Are you a foot-tapper?
You hear music and away you go!
Congratulations!
Not only does toe-tapping lift your mood,
It helps prevent trips and falls, too.
How come?
It’s all to do with the muscle that runs up the front of your shin – your tibialis anterior.
Positioned in front of the tibia bone, this muscle weakens as people get older which means they may not be planting the heel and lifting the toes sufficiently as a step is taken. That’s why you see some people shuffling along. Their toes are not clearing the ground as well as they could.
Stumbles and falls are frequently on their way!
That’s why when you tap your toes (and keep your tibialis anterior strong) you are saving yourself from unnecessary falls.
Kris Tynan shows you how to do Toe Taps effectively:
- Tap for the count of 8 and then change feet. You can do this sitting or standing keeping the heel on the ground and lifting the toes as high as you can each time.
- Another good exercise is to walk on your heels and then on your toes. Take 8 steps on your heels and then 8 steps on your toes. Repeat 2 – 3 times, every day if possible.
Another Lifestyle Tip from Kris:
Your brain needs water.
Whether you are experiencing colder or warmer temperatures outside it is still important to stay well hydrated. Internal heating in homes mean that most of the time we are exposed to the same sort of temperatures no matter the time of the year! Aim for 2 litres of water a day. Have a glass or bottle in view and aim to get through however many you need to during the day.
Watch out for more great exercise and lifestyle tips from Kris Tynan next month.
You can buy the Super Senior Kit from our Memory Shop $59.00
Your toe tapping exercise is superb ! Raising the heels and pointing the toes is such an effective exercise for numerous reasons. It not only keeps the muscles in the front of the legs strong but the calf muscles work and are strengthened too. And stimulating that calf pump muscle increases circulation – just what we older folk need as our venous and lymphatic systems lose the elasticity of youth and we start to collect fluid in our feet and ankles and suffer from cold feet and even numbness. In addition, it is an almost infallible means (if used during the evening before bed) of preventing night cramps which are so often caused by medications – diabetic medications and diuretics in particular. For more information about an easy way to do this exercise while you watch TV or sit in the office, see the website http://www.aircycle.co.nz This Aircycle exerciser is helping so many people in so many different ways. I’m just blown away by the constant feedback!
I just love these tips each day.easier to remember than a whole book at once.
Thank you Mary – and Kris will have another one for you next month! Keep toe-tapping!
This exercise is also excellent according to Chinese medicine which works with meridians. This exercise helps the stomach and bladder meridians. The bladder meridians also assist with kidney function which can get weaker as we get older.
Love your suggestions. Thank you!
Thank you for the additional information. Now there is even more reason to Tap your toes!
This is advice I’ve needed for ages!
And it is so simple, isn’t it? Another one coming next month, David. Watch out for it.