Our feet our one of the things we take for granted the most, until something goes wrong and we realise just how much we need our feet to be healthy. A healthy body starts with healthy feet. In the average person’s lifetime, they will walk the equivalent of twice around the world – that’s a pretty healthy statistics balance between the marathon runners and the couch potatoes who marathon Netflix shows (I’m a hybrid of these two, by the way). Here are 5 great tips for keeping your feet healthy and happy.
1. Inspect Them Regularly
Inspect your feet regularly and check for any changes in colour, texture, or appearance. This is particularly important for anyone with diabetes – any changes in colour, temperature or open sores that are slow to heal, are all things to look out for and let your doctor know about immediately.
2. Maintain Good Foot Hygiene
Maintain good foot hygiene by washing and drying not just your feet but in between your toes too. Hydrate your feet regularly, especially if you live in a hot or dry climate. Your feet will be at risk of drying out and cracking if you wear open toe shoes often. You can replace the moisture you lose by applying lotions or skin butters regularly. Make sure you cut your toe nails square across and use the appropriate foot care products on your feet to keep them in tip top condition.
3. Buy The Right Size Shoes
This may sound like a no-brainer but you would be surprised (slash shocked) at how many people wear the wrong sized shoes, especially women. As women we tend to squeeze our poor feet into the sexy shoes and we all know that the sexy shoes aren’t built for comfort or foot health. I’m pretty sure we all have stories about blisters and blood-filled shoes after a night out, that kind of abuse to our feet, over time, will create massive problems later on.
4. Exercise
Walking is a great way to keep your weight under control, it is also an excellent way to condition your feet. Make sure you wear the right athletic shoes when you’re exercising to keep from injuring yourself…I don’t just mean tripping on your flip flops (thongs, slops, whatever you want to call them – they’re death traps in the rain, that’s for sure) – I’m talking about putting strain on the bones and tendons in your feet that you’ll know all about for the next week. The most important part of exercising is that you stick with it, even if you don’t love it as much as you used to – exercise only works if it’s regular.
5. Don’t Share Pedicure Tools
It’s advisable to not share your pedicure tools with anyone else. If you’re in a pinch and you do, throw away the emery board and the orange stick then scrub any metal tools (like clippers or scissors) in warm, soapy water. Once you’ve washed them you can disinfect them in an antibacterial solution. Nail care tools should be replaced every 6 months or so, if you keep them clean and disinfect them regularly then they will last a few months longer than that.
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