Unless you’re a seasoned barefoot runner, your feet are probably cushioned in shoes for most of the day. Unchallenged, the muscles of your feet and ankles can become weak and vulnerable both to acute injuries, such as twisted ankles, but also classic running overuse injuries like shin splints.
Yoga starts off on the right foot (literally and metaphorically) as you don’t wear shoes. It also has a 101 balancing poses to strengthen the lower leg, work the core and also improve proprioception – your body’s awareness of the position of your feet in space; a useful sense to hone particularly for rock-hopping trial runners.
But balances don’t have to be complicated. To keep it really simple just stand on one leg each time you brush your teeth. If it gets too easy close your eyes.
Lexie Williamson is a British Wheel of Yoga and Yoga Sports Science instructor who specialises in working with endurance athletes. She has held sessions for London Dynamos, Thames Turbo, Elmbridge Road Runners and Kent Velo Girls. Lexie is the author of Bloomsbury Publishing books Yoga for Cyclists, Yoga for Runners and The Stretching Bible and has written for The Guardian, Runner’s World, Cycling Weekly, Women’s Fitness, OM Yoga and Psychologies magazines.
Lexie has studied Exercise & Sports Science and Human Anatomy and Physiology and teaches anatomy and physiology to British Wheel of Yoga trainee teachers. She has tried running and sprint-distance triathlon but is now a keen road cyclist, riding with the Surrey-based Viceroy’s Triathlon Club.