How to get rid of ‘cankles’ with 3 simple exercises – and what DOESN’T WORK

It might not be the first thing your personal trainer has you work on at the gym, but for many women, thick ankles can seriously affect their confidence.

I’m Kevin Abel, a fitness coach, physiotherapist and founder of Athletica Health, and I know that any area of ​​the body can be changed if you work the right muscles – the ankle is no different.

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First we need to remember the function of the ankle joint.

It is the foundation of strength and stability of the entire limb, so exercises need to be fit for purpose and geared towards the adaptation you are trying to promote.

Simply put, we need to work the right muscles in the right way to make changes, and believe me, there are many exercises that are not worth doing when it comes to ankles.

Before we delve into the exercises themselves, we should look at what causes thick ankles.

What causes ankle joints?

The main cause of thick ankles is obesity.

When we carry excess weight, it puts pressure on our joints, and since our ankles bear much of our body’s weight every day, this extra pressure can cause swelling.

In addition to obesity, a sedentary lifestyle can also cause fat and fluid to accumulate around the ankles, so movement is key if you want to get rid of them.

To get rid of thick ankles, you should start by looking at your daily diet and making sure you are eating balanced meals, correcting your portion sizes, and reducing the saturated fat found in processed foods.

Salt, if you eat a lot of it, can also cause swollen ankles.

I always recommend that people incorporate more vegetables into their diet to increase their nutrient intake.

Once you get your diet under control, you can start watching movements to help reduce ankle size.

More seriously, swollen ankles can be a sign of a blood clot, infection, or problem with your kidneys, liver, or heart.

You should see a family doctor if you think your ankles are swollen and not improving with basic care, such as lifting your legs, or are getting worse quickly.

Useless exercises to avoid

Here are three exercises that don’t work to slim your ankles.

1. Ankle Circles

It’s one of those exercises you see dancers doing to warm up, so most people assume this is a good exercise for toning the ankle—but that’s not the case.

Circling the ankles is a mobility movement, but it is unloaded, meaning no weight is used.

This only helps with your range of motion, not strength.

2. Banded Toe Stitches

Another common exercise you see people doing at the gym.

A person sits on the floor with their legs in front, wraps a band around their feet, and holds the other side with their hands to cause tension on the band. They then repeatedly point and flex their toes.

This is only really useful if someone has an injury and needs to stabilize a joint.

Banded fingertips are unlikely to provide sufficient load to promote strength.

3. Stepper machine

You might think that the step machine at the gym is good for your ankles, but in reality, this machine focuses on your glute (butt) muscles more than anything else.

And 3 exercises that really work…

1. Start walking

To help you lose body fat, reduce fluid retention, and start strengthening your ankle, simply get up and walk to get started.

It’s a great cardiovascular exercise, it’s low impact and will really kickstart your lifestyle.

I recommend at least a 30-minute walk a day, try to go at a pace that makes conversation a little difficult, but not so much that you run out of breath.

You can also try adding some hills to really challenge your heart rate and ankles.

2. Single-Leg Calf Raise

To promote adequate strength and change in the ankles, walking alone is not enough.

For healthy ankles you need three things; balance, strength and power.

Single-leg calf raises are a fantastic way to work not only the ankle muscles and ligaments, but also the muscles in the feet and calves that are so close to the ankles.

They work because you use your body weight to challenge your ankles, helping to strengthen them.

Find a step or ladder and stand so that your left foot is half resting on the step, but your heel is hanging back and your right foot is also hanging back.

From here, lift your body by flexing the muscles in your feet and legs so that you are on the ball of your foot, then lower your back fully.

Repeat for 6-12 reps and do four sets on each side.

3. Two-foot pogo hop

Great for stimulating ankle tendons, muscles and most importantly waking up the nervous system.

Start by standing with your feet together.

From here, quickly push the floor away and, keeping your body as straight as possible, jump into the air, pointing your toes as you do so, then land back on both feet and repeat immediately.