take your shoes and socks off, so you can see your bare feet.
Start with your knees and feet hip-width apart, toes pointed straight ahead.
In this position, can you see your heels? Ideally they should be hidden behind the rest of your foot (without your knees or ankles rolling in our out.)
Do you notice the weight more on the outside or inside of your heels?
To make an adjustment to "hide your heels" did your knees drift in or out?
Keep everything lined up - heels, knees, hips, and shoulders.
If when you're in the starting position you can see your heels, ideally, the heels will be what makes the adjustment. Your knees don't drift in our out, and your toes should remain facing straight ahead. Getting started it might be really difficult or darn near impossible to get your heels to "hide" behind the rest of your foot! As you begin, observe and focus on what you notice, and what your feet, heels and legs want to do versus optimal alignment.
Executing The Seated Heel Lift & Lower Exercise
Maintain good tall posture in your starting position and let's do the Seated Heel Lift & Lower Exercise:
Inhale and lift the heels to rise up on the tippy-toes.
Exhale to lower the heels back to the floor.
Repeat 8-15 times.
Observe Your Feet During Your Seated Heel Lift and Lower Exercise, and Answer the Following 5 Questions:
In the lifted tippy-toe position, are your heels still hidden?
Do your ankles line up directly over the toes, or do the ankles wobble in and/or out?
As you lower the heels, did they stay hidden behind the rest of the foot?
Did the knees stay in the parallel position in line with the hips and shoulders? Or as you were attempting to hide the heels, did your knees try to make the adjustment?
Are you able to maintain good, tall posture while moving your feet & ankles?
If you answered NO to any of these 5 questions, some heel stretching activities will be beneficial to help keep your feet and ankles in better alignment.
Ideally, you should be able to rise up on your toes and lower your heels while maintaining proper alignment with your heels hidden throughout the exercise. This proper ankle alignment should also be happening when you walk and run. But if it's a challenge to sit in a chair and maintain great foot and ankle alignment while rising up on your toes and lowering your heels, then how much more of a challenge is it going to be to keep your feet tracking well with every step when you walk and run?
The Importance of Starting Seated vs. Standing To Make Improvements for Better Foot Fitness and Ankle Alignment
It is difficult to make foot and ankle adjustments when we have our full body weight standing on our feet. Non-weight bearing (seated) makes it easier to train new habits.
In a standing position we're fighting gravity. Seated we're still working against gravity, just not having to move our entire body weight, so it's easier.
Our muscles are used to working in a certain way and will defer to their old habits quickly to "get the job done." It's easier to develop new habits with new exercises and new positions.
We can't SEE what we're doing (standing or seated). If you look down at your feet to watch your exercises it completely changes your posture position. (This is why using a mirror is helpful to maintain good upright posture AND still be able to watch your feet & ankles.)
Balance is an issue. New habits require new muscle use - If you have to focus on not falling over, it will distract you from finding and engaging new muscles to learn new muscle habits for better heel and ankle alignment when you use your feet.
Benefits of the Seated Heel Lift Foot-Fitness Exercise:
Practice this Seated Heel Lift & Lower Exercise to improve your strength, and body alignment to help keep your heels "hidden" while you rise up on your tippy-toes and lower your heels. Developing better tracking habits for your feet and ankles will help strengthen your arches and ankles to move easier, reduce your risk of injury, and keep your feet in proper alignment to walk and run well!
Improving your foot fitness is easy with the right exercises and a little conscious attention to detail to ensure you're practicing each repetition with good body alignment for great results! Keep your feet and heels healthy with this easy Seated Heel Lift Exercise.
Click here to see a video demonstration of the Seated Heel Lift exercise: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=16waLnaPjrM
For additional foot fitness exercise resources from Aliesa George checkout the book Fantastic Feet, The Super-Ankle Foot-Fit Board, and the RunfitTM Kit at Centerworks.com - http://www.centerworks.com/store/category/foot-care-products/
Aliesa George is a Pilates, Foot Fitness, and Functional Movement expert. Founder of Centerworks, author of Fantastic Feet! and creator other wellness resources and workshops, she is committed to helping students & health professionals develop their belief in whole-body health, unlimited potential, and positive change.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Aliesa_R._George
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