We all know how beautiful the wearing of a pair of heels can make your calves but, unless you find the perfect pair, walking around on heels all day can be taxing on your legs. You should try out these simple techniques to stretch out your calves at the end of the day. These will even help to improve the look of your calves so it’s a bonus. Most of these won’t even require any new equipment and the only suggested items (exercise bands and an exercise ball) are pretty cheap.

Yoga is a great workout for the entire body but if you just want to focus on the legs then you should try out downward facing dog. This position is pretty simple. Hands on the ground, feet on the ground and butt to the sky is all it is really. You then try to press your heels into the ground and this stretches your calves and legs like you would not believe.

Next is the simple hand to foot stretch. When seated on the ground you reach forward and, if you are flexible enough, you can grab your toes and hold that position. This is an amazing stretch for your back, ham strings and calves all in one. It may take a little more practice to get to this point than other exercises though. If you have trouble stretching to this point then you should get some exercise bands in various resistances and loop them around your toes. Hold the other ends and then just flex and relax your calves.

If you need something a little lower in intensity then you can get an exercise ball and do light calf stretching. This is pretty simple. All you need to do is lay down with your chest on the exercise ball and your toes on the ground. Flex your calf and relax them in 20 second intervals, rolling yourself on the exercise ball and using your hands to stabilize but not to move yourself at all. You want all of the work to be in your calves. If you lay on your back and keep your stomach flat while pushing off the wall with your toes you’ll get a bit of a core workout too.