For us runners, our feet and ankles are very important parts of the body, so their ability to stretch and stabilize is very important. Matt Schneider from Boulder Sports Medicine is a certified professional athlete trainer and certified physician assistant. He will introduce several simple exercises to exercise the two areas mentioned above. Toe Stones Place 10 small pebbles or other small pieces on the floor, place a small quilt next to them, and then use your toes to pinch all the pebbles into the cup. Each successful completion of 10 stones to the quilt is considered a group, each foot alternately to complete two groups. This arrangement can eliminate the sense of boredom when exercising. Balance training Close one eye while balancing on the stable ground with one foot to support the body, if you can hold it for 1 minute, then try to close your eyes. If you can still do better, then you can consider advanced exercises on unstable surfaces such as: mini-trampolines, foam boards, wobbly logs and BOSU balance balls. Schneider tells us, “Balance training will help increase the stability of your feet and ankles.” Toe Carriers Get a slightly elastic loop band, straighten one end and secure it to a leg or other part of the furniture, sit with your legs together on the floor, then put the other section on the end of your toes, while your toes are away from your body, the elastic band must be tightened, then hook your toes toward your body, while keeping your legs straight, so pull the elastic band back and forth, as fast as you can, slowly back to the the beginning of the position. Do 2 sets of 20 reps on each leg. Tilt against the wall to stretch the knee Runners often forget to stretch the flounder muscle on the calf after exercise (a major muscle in the deep calf) Schneider said: when stretching the calf muscle, we usually keep the leg upright, but this only does half of the job, there is no way to stimulate the flounder muscle, we will tell you how to target your target muscle – flounder muscle. The wall stand with hands, legs front and back, slowly bend the legs, feel yourself sitting on the bench, while hands support the body to the wall tilt until you feel the calf muscle against the back of a leg is stretched, hold this position for 30-45 seconds and then exchange the position of the legs. Heel lift training Find a step, so that their toes stand on the edge of the step, the heel hanging in the air without support. Begin to lift your heels, so that the calf is in the highest position, while withdrawing a supporting leg, and support the war stand with one foot, and slowly drop the supporting foot, so that the heel reaches the position below the level of the step. And hold for 10 seconds. Such stretching can effectively help you prevent the occurrence of tendonitis. Sitting barefoot in a chair with your right leg staggered (in a “two-legged” position), relax your ankle on your left leg, hold your right toe with one hand, and bend your toe backwards, in the direction of your right shin, to stretch the tissue on the bottom of your foot. A study showed that 77% of athletes who took this method of stretching within 3-6 months could get rid of sports problems brought on by plantar strains and could return to their pre-injury sports level. Researchers suggest that you should do this stretching exercise three times a day, 10 times for each foot.