Keeping Your Feet Strong and Healthy
At SoleFit, we’re huge advocates of balancing short-term tools that help people feel better faster with long-term goals that actually address the source of the problem.
Foot health is front and centre for pedorthists, and at SoleFit we feel strongly that while orthotics and corrective shoes have an important role in treating many foot-related injuries, they can come at a long-term cost to foot health if not used appropriately.
This video aims to provide guidance on keeping your feet strong and healthy for the long term. When doing these exercises, picture your 80-year-old self walking barefoot, pain-free, along the beach.
“…picture your 80 year old self being able to walk barefoot pain free along the beach.”
While there are many excellent exercises for foot health, we’ve simplified things to focus on a few favourites that deliver the most benefit. When too many exercises are prescribed, people often end up doing none of them.
We’ve broken this into two sections: mobility exercises to keep feet moving as designed, and strengthening exercises to keep them strong and engaged. Even a couple of minutes each day can make a meaningful difference.
Foot Strengthening
Although they’re easy to forget, the muscles of the feet play a vital role in propulsion, shock absorption, and protecting bones from excessive vibration and potential stress fractures.
Short Foot Exercise
One of the best exercises for engaging the arch-stabilising muscles of the foot (including the adductor hallucis and flexor hallucis brevis) is the Short Foot exercise.
How to do it:
- Stand with both feet on the ground, focusing on one foot at a time
- Create a stable tripod between the base of the big toe, base of the fifth toe, and the heel
- If you have hallux valgus, consider toe spacers, athletic tape, or tools such as Correct Toes to improve alignment
- Press the big toe into the ground and hold for 10–15 seconds
- Perform 3–5 repetitions per side
For added difficulty, try performing the exercise on one foot, then progress to adding a slight squat.
Be Barefoot
Humans are designed to be barefoot. Shoes, orthotics, and other coverings limit sensory input from the thousands of nerve endings on the soles of the feet.
Let pain be your guide, but experiment with being barefoot around the house, standing on one foot while cooking or brushing your teeth, or moving across variable surfaces.
Barefoot movement improves both foot strength and balance. If you’re not accustomed to being barefoot, even five minutes a day is an excellent place to start.
Foot Flexibility
Our feet need to move the way they’re designed to. Undoing the effects of prolonged sitting and overly structured footwear is essential for long-term foot health.
Plantar Foot Release
One of the most effective ways to release the muscles on the bottom of the foot is by rolling them over an object such as a ball or roller.
- Roll in multiple directions
- Apply pressure to tight or sensitive areas
- Sit or stand depending on tolerance
- Aim for 1–3 minutes per foot
This exercise can easily be done while reading, watching television, or working at a desk.
Lower Leg Release
Many of the muscles that control foot movement are located in the lower leg.
- Use a massage stick or your hands
- Work the back, inner, outer, and front of the lower leg
- Aim for 1–3 minutes per side
Toe Lacing
Modern footwear often compresses the toes. To reverse some of this restriction:
- Interlace your fingers between your toes
- Gently move back and forth
- Hold for 15–30 seconds per foot
This is particularly useful on days when footwear fit has been less than ideal.
Important Notes
Be cautious with these exercises, particularly the strengthening work. While highly beneficial, they can place new demands on muscles that may not be used to being activated.
If you have any questions or concerns, we’d love to hear from you.
Recommended Reading
For those wanting to explore barefoot care in more depth, we highly recommend the following books:
As always, we’d love to hear your comments and questions. To stay up to date with blog posts, health tips, and upcoming events, be sure to sign up for our monthly newsletter.
