Warming Up and Cooling Down Are Essential to Exercise Success

How are you doing with that resolution to exercise more in the new year? If you haven’t gotten started, don’t worry. It’s not too late to begin and if you’re exercising more, good for you! But are you being careful to warm up and cool down as part of your fitness routine? These steps are essential for foot and ankle health.

Each of your feet and ankles contains 26 bones – that’s more than one-quarter of all the bones in your body! – along with 33 joints and hundreds of muscles, tendons, and nerves. They are very complicated structures, and the sheer number of moving parts leaves them vulnerable to injury. Taking a few moments to warm up before exercising and to cool down after will reduce your risk.

Here are three simple stretches that Dr. Jason Grossman recommends:

1.      Toe Stretch: Before you put on your socks and shoes, sit in a chair with your ankle crossed over your knee. Weave your fingers between your toes. Pull your toes forward and spread them back. Spread your fingers, then spread your toes. Repeat 5 times on each side.

2.      Ankle Stretch: Sitting on a chair or bench, hold your leg behind the knee. Point and flex your ankle, then roll your foot in one direction and the other. Repeat 10 times.

3.      Achilles Stretch: Holding on to the back of a heavy chair or with your hands on the wall, lift onto tiptoes, and hold for a count of five. Repeat 10 times. As you build strength, try this without support.

Of course, the best way to ensure that you stay healthy enough for exercise is with regular visits to your foot doctor. With years of specialized training and experience, your podiatrist is a medical expert and the best-qualified doctor to care for this part of your body. Call (732) 679-4330 or click here to schedule an appointment to see Jason Grossman, DPM in Advanced Feet and Ankle Care’s modern, comfortable Middlesex county offices in Old Bridge and Sayreville NJ today.