Keep Your Foundation Healthy

A few weeks ago, I thought that if I strength trained, it could make my hooping practice better.  I'd be stronger and all that junk.  Everything was going good.  The first week I made a sorta circuit.  Then I decided to use the Biggest Loser Book workouts.  I changed the moves that I couldn't do due to my knees and thought everything would be fantastic.  One move said, "calves are very easy to gain strength in.  Do as many as you can in a minute."  Yeah, okay.  I did it.  The next day I had major muscle soreness but my calf was hurting a touch more.  Hmm. That's odd.  Instead I did a yoga DVD at home.  My muscles were on fire the next day but I still hurt in my calf.  I took two days off and realized I strained a muscle.  After RICEing it and resting, I realized it was an achilles tendon strain.  Understand, I had been doing at least 15 minutes of hooping every day up to that point.

It's been a week of "You cannot hoop at all."  I have been so awful on my daily 30 minute practice but I try to pick up the hoop for at least a few minutes a few times a week.  I wake up hobbling because my tendon hurts so much.  Funny thing about this injury is that it feels better to move.  I feel worse going to work than coming home.

I want everyone to take care of your feet and ankles in this new year.  Try some of these exercises to strengthen your feet and ankles:


  • Calf raises.  You can use your hoop to help you balance.  Raise on your toes and lower back to the ground slowly.  I would slowly build up to these.  Don't start doing as many as you can in a minute.
  • Toe circles.  Use your toes to draw circles in the air.  Do these as small or as large as you comfortably can.  Do these in both directions.
  • Front and back foot flex.  Point your toes out and flex your foot all the way.  You'll feel your range of motion in this way.
  • Balancing postures.  Balance on one foot.  This strengthens your ankles.  This is a move that is good for your knees too.  Once holding for 30 seconds is easy, try it with your eyes closed!
  • When you are sitting, do the front and back foot flex with your feet on the ground.  This is another great range of motion exercise.  Easy to do if you are at a desk at work, too!
Expert village on youtube has great achilles tendon exercises if you wanted to see this in motion.  Keep your feet healthy.  They are your root to the earth and the foundation of your hoopdance!

Comments

  1. This is really good. I keep saying I need to incorporate more into my hooping with stretching and strength training but never do! My muscles are way too weak from just sitting in an office all day. Thanks for posting these specific starting points. I think that will give me something to go off of.

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