The 60-Second Exercise One of TikTok’s Top Doctors Does 3 Times a Week for Better Foot Health

Mike Varshavski, DO, extra generally referred to as “Dr. Mike” to his 25 million social media followers, spends his days seeing sufferers in addition to shelling out well being knowledge and battling medical misinformation on-line. However one factor he at all times makes certain to squeeze into his weeks: toe yoga.

“Once we’re fascinated about wholesome ft, it isn’t nearly ensuring the foot is wholesome for the sake of the foot,” he says. “The foot is consultant of the whole physique.”

Dr. Varshavski explains that cultivating energy, flexibility, coordination, and management in your ft is a method to construct a robust basis from the bottom up. As a result of the muscle mass in your ft are so small, they’re extra predisposed to damage in the event that they’re put below an uncommon quantity of pressure. So in case you go for a troublesome run, your hamstrings may have the ability to deal with it, however your foot muscle mass and tendons is likely to be screaming. That may make you much less steady in your ft, which might result in damage.

“Each time now we have points within the foot, it normally additionally finally ends up translating to joints increased up, together with the ankle, the knee, the hip, and the low again,” Dr. Varshavski says.

Ramping up an train routine slowly so your ft do not get overtaxed is essential right here. However a good way to provide your foot well being a head begin is toe yoga, which “helps develop neuromuscular management of the foot, and neuromuscular management is extremely necessary in relation to damage prevention,” he says. Analysis reveals that doing toe yoga can scale back foot ache¹ and enhance steadiness², which is correlated with decreasing accidents.

In case you haven’t heard of toe yoga earlier than, it refers to workouts particularly meant to stretch and strengthen your toes, ft, and ankles.

“It is actually nearly having the ability to independently transfer every a part of the foot,” Dr. Varshavski says. “A variety of the time that is exhausting for folks. We neglect the foot in relation to coaching. It’s a quite common weak spot for folk, particularly when operating lengthy distances. And one which you could practice out fairly rapidly as properly.”

“Once we’re fascinated about wholesome ft, it isn’t nearly ensuring the foot is wholesome for the sake of the foot. The foot is consultant of the whole physique.” —Mike Varshavski, DO

There are all kinds of toe yoga workouts on the market, however Dr. Varshavski’s most popular train couldn’t be easier:

1. Stand together with your ft hip-width aside.
2. Elevate up your large toes whereas conserving your different 4 toes on the ground. Maintain this place for 3 seconds.
3. Then, reverse the motion: Hold your large toes on the ground whereas elevating your different toes off the ground. Maintain this place for 3 seconds.
4. Proceed alternating for 60 seconds.

Dr. Varshavski likes to do that 1-minute routine proper when he will get out of the bathe. “[After a shower] you are in all probability going to be taking a look at your toes, possibly slicing your toenails—that is a very good time to do toe yoga,” he says. “For me, thrice every week is my customary, except I am rehabbing an damage. Then I am doing it just about daily.”

The purpose is for toe yoga to assist stop foot accidents within the first place. However you must also handle your ft earlier than, throughout, and after train. That features ensuring you’ve bought correctly becoming and supportive footwear—Dr. Varshavski prefers the Brooks Ghost Max 2 ($150) for the cushioning it delivers to his ft and knees. [Editor’s note: Dr. Varshavski has a current partnership with Brooks.]

He recommends ensuring your footwear suits correctly by standing and strolling in them as a result of your toes unfold out while you put your weight on them.

Whereas exercising—out on a run, for instance—benefit from that toe yoga-amped neuromuscular management by conserving your eyes forward of you so you possibly can react to your terrain. And if you’re experiencing any ache, again off.

When you’re accomplished together with your exercise, change out of your sweaty socks to stop fungi rising in your nails or in between your toes (ick!). And most significantly, when you’ve got a priority about foot ache, speak to your physician to stop a small downside from changing into bigger.

“Getting your ft joyful means discussing your ft together with your main care doctor on the earliest signal of discomfort so that you may be preventive versus reactive,” he says. “Do not let the issue progress and get considerably worse, the place then you definitely’re left in a tough spot the place it is surgical procedure or nothing. A variety of occasions we may be proactive.”