Your feet are one of the most hardworking parts of your body. Taking the children to and from school, after-school activities, running errands, standing and prepping food – it’s non-stop!
So we must take care of our feet at every opportunity.
Photo by Lina Kraftsoff on Unsplash
Evening checks
Feet often swell in the heat of the day, and even more when you have been on your feet all day. So at the end of the day, it’s a great time to check for blisters, chafing, small cuts, or any swollen parts.
While you are doing your evening checks, give your feet a rub with a warm damp flannel.
This will remove any dirt and help the muscles to relax.
Dry skin
Not only does a dry back of the foot look uncomfortable – but it can also start to hurt.
The thick build-up can crack, and those cracks can deepen over time.
The first thing you need to do is soak your feet in some warm water with a little bit of dead sea salt.
After about 15 minutes, remove your feet. The hard skin should soften up and make for easy removal.
A pumice stone designed for foot skin can help to remove the built-up layers. An electronic removal tool makes the job much faster too.
Depending on the hard skin, it might take a while to remove much of it. Apply a thick moisturizer to the area immediately, and let them rest.
Daily rubdown
Your feet need to have plenty of moisture. Every day they need to be lotioned, and the back of your foot and any other areas with hard skin require extra attention.
Between your toes should always remain dry so that you avoid athletes’ feet.
Specialized heel creams and lotions can help infuse a lot of moisture and keep the heel soft.
By doing this daily, you will notice a significant reduction in the amount of dry skin you get and the overall health of your feet.
Special Care
It is quite a treat to head to a podiatrist or other foot specialist. They treat your feet in a whole new way.
Booking in regular massages or correction therapies for things like hammertoes can make a big difference in how comfortable your feet are regularly.
Daily Stretches
When taking part in your daily yoga and stretching, make sure you are getting your feet involved.
Carefully bending and flexing your feet can relieve the stress and tension that you might be holding.
Support
If your shoes aren’t providing the proper support, the pressure distribution in your feet won’t be as comfortable as it could be. Flat shoes and flip-flops don’t offer arch protection, and your feet will compensate by trying to balance – placing pressure in the wrong areas.
You can buy insoles that can raise the inside of the shoe to meet your feet, or you can buy shoes that have in-built arch support.
If you regularly take part in sport, then your training shoes should also offer support for your feet.
Your feet do so much for you, it’s time to take care of them in return!