Good toes and naughty toes

When I was a little girl, I used to go to ballet classes in school and church halls where I was taught by the lovely (if utterly mad) Thalia Ford, who wore long skirts and character shoes, and taught ballet with a lit cigarette hanging from her fingers. We would sit on the floor in a circle, wearing our little pink leotards and tights, with our feet pointing into the circle, and solemnly chant "good toes" as we pointed them, and "naughty toes" as we allowed them to relax.

Daft as this image now seems, the exercise is actually quite useful as a general way to activate the toe and ankle plantarflexors - which are the muscles we need to "push off" when we walk. And a surprising number of my patients stare at me with pained faces when I ask them to point their toes, having cramped up immediately! This isn't good or normal - you should have the strength in your feet to be able to point your toes without pain or difficulty.

If you have sore or weak feet then it's a good idea to have a tennis ball handy when you practise this exercise. Alternate between doing a "foot release" (also a video on my YouTube channel) and "good toes and naughty toes" and you should find that this exercise gets easier quite quickly. And when it does get easier... add resistance! You can put a loop of elastic around your toes, or push against the wall, or (eventually) progress to calf raises (again, see my YouTube videos for technique - your toes should be involved here too!)

But... start by pointing your toes, and see how it makes you feel!

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