Improve your balance and strengthen your ankles with this beginner-friendly trick from a Pilates instructor

Having sore ankles and achy feet can really mess up your workout plans. Squats can become impossible, your 5K run is completely off the table and even a 10-minute walking workout can be too much.

One of the best ways to protect yourself against potential ankle and foot injuries is by strengthening the muscles in this area—and this simple trick from Pilates instructor Zoe Lewis can help you do just that.

All you need to do it is a towel and Lewis says the move will strengthen the toes, foot arches and ankles.

How to do Zoe Lewis' feet and ankle strengthening exercise

To do this move, roll up a towel and stand on it with one foot, balancing for one minute or longer. Your ankle and foot muscles will jump into action and stabilize your body. Doing this consistently will improve your balance and muscle strength. If you find it too challenging, try doing it without a towel to start.

"This exercise needs to be done daily—even a few times a day—for a minute on each side," Lewis says. "You can do it anywhere. I do it while doing the dishes, cooking or standing watching one of my kids' sporting events."

Lewis recommends setting a reminder on your phone to do this exercise: "It's the small things that we do every day that really stack up to change how we feel on a daily basis—not just the big things we do every now and then."

Why you should strengthen your ankles and feet

You might not have considered strength training your feet and ankles before, but Lewis says you really should.

“I like to compare our feet and ankles to a tree's root system," she says. "If a tree has an unhealthy root system, it's not going to grow."

She explains that exercises like this one not only benefit the feet, but a whole range of other muscles and joints.

"Having healthy feet and ankles can prevent chronic issues, like Achilles pain, cramping and bunions," Lewis says. "But they also affect the knees, the alignment of the ankles and hips, which in turn can affect your lower back and your balance and posture."

Another benefit of foot exercises is that they activate the toes, which can often be cramped by footwear.

"A lot of modern shoes compress the toes, which can cause issues like bunions and Achilles pain," Lewis says. This move encourages your toes to splay out and grip.

Finally, this exercise is great for improving balance and stability. "Balancing on a towel in this way strengthens the joints and the muscles of the hips," Lewis adds.

If you're looking for more ways to improve your ankle stability and balance, consider buying a wobble board. When our writer took on a 30-day wobble board challenge, she noticed some impressive results.