You all know how much I care about fascia, but here’s another obsession of mine: feet. Over years of watching clients move, I’ve noticed a simple pattern—healthy feet almost always travel with healthy, happy people.

Research backs this observation up. Studies show that individuals with foot problems have a markedly lower quality of life than people without. Painful foot conditions decrease your mobility, impairing your ability to engage in physical and even social activities. So, apart from negatively impacting your physical health, your mental and emotional health also suffers from unhealthy feet.

So I’m forever scouting for simple toys that wake those foot muscles up. My current favorite is this wooden balance beam. It’s light, inexpensive, and surprisingly powerful. I park it beside my desk and hop on for mini-sessions whenever I can.

Want to give your own feet an upgrade? Below are four exercises I designed for that beam, plus a follow-along video. Work through them every other day and feel your arches, ankles, and toes come alive.

1. Walk Across Heel to Toe

1. Place your feet on top of the dowel or balance beam, lining up the space between your second and third toe and your heel at the center of the dowel.
2. Walk forward with your front foot’s heel lining up with your back foot’s toes.
3. Repeat until you reach the end of the dowel.
4. Walk backward with your back foot’s toes lining up with your front foot’s heel. Find the correct spot not by looking down but feeling with your feet.
5. Repeat!

2. Heel Raises

1. Position yourself in the middle of the dowel, with your big toe on one side of the dowel and your second toe on the other side of the dowel.
2. Go up on the balls of your feet, increasing the tension between your big toe and second toe.
3. Go down slowly.
4. Repeat three times.
5. The next time you go up, move your heels from side to side for six times.
6. Go down slowly.
7. Put your other foot in front, and repeat the whole exercise.

• Repeat the exercise with varying positions of your toes on the dowel.
  • On the second iteration, position your second toe on one side and your third toe on the other side of the dowel.
  • On the third iteration, your third toe should be on one side and your fourth toe on the other side.
  • On the fourth iteration, put your fourth toe on one side and your pinky toe on the other side.

3. Heel and Toe Raises

1. Turn sideways so that your body is parallel with the length of the dowel or balance beam.
2. Find the junction where your toes join your feet and place that section on top of the dowel.
3. Make sure the middle of your second and third toes line up with your heels.
4. Go up on the balls of your feet.
5. Drop down, tracking your heel along the middle of your second and third toes.
6. Repeat three times.
7. Move further forward on the dowel, with your weight on the balls of your feet. Ideally, your toes should be able to wrap around the dowel.
8. Go up on the balls of your feet, keeping your toes wrapped around the dowel.
9. Drop your heels down.
10. Repeat three times.

11. Move further forward on the dowel, with your weight on the arches of your feet.
12. Go up on the balls of your feet and drop your heels down.
13. Look down to make sure you are keeping your arches high.
14. Repeat three times.
15. Move further forward on the dowel, with your weight just in front of your heels.
16. Lift your toes up and drop them down.
17. Repeat three times.
18. Move further forward on the dowel, with your weight on your heels.
19. Lift your toes up and drop them down.
20. Repeat three times.

4. Walk Sideways

1. Turn sideways so that your body is parallel with the length of the dowel or balance beam.
2. Find the junction where your toes join your feet and place that section on top of the dowel.
3. Walk across the dowel and return to your starting position.
4. Move further forward on the dowel, with your weight on the balls of your feet.
5. Walk across the dowel and return to your starting position.

6. Move further forward on the dowel, with your weight on the arches of your feet.
7. Walk across the dowel and return to your starting position.
8. Move further forward on the dowel, with your weight just in front of your heels.
9. Walk across the dowel and return to your starting position.
10. Move further forward on the dowel, with your weight on your heels.
11. Walk across the dowel and return to your starting position.