The Toe Tap is a fantastic cardio exercise that can be used as a warm-up or a core element of a full cardio routine. When done properly, Toe Taps can effectively increase your heart rate with relatively low impact to the body. The best part is that you can do Toe Taps anywhere: at the gym, at work, or in the comfort of your own living room!
Step by Step:
1. Stand with your feet close together and your knees slightly bent. Heels should be a few inches apart. Transition your weight primarily to the balls of your feet, while your heels still touch the floor. Bend your elbows and hold your hands in close to your body.
2. Tap your right toes on the floor in front of you about 10 inches in front of your left foot. Then quickly switch your feet to tap your left toes on the floor. It's important to keep both knees slightly bent and your weight primarily on the balls of the feet throughout the exercise.
3. For an extra challenge, transition into Air Toe Taps. Instead of tapping your toes on the floor, tap them a few inches above the floor and then switch to the other foot.
Start out slowly to get the right technique for the movement, and then increase your speed to get your heart rate up. Put on your favorite song and Toe Tap to the beat!
Photos by: Andie Baker.
Katy Moeggenberg owns, manages, and instructs at both the Blue Ash Shaolin-Do and Anaya Belly Dance in Cincinnati, Ohio. She's a Kung Fu black belt (4th degree), professional dancer and choreographer, runner, and Yogi. She has enabled a variety of goals for her clients to come true-fine tuning professional dancers' routines, honing martial artists' skills for complex competitions, and empowering clients to lose as much as 100 pounds. She performs dance and Kung Fu over 50 times a year across national venues. In addition, her teaching has been featured and sought after at national dance conventions and NFL cheerleader training camps. Learn more about Katy at katym.me.
