Fitness
Everyday
Marathons
A
A night of dancing can be
loads of fun, but if you’re not
used to it, those hours wear-
ing dressy shoes can leave you
sore the next day. “You lose fat
under the ball of your foot with
age, so wear shoes with extra
cushioning,” advises Suzanne
M. Levine, D. P. M., a New York
City podiatric surgeon. In the
days leading up to the event,
strengthen and stretch your
legs and feet with the following
daily exercises:
; Practice picking up pencils with
your toes (as shown above).
; While placing your hand on a
wall or a banister, step on a stair
with the balls of your feet only,
letting your heels hang off the step.
Slowly lower both heels. Hold for
20 seconds, then repeat.
; Throughout the day, periodically
pretend you’re pushing a gas pedal
up and down.
Instead of sitting
and waiting for your
connecting flight, try
walking briskly through
the airport, says Mark
Nutting, fitness direc-
tor of Saco Sport and
Fitness in Saco, Maine.
“If you have 30 minutes,
you can get in a whole
workout.” Once you’ve
warmed up your mus-
cles, try these seated
stretches:
; Sit near the edge of a
chair and extend one leg in
front of you, toes pointed
up. Bend forward slightly
at the hip, keeping your
back straight, until you
feel a slight stretch in your
hamstrings. Hold for 20
seconds, then repeat with
the opposite leg.
; While seated, cross your
right leg over your left with
your right ankle resting on
your left knee in a figure- 4
position. Gently push
down your right knee until
you feel a stretch in your
right hip. Hold for 20 sec-
onds. Switch legs; repeat.
Spending hours in a car can be
painful if you don’t take some pre-
cautionary measures before leaving
home. First, make sure the driver’s
seat is at a 90-degree angle—not
tipped back—to prevent your head
from tilting forward, and that both
you and your passenger have plenty
of legroom. Also, don’t sit on your
wallet, as that can irritate the
sciatic nerve. And allow extra time
for breaks, says Christopher Travers,
an exercise physiologist with the
Cleveland Clinic. Try these hip and
back stretches at each rest stop:
; In a lunge position, place your right
foot on a bench or a step at knee height,
and place both hands, palms down, on
your right knee, keeping your left leg
straight. Lean in slightly, hold for 20 sec-
onds, then repeat with the opposite leg.
; While standing, raise your arms
above your head, clasping your fingers
together. Look up at your hands. Hold for
20 seconds, then relax. —Linda Melone
