Regular foot exercise not only enhances overall foot health but can also lower your risk of injury.

Spend a few minutes marching in place as a warm-up before you go for a walk or perform any other exercise. Try some of the brief exercises listed below to stretch and build your foot muscles. Then start out slowly if this is your first time working out in a while.

Exercises and stretches to keep your feet healthy

Limber up

Try this to limber up your foot before trying other exercises:

• Place your feet flat on the ground while seated in a chair.
• Lift your left leg off the ground so that your big toe is in the air. Rotate your big toe 15 to 20 times in a clockwise motion.
• Turn around and make another 15 to 20 circles, this time going the other way (anticlockwise).
• Carry out step 4 with your right foot.

4 foot stretches to keep your feet healthy and flexible

1. Foot’s bottom stretch

To flex the muscles in your toes and the bottoms of your feet:

• Place your feet firmly apart.
• With your left leg, take a step back until your heel is elevated and your toes are flat on the ground. The muscles on the soles of your feet should feel mildly pulled.
• Keep in place for 20 to 30 seconds.
• Carry out step 4 with your right foot.

2. Top-of-foot stretch

To flex the muscles in your toes and the tops of your feet:

• Place your feet firmly apart.
• Raising your heel and curling your toes under, pressing the tops of your toes against the floor, should be done with one foot at a time. The muscles on the tops of your feet and the front of your ankles should feel mildly stretched.
• Keep in place for 20 to 30 seconds.
• Do the same with your other foot.

3. Stretching the calf and Achilles tendon (runner’s stretch)

Your Achilles tendon should be flexed:

• Place your hands against a wall at arm’s length away while keeping your feet close together.
• With your right knee slightly bent and your left heel firmly planted on the ground, take a step back with your left leg. Your calf should feel stretched all the way down to your ankle. For 20 to 30 seconds, hold.
• Carry out step 3 with your right leg.

4. Hamstring stretches while seated

Your calves and, in turn, your ankles and feet may become stressed as a result of tight thigh muscles. To hamstring stretch:

• Sit with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor in a sturdy chair that is not on wheels.
• Put your right leg straight out in front of you, your heel firmly planted on the floor and your toes pointing upward.
• Lean forward at the hips while supporting yourself by resting your hands on your left thigh.
• Carry out step 4 with your left leg.

You can perform the above mentioned easy stretches to keep your feet healthy and flexible.