When we were born, we were free of foot problems. Then we put on shoes and put a world of stresses on our feet. Various stresses and pressures cause our feet to have blisters, corns, bunions, sweaty feet and athletes foot. In an ideal world, we would walk barefoot on soft ground, with plenty of time to rest and clean our feet when necessary. Unfortunately we live in an ideal we have to sometimes put fashion over comfort. Our shiny pointy toed shoes may look nice but may not provide our feet with the room needed for normal growth. Our hard roads and sidewalks may be great for cars and bikes to ride on, but can do a number on the soft tissues of our feet and knees.

For those of us that have to walk long distances in dress and casual shoes, there are exercises for our sore muscles. These exercises are designed to relieve pain in our arches, ease heel pain, ease the pain of hammer toes, bunions, and toe cramps. Our body needs exercise to stay healthy and function properly. Foot is also one of the most important parts of our body. It is this part of our body that helps in movement and therefore, demands appropriate care and attention.

It absorbs a tremendous amount of pressure the whole day. However, when it comes to exercises, we mostly tend to neglect it. Excessive walking and pressure can lead to the weakening and fatigue of the foot and toe muscles. Performing simple foot exercises can go a long way in building muscle tone, relieving fatigue, preventing cramping, and foot pain. The best exercise for your feet is walking barefoot on green grass. Apart from that, you can practice a number of exercises to strengthen your feet. Some of the beneficial foot exercises have been mentioned below:

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Foot Stretch
Sit on the floor and keep your legs stretched out in front of you. Now, loop a towel around your feet. While keeping your heels on the floor, pull the towel with both ends, using it to draw the middle of the foot and toes towards the body. Hold the position for 4-5 seconds and slowly come back to the starting position. Repeat the exercise 5-6 times.

Ankle Stretch
Stand straight, with your legs pressed together. Now, lift up one of your knees, as high as it is possible for you. Next, flex your ankle back as far as you can. Then, extend your leg forward, pivoting at the knee, and flex the ankle forward as far as you can. Repeat the exercise 5-6 times.

Marble Pick-up
Place about 20 marbles on the floor. Try picking up those marble with the help of the fingers of your feet. This exercise provides flexibility to your feet and also helps strengthens it.

Cycling
To strengthen the muscles of your feet, cycling is one of the best exercises. When you indulge in cycling, almost all the muscles of your feet are put to work and get strengthened. It also helps ensure proper blood circulation to your feet.

Toe Pulls
Put a thick rubber band around your toes. Now, try to stretch the foot fingers as far as you can. You can repeat the process for about 10 times. Avoid the exercise in case of any injury in the fingers or toes.

Toe Raises & Toe Curls
Sit on the floor and keep your legs stretched out in front of you. Try to curl the fingers of your feet and raise the heels of feet. Hold the position for about 5 seconds and repeat 4-5 times.

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To maintain a lifetime of foot health, a daily cleaning and a few specialized exercises will go a long way. Please note that these cleaning treatments and daily exercises will have little value towards foot health if you are spending 15 hours a day in shoes that work to damage your feet.

Below is a brief overview of some healthy foot exercises.

  1. A footsie roller massage. A footsie roller massage is a roller that you put the arch of your feet over, to gently roll back and forth.
  2. A golf ball roll. A golf ball roll, like the footsie roller, is designed to relieve pain on the arch of your feet.
  3. The point and flex exercise involves flexing your foot up and down, holding each position for ten seconds.
  4. The heel raise is designed to increase the length of the Achilles tendon to relieve pain.
  5. The runners stretch is good for anyone suffering from heel pain