| How to Stretch the Arch of Your Foot Posted: 10 Mar 2020 05:00 PM PDT If you're on your feet all day or if you're wearing shoes without good support, you may feel pain in your arch muscles on the bottoms of your feet. Luckily, there are many easy stretches you can try at home that don't require any special equipment. Even if you don't feel any pain, exercising your arches daily can help keep them strong and free from injury. All you need are a few minutes each day to practice! [Edit]Relieving Arch Pain - Massage the bottom of your foot while pulling your toes back. Sit down in a comfortable chair and bring one of your feet to your lap. Grab your toes with your nondominant hand and gently pull them toward the top of your foot until you feel tension in your arch. Starting near your heel, lightly rub the bottom of your foot with your dominant hand. Work up toward your toes and apply more pressure as you feel more comfortable. Keep massaging your foot for about 10 seconds before switching feet.[1]
- Try to massage your arches around 2–4 times daily to help relax your muscles.
- Avoid lifting your toes so high that the stretch feels painful. You should only feel slight tension in your arch while you're stretching.
- Push the ball of your foot against a wall until you feel tension in your arch. Face a wall, and plant your heel on the ground as close to it as you're able. Rest your toes against the wall so your foot is at a 45-degree angle. Keep your other foot firmly planted on the ground as you lean your body forward. When you feel tension in your calf and arch, hold your position for about 30 seconds before relaxing. Switch feet to stretch your other arch.[2]
- Repeat these stretches 2–3 times daily.
- This stretch works well if you have frequent pain due to plantar fasciitis.
- It's okay to lift the heel on your back foot slightly to help you lean closer to the wall.
- Kneel down so the balls of your feet stay planted on the floor. Crouch on the floor so you're supporting your weight with the balls of your feet. Keep the backs of your heels pointing up throughout your stretch. Lean forward to place your hands and knees on the floor in front of you without lifting your feet off the ground. Keep your buttocks just above your heels so you feel tension in your arches. Hold the stretch for about 15–30 seconds to help alleviate any foot pain you have.[3]
- Stretch your arches like this 2–4 times each day.
- If it hurts your knees to kneel on a hard floor, try doing your stretches on a yoga mat or carpeting.
- Stand on the edge of a step and lower your heels. Position yourself so the balls of your feet are on the bottom step and your heels hang over the edge. Hold onto a banister or brace yourself against a wall as you drop your heels below the edge of the step. When you feel slight tension in your arch, hold your position for 15–30 seconds before raising your heels back up. Repeat the stretch 2–4 times for more relieve.[4]
- You can practice this stretch as many times throughout the day as you want, or before and after physical activity.
- Stretching on a step also helps increase the flexibility in your calves.
- Do this on the bottom step of your set of stairs just in case you lose your balance.
- Roll a water bottle under the bottom of your foot to massage your arch. Sit down in a chair and lay a full water bottle on the ground so it's perpendicular to your foot. Press your foot down on the water bottle and roll your foot back and forth on top of it. Apply light pressure at first and start increasing it as you feel more relief. Continue massaging your foot for 2–5 minutes before switching feet.[5]
- You can also use a can or foam roller instead of a water bottle.
- If you want additional pain relief, try filling the bottle ¾-full and freezing it before you use it for massaging your arches. If the bottle feels too cold, wear socks during the massage.
- Loop a towel around your foot and pull it toward you. Roll up a towel lengthwise and hold it by each end. Sit on the floor with your leg stretched straight out in front of you. Put the middle of the towel perpendicular around the ball of your foot and pull the ends toward your body until you feel your arch stretch. Hold the stretch for about 15–30 seconds before relaxing and switching feet.[6]
- Repeat your stretch 2–3 times per foot for additional relief.
- Avoid bending your knee while you're stretching since it won't be as effective at relieving pain.
[Edit]Strengthening Your Arches - Push your big toe against the floor while lifting your other toes. Sit down and keep your feet firmly planted on the ground. Press your big toe on the floor and slowly try to raise the other 4 toes on your foot. Keep your toes raised for about 8 seconds before lowering them back on the floor. Do 12–15 reps for each foot to help keep your arches strong.[7]
- You can do this exercise barefoot or while wearing shoes, so you're able to do it while sitting at a desk or when you're working.
- It may be easier to complete the stretch if you only do at a time so you're able to focus on your form.
- Spread your toes until you feel your arch stretching. Keep your foot pressed flat against the ground so your toes aren't curled or extended. Try to move your big toe away from your other toes until you feel your arch muscles contracting. Keep your toes spread out for about 8 seconds at a time before relaxing again. Continue doing 25–30 reps per foot.[8]
- If you have trouble spreading your toes, you can try holding them apart with your fingers.
- It may be difficult to complete this stretch if you have bunions.
- Press your heel and ball of your foot into the floor. Sit down and put your foot flat on the floor. Without bending or curling your toes, try pressing down with your heel and ball of your foot until you feel tension in your arch. Keep the stretch held for 8 seconds before relaxing your foot. Perform 5–15 reps per foot to help raise your arches off the ground.[9]
- As you get more comfortable doing this stretch, try doing it while you're standing up.
- You can perform this stretch while you're sitting down at a desk or working.
- Grab a towel with your toes and lift it off the ground. Lay a towel flat on the ground and place your foot flat on top of it so it's about in from the edge. Curl your toes to pinch the towel and scrunch it toward your body. After pulling the towel toward you, push it away with your toes. Do about 10 reps before switching feet.[10]
- Once you can easily pull the towel, try putting a book or can on the towel to add more resistance.[11]
- Try picking up marbles with your toes. Spread 5–10 marbles out on the floor and set a cup down nearby. Curl your toes around a marble to try and pick it up from the ground and drop it into the cup. Try to pick up all of the marbles with one foot before dumping them back on the floor and switching feet.[12]
- Use various-sized marbles to add more difficulty to your exercise.
- Wear shoes with good arch support to help alleviate any pain you feel throughout the day.[13]
[Edit]Warnings - If you have persistent pain in your arches, contact your primary care provider to see if there are any underlying conditions causing it.[14]
[Edit]References |
| How to Play Go Fish Posted: 10 Mar 2020 09:00 AM PDT Go Fish is a super fun game you can play with your friends, and it doesn't take long to learn the rules! Play with 2 to 6 people, and focus on getting 4-of-a-kind matches so you can be the first one to lay down all your cards. There are some cool ways to change up how you play each hand, so you'll never get bored with this classic card game. [Edit]Starting the Game - Pick someone to shuffle and deal the cards for the first round. Go Fish is great because it can be played with as few as 2 players and up to as many as 6 players. The dealer could be the person whose birthday is coming up next, the person who won the last game, or someone else you choose.[1]
- Try to take turns being the dealer so that one person doesn't get stuck doing it every time.
- Have the dealer shuffle and deal the cards out to each player. If there are 2-3 players, each person should get 7 cards. If there are 4 or more players, each person should get 5 cards.[2]
- Remove all the jokers from the deck before you shuffle and deal the cards.
- It's okay to look at your cards! Just keep your hand hidden from the other players so they can't see what you got.
- Spread the rest of the cards out face-down in the middle of the table. This creates the "fishing pond." Make sure all of the cards stay face-down so that no one can peek.[3]
- If you don't have a lot of room at the table, just stack the cards face-down in the middle. When someone has to "go fish," they can just pick up the top card from the deck.
- Let the person sitting to the left of the dealer go first. This is another reason why it's good to take turns being the dealer—everyone will get a chance to go first at some point! [4]
[Edit]Taking Turns - Start your turn by asking one player if they have a specific card. Take a look at the cards in your hand and choose to ask about cards you already have multiples of so you can make matches quicker. For example, if you have 2 jacks in your hand, you only need 2 more to make a match. The main thing to remember is that you can only ask one person at a time, and you can only ask about one rank of card at a time.[5]
- The "rank of card" means the number and not the suit. It doesn't matter if the person has a jack of hearts or a jack of diamonds; if they have any jack at all, they must give it to you.
- You can only ask for a specific card if you have one or more of them in your hand already. For example, you can't ask for threes if you don't have a three in your hand.
- Keep in mind that once you ask about a specific card, the other players will know that you have that card in your hand. You can all strategize and try to keep track of who has what to give you the advantage in the game.
- Give all your cards of a specific rank to the player if they're in your hand. If someone asks you if you have any queens and you do, then you have to give all of your queens to that person. You can't keep any back in your hand, and you can't lie.[6]
- Take another turn if you get the cards you asked for. If you keep getting lucky and finding the cards you need to make matches, you could possibly take several turns in a row before having to "go fish" and pass the turn to the next player. You can ask the same person about a different card, or ask a new person.[7]
- Remember that you're trying to make matches from the cards you have in your own hand.
- Tell the player to "go fish" if you don't have the cards they're asking for. This is the most fun part of the game! If the person asked you for all of your queens and you don't have any, tell them to "go fish." The turn then passes to the next player.[8]
- It can be fun to order people to "go fish," but remember to do it with a friendly attitude. After all, you're playing a game with your friends!
- Pick up one card from the fishing pond whenever you have to "go fish." It actually isn't a horrible thing to have to pull a card from the fishing pond, especially at the beginning of the game. It'll give you more cards to play with and could help you get more matches.[9]
- You have to keep the card you pulled, even if it isn't one you want. You can't throw it back and pick another one.
[Edit]Winning the Game - Lay down 4-of-a-kind matches to get cards out of your hand. You can't hold matches in your hand. As soon as you get one, you have to lay it down in front of you so that everyone can see it. In many variations of Go Fish, the person who gets rid of all their cards first wins the game, so it's a good idea to make matches as quickly as possible.[10]
- In some variations of the game, 2-card matches can be played instead of 4-of-a-kind matches.
- Sets of 4 are often called "books."
- Take another turn after laying down a match. If you do get to lay down a match, your turn continues. This gives you the chance to start working on your next match before anyone else can take any of your cards away.[11]
- Win the game when you no longer have any cards in your hand. The first person to get rid of all their cards is the winner. If you want, the remaining players can keep playing until there is also a 2nd place winner, a 3rd place winner, and so on.[12]
- End the game if the fishing pond is empty, even if no one has "won." This is an optional ending that can be good to use if you like really fast-paced games. You could always decide that the person with the most matches at that time won the game, or it could just be a draw.[13]
- You could also choose to keep playing even after the fishing pond is empty. You'll just take turns trying to get cards from your opponents without having to "go fish" at the end of your turn.
- If you get really serious about winning, there are few tips and tricks that can help you strategize to remember who has which cards.
[Edit]Things You'll Need - 52-card deck of playing cards
[Edit]Related wikiHows [Edit]References [Edit]Quick Summary |
| How to Grow Chia Posted: 10 Mar 2020 01:00 AM PDT Chia seeds are a nutritious plant that are rich in omega-3 fatty acids and antioxidants. Although this food can be pricey at many grocery stores, it's easy and inexpensive to plant and harvest from the comfort of your own home. Once you've found a dry, warm area to grow your seeds, use a rake to mix a handful of chia seeds into the soil. After watering your plant on a monthly basis, wait until the it has fully bloomed to harvest the seeds from the flowering chia plant. With the proper storage, you can enjoy your chia seeds for several years! [Edit]Propagating the Seeds - Plant your chia seeds in a warm, temperate area. Research the average temperatures for your home, or wherever you plan on growing the chia. Before you assemble any gardening supplies, check that your planting area gets a lot of direct sunlight, and that the air temperature is around .[1] If a frost forms on your chia crops, they won't be able to grow properly.[2]
- During the colder months, chia plants can survive between . In the hotter months, chia plants can survive between .
- If you live in a warm climate, you can plant the seeds in October or November and harvest them in June.[3]
- Check that your chia seeds will get at least 6 hours of sunlight. Pick an area that gets a lot of sunlight, like a backyard. Since chia plants are hardy, you don't need to worry about the seeds drying out. For a prosperous crop, choose a planting area that gets either partial or full sunlight.[4]
- Chia plants grow naturally in warm, sunny areas, like California and Southwest America.
- Check your soil's pH to see if it's between 6.0 and 8.0. Dig a narrow hole in the soil that's at least deep. Next, fill the soil opening completely with distilled water. To get an accurate reading, stick the probe from a soil pH test kit into the water. After leaving the probe in the soil for about 60 seconds, you can remove it to check for an exact reading.[5]
- If your soil is too acidic or basic, the chia seeds won't be able to grow properly.
- You can adjust the pH of your soil if it's too high or low.
- Chia seeds thrive in soil with good drainage.
- Dig ⅛ in (0.3 cm) into a section of soil to displace the dirt. Using a gardening shovel or trowel, scoop away a thin layer of soil from the surface of your gardening area. Arrange the soil around the edge of your gardening area so you have easy access to it.[6]
- Unlike other plants, chia seeds don't need a lot of soil to take root.
- Scatter the chia seeds in a thin layer over the soil. Don't worry about using an exact measurement—instead, focus on sprinkling the seeds over the entire section of displaced soil. If you're planting your chia in a small area, like a planter or tray, use a spoon to scatter the seeds.[7]
- Rake the seeds into the top layer of soil. Take a gardening rake and go over the seeds in long, vertical movements. As you work, try to cover the chia seeds with the thin layer of displaced soil. Don't worry about burying the seeds; instead, do your best to mix them in with the surrounding soil.[8]
- If you're planting your seeds in a planter, you don't need to use a rake.
[Edit]Maintaining and Harvesting the Crops - Spray over the crops with a garden hose once a month. Monitor the weather as your seeds begin to grow. While chia plants thrive in dry weather, you still need to water the seeds on a regular basis. Once a month, use a gardening hose or watering can to nourish your seeds, so your plants can grow at a steady pace.[9]
- Since chia plants are hardy, you don't need to water them right away.
- Try not to water your chia seeds immediately after a rainstorm.
- Don't water your seeds more than twice per month.[10]
- Wait 6-7 months for the chia to blossom and reach its full height. As you continue watering your plants over several months, monitor how much the chia plants grow. After at least 6 months have passed, wait for the plant to be at least tall. At this point, check that the leaves are about and wide.[11]
- Chia seeds are only 2 mm long. You can find them in the blue, purple, or white flowers sprouting from the plant.
- If you harvest the chia seeds too early, the seeds might not be as high quality.
- Collect the chia seeds when the flower is dried and brown. Monitor the chia plants after they're 6-7 months old. Once it looks dried out, lightly shake the flowering tip of the plant. At this point, listen for the rattling sound of the chia seeds inside of the flower.[12]
- Shake the chia flower vigorously over a bowl or bucket. Using 1 hand, hold a small bowl or bucket beneath the flowering tip of the chia plant. With your opposite hand, shake the flower quickly, or until you see chia seeds falling from the plant. Repeat this process with all of the crops in your garden.[13]
- Don't be alarmed if you don't get a lot of chia seeds from your harvest. Generally, a section of chia plants will only generate ¼ cup (40 g) of seeds.
- Some chia seeds will fall back into the soil.
- Healthy, matured chia seeds are speckled with cream and gray, while immature seeds look brown.[14]
- Store your chia seeds in an airtight container for 2-3 years. Pour your seeds into a plastic, airtight container. Use a label or piece of masking tape to note when you harvested the seeds, so you can keep track of how old they are. Leave the container in a dry, cool area so the chia seeds can stay as fresh as possible![15]
- Don't store your chia seeds in the refrigerator.
[Edit]Things You'll Need - Soil
- pH testing kit
- Distilled water
- Shovel
- Gardening gloves
- Rake
- Hose or watering can
- Bucket or bowl
- Airtight container
- Continue watering the same section of soil over the next few months, and into the next growing season. Since many seeds tend to fall back into the soil, you might have a new chia crop next year![16]
[Edit]References |
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