Top Workouts for Foot Health

You know the drill – eat right, get enough sleep at night, and exercise regularly for optimal health. Do you actually follow these general guidelines, though?

We know it can be easy to come home after a long day at work, kick off the shoes, and head to the couch to unwind.

In moderation, that isn’t the worst thing in the world. But we live in the age of “binge watching.” Before you know it, “I’ll just watch one episode of House of Cards” becomes “Okay, now let’s watch Black Mirror” and “Might as well give Bloodline a try now.”

The actual binging itself can be bad enough—to the point that adults who watch more than three hours of TV daily doubled their risk of premature death(!), according to a study published in the Journal of the American Heart Association—but this doesn’t even factor in unhealthy snacking when watching. Even if you don’t have to watch countless commercials for fast food and delivery pizza, it’s still too easy to mindlessly snack on chips and candy during the binge.

Obviously, devoting countless hours to the couch isn’t good for your health. When you think about that, you may consider heart health or obesity. Well, you should also consider foot health!

Of course, the exercises benefitting your feet are full of benefits for your entire body as well, so this can be a smart move in many different ways. Let’s take a look at some of the best exercises for foot health, including:

• Cycling. Whereas running can elevate your heart rate and burn many calories, you can achieve those objectives from cycling, except you will not place as much stress on your lower limbs.
• Swimming. Swimming is an entire body workout. When kicking, you are working the muscles in the lower body, but the entire activity provides remarkable cardiovascular benefits. Additionally, swimming and aquatic exercises are great for those who suffer from edema (swollen feet).
• Walking. This might not be the most exciting of all the exercise options, but it is truly an all-star one for the health of your lower limbs. Walking is an ideal way to improve blood flow to (and from) your feet, while at the same time training the muscles to more efficiently absorb oxygen.
• Yoga. When people think about health and fitness, flexibility tends to be overlooked in favor of strength and endurance. Flexibility and range-of-motion, though, are essential for reducing foot and ankle injury risk. Yoga provides these benefits through the various poses held during a session.

There are certainly other ways of exercising—like lifting weights and running—but these low-impact exercises are all great ways to make sure your feet are in tiptop shape!

Remember, there’s always a certain degree of injury risk during any physical activity. If you are hurt and in need of foot or ankle treatment, contact our team here at Premier Podiatry Group. Either connect with us online or simply call (814) 472-2660 and have one of our team members help you set up your appointment.