Ankle Strengthening Program - second level

These are harder than the little stretchy band resistance exercises because these use your weight to build muscle. Make sure you're fine with the resistance exercises first. Ankle Balancing Without hanging on to anything for support, balance for as long as possible on the toes of your bad foot. Do this exercise frequently during hte day--while talking on the telephone, waiting for a bus, doing dishes, etc. See what I mean? I'll need to be pretty toned up just to do this baby step. Toe Raises This doesn't mean standing on your heels and raising your toes. It means planting your toes and lifting your heels off the ground, and thus raising your entire body. Tough job if you're eighty and have been using a walker for the last year. I'm doing okay with this one. Garrick offers us these two bits of information: 1. Do them with the knees straight and strengthen the muscles in the upper calf, and 2. Do them with the knees slightly bent and you strengthen the muscles in the lower calf. So I'm doing ten of each. He says to do them slowly, every day, and in sets of at least twenty repetitions, both together to get both legs the same strength. Exercises to avoid: Agility running drills Jumping exercises