His aim is to inspire readers of The best side of 60 to keep fit, strong and healthy. Exercise is not only advantageous for the body, but it also keeps the brain alert and enhances one's mood. So keep up with these exercises and you will feel the difference!
Last week we started focusing on ankle stability and I addressed a couple of exercises on flat feet. This week we will once again focus on the ankle, along with the foot and the lower leg.
The next exercise focuses on the muscle under the sole of the foot. When this muscle becomes weak, the long arch on the inside of the foot collapses, also leading to flat feet.
Pick up a marble
You will need a small marble, pebble, or something small enough to pick up between your big toe and the second toe. Make sure you hold onto a table or door to help you with balance, then pick up the marble and hold it for 10 seconds, repeating this 10 times with each foot. As you are holding the marble, imagine you are making a fist with your foot. You will feel the muscle in the sole of the foot working.
Calf muscle
The calf muscle in the lower leg needs to be strong to provide good strength and stability in the lower leg and the ankle and knee. The following two exercises will help strengthen your calf muscles:
First, you can stand with your weight evenly distributed between the left and the right foot (Figure1). Hold on to a door or table to help you maintain balance. Now, pushing into the big toe and the second toe, go up into a calf raise by lifting your heel as far as possible. Do NOT push into the outside of the foot. To make sure you don't use one leg more than the other leg, alternate between left and right foot.
The first picture shows the correct foot and heel position, while the second picture shows the incorrect technique (Figure 2).
Secondly, we are going to do an exercise similar to last week's, only changing the position of the foot slightly to target a different muscle.
Holding on to either side of a door handle, lean back as if you are going to sit down (Figure 3) with knees and hips bent almost 90°. Last week we did a 1cm heel lift. This week we are changing that exercise by lifting the heel completely and holding it there for 5 seconds before standing up again (Figure 4). Repeat 15 times. Make sure you push into the big toe and second toe and do NOT let your heels push out to the side. When you go down your toes must point forward and when you look down you must not be able to see your heels.
Combining these exercises with those of last week will increase strength and stability in the ankle joint and the lower leg to help you do all your activities of everyday life easier and increase your overall quality of life.
Unfortunately I couldn't use a proper model this week, only myself, as I am on leave in Pretoria!
Next week we will focus on stability in and around the knee joint.
Enjoy your exercises and let's stay young.
Wrong technique for calf raise.
Lowering into the starting position.
Lifting the heels without letting the heels push to the outside.
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