Quick Fit with Cassy

- Thank you for joining me for today's Quick Fit routine.

I'm your host, Cassy Vieth.

As we age, there are predictable areas of the body that become problems, including the feet.

Sadly, most fitness programs don't include foot care, but we do.

Today's class is a great place to begin caring for tender feet.

So grab a chair, remove your shoes, and we'll get started.

[gentle music] In today's class, we'll be seated for the entire class, and we'll be using a fitness band.

If you don't have a fitness band, just a belt will work just fine.

Let's start with some ankle circles.

So just extend your foot, your left leg if you just wanna mirror me.

Okay, sit up nice and tall.

We're not leaning against the chair back.

And do as complete of a circle as you can in every direction, not rushing it.

Okay, and the other way.

And if your leg just gets tired from holding it in the air, you're welcome to cross your legs.

Okay, nice breath in and out.

[exhales] And let's switch legs.

So extend and circle in one direction.

Remembering to sit up tall, nice, long breaths in and out, and the other way.

Okay, remember to work half-heartedly if this is one of your first times focusing on your feet.

Okay, switch, let's just point, point just nice and long all the way through your toes and flex.

Good, point, breathe it in, sit up tall, exhale, [exhales] for about five or six seconds.

Flex it again and point.

All right, the other way, point and flex.

Feel that stretch in your calf, down your Achilles, point and flex, no slouching.

Point and flex again; it really feels good.

Let's do the other leg again.

Point the foot; now this time, don't flex at the ankle, try to just flex the toes, pull them towards you.

Continuing to lengthen through the foot and just pull the toes.

I know this one can be hard.

Sometimes people just have to use their hands to move their toes.

I've had people pull the foot closer, and then use their hands to start manipulating the toes.

At first, you know, they're maybe out of touch a little bit with your brain from being in the shoes so much.

They're stiff.

So point the whole foot, concentrate on pointing the foot and trying to pull the toes back.

It's not easy.

Okay, [inhales] sitting up tall, pointing the foot, pulling up the toes.

Almost done, hold it here for a few more seconds and release.

Now grab the band or even a simple belt will work.

I'm gonna do some presses against the band, so the band will give you a little bit of resistance.

Extend that leg.

Once again, you can cross if you need to.

Point the foot into the band.

Okay, adjust it so it doesn't slip off, make it comfortable, point, keep it going, point.

And it doesn't have to be a huge amount of resistance, just some, keep it going.

So we're working the muscles that go up into your shins as well.

These muscles are important for your feet.

Let's do about five, four, three, two, last one, and we'll make a little adjustment.

So cross at the knees and grab the band from the side in one hand, and I'd like you to try to pull that foot towards the center of your body.

Okay, so you're moving the bottom of the foot.

It's called supination, okay?

Pull it in and pull it in.

Let's do about five, four, three, two.

You don't have to really be pulling very hard on this band, just a little bit of resistance.

It's probably a new move you haven't done.

So, you don't wanna overwork the leg and the foot.

All right, you ready?

These press forward, forward, forward.

You can can hear my ankle cracking with every press.

[laughs] Okay, press it.

Sit up tall, try not to get slouchy.

Just a little bit of resistance on the band.

Point it for five, four, three, two, last one, hold it there.

And we'll make that adjustment so we can pull the band from the side and tweak that ankle towards the inside of your body, as if you wanted to look at the bottom of your foot.

Okay, twist that ankle.

[inhales] Let's do five, four, almost done, three, two, last one, and you can put the band away.

Now let's sit forward on your seat, have your knees a nice, wide base, and we'll put some weight down through the the tops of your legs to exercise the feet.

I'm gonna pull the heels back just a little bit.

So when I lift the heels, I have this nice, straight line, knee, ankle, to the big toe, okay?

So lean it.

And as you're lowering the heels, press down with the hands.

Now, keep pressure down with your hands as you lift.

Okay, make those feet lift your body, press the hands down, lift.

So you're just creating resistance.

Grip the mat with your toes and lift, lift.

Let's do five more, four, three, two, and then we'll put all your weight down through one leg, press it down, make the foot work, down and up, down and up.

[inhales] Don't forget your breathing, press.

Let's do five more, four, three, two, last one, and on the other side, you ready?

And try not to let your ankle fall sideways like I was just doing.

All right, lift, lift, [inhales] good.

A few more, let's do five, four, three, two, make that foot work, very good.

All right, you don't have to lean on your legs for this part, but I'd like you to lift, keep the heel down, lift the front of the foot.

You might need to bring the feet out a little bit more towards the front of you, and lift.

So we're reducing the angle between the top of your foot and your shin, okay, so lift, lift, lift.

Five, four, three, no rushing, two, last one.

Now press the ball of your foot down and keep your toes up.

Toes down, up, down, up.

Five, four, three, two, hold it here a little longer.

Last one, and good job.

Let's turn in your seat, go ahead and rotate towards your right, and we'll get to the tops of the feet.

So I'm seated about half on, half off the chair, got my arm hooked around the chair back, and we'll stretch the tops of the feet by letting like where your shoelaces would be, pressing into the floor.

Shift those heels around right and left, and fold and flex the toes, both directions.

I see so many very stiff feet in my classes.

I think it's a real important area to make sure that even your toes are loose.

They really do affect how you walk or run.

And now let's bring that foot so that your heel is under your hip, and we'll put a little bit of weight down there, we're stretching your calves.

If your feet are side by side like this, there's no stretch.

You need to draw that leg back, press the heel towards the floor, lift.

You can put a little bit of weight down through that leg.

Hold it here for five, four, breathe.

[inhales and exhales] Good job, we'll switch sides, get the top of the other foot stretched.

Okay, if you like to run and maybe you get shin splints, this is an easy way to stretch your shins and the top of your feet.

Press that top of the foot down.

Shift that heel around so you get across the tops of all your toes.

Press one more time the top of the foot.

Be gentle, it is common to get a charley horse in the bottom of your foot if you've never worked your feet before.

All right, and let's fold and tuck the toes, gently, lots of breathing so your muscles will relax.

And then we'll do the calf and the Achilles tendon.

All right, make sure you're feeling a stretch.

Lift it about halfway out of the stretch.

Exhale, pressing back down in.

Lift and lean on that leg for a gentle, gentle stretch.

Breathe it in again for the final bit of this stretch.

Excellent, and that's it.

Remember, if you experience soreness after today's class or in the next several days, don't be discouraged or think this isn't for you.

In fact, it's a sign you need to exercise and stretch your feet more often to prevent atrophy and a continued pain cycle.

Just log back in to pbswisconsin.org/quickfit consistently.

Being consistent means you'll experience a well-rounded program that keep you loose, strong, and pain-free.

Until next time, keep on moving.

– Announcer: Funding for Quick Fit with Cassy is provided by Greg and Carol Griffin, Founders of ElderSpan Management, Focus Fund for Wisconsin Programming, and Friends of PBS Wisconsin.