This exercise will help make walking easier by strengthening your calves and ankles. For an added challenge, you can modify the exercise to improve your balance.
- Stand behind a sturdy chair, feet shoulder-width apart, holding on for balance. Breathe in slowly.
- Breathe out and slowly stand on tiptoes, as high as possible.
- Hold position for 1 second.
- Breathe in as you slowly lower heels to the floor.
- Repeat 10 to 15 times.
- Rest; then repeat 10 to 15 more times.
As you progress, try doing the exercise standing on one leg at a time for a total of 10 to 15 times on each leg.
Reproduced from: Go4Life. National Institute on Aging at the National Institutes of Health. Available at: http://go4life.niapublications.org (Accessed December 2, 2011).
