Most of us probably take our feet for granted. However, our feet put up with a lot of challenges every day, from being smothered inside sweaty socks or tight pantyhose, jammed into high heels, elevated to unnatural heights, to carrying your weight every day. On top of those sufferings, our feet have to take hundreds of tons of force during an average day of walking. All this work explains why our feet are the body part that is most likely to get tired and injured.
Most of us probably think that we need an expensive spa treatment in order to take good care of our feet. In reality, we only need a few minutes each day to focus on our foot care, and aside from this, we also need to choose the right shoes that can help us avoid any problems that can lead to pain and, worse, even disability. That is why in this article, we are going to list down some tips to care for your feet and help them feel great.
- Wash your feet every day, and remember to get in between your toes. Use a washcloth to clean your feet every day carefully. This process means that you have to bend over in the shower to soap and rub them up thoroughly. However, if you cannot bend over or balance safely, we suggest that you sit on a chair as you wash your feet or use a long-handled shower brush as you wash your feet under the faucet. After cleaning your feet, make sure that you dry your feet thoroughly, especially between your toes. The wash-and-dry process helps lessen common foot problems such as foul odor, athlete’s foot, fungus, and bacteria build-up.
- If you’re going to soak your feet, we suggest that you ignore the Epsom salts because they can be too drying, and they do not have any medical benefit. So if you’re going to soak your feet, just use warm water with a liquid soap pump containing skin softeners.
- Always remember to keep your feet moisturized after washing, especially during dry-skin winter months. In fact, you might want to moisturize several times during this time. Do not worry because you do not need anything fancy to keep your feet moisturized; all you need to use is some essential lotions or creams, and they will do just fine.
- Do not wear the same shoes every day. Remember to alternate the shoes you wear. They will have time to air out and avoid developing any germs that can trigger infections and food odor. Along with this, also remember to change your stockings or socks. If you’re having problems with sweaty and smelly feet, all you need to do is soak your feet in a mixture of water and vinegar.
- Wearing tight and uncomfortable shoes can distort your toe shape, cause painful foot growths, and worsen bunions. That is why if you’re going to wear high heels, we suggest that you choose shoes that have wide and stable heels that are no higher than two inches.
- Keep in mind that entirely flat shoes and flip-flops do not offer any arch support, and the same goes with walking barefoot. According to studies, women are more likely to develop flat feet, which can eventually lead to other foot problems. That is why in order to keep your feet healthy and strong, we suggest that you minimize wearing shoes that do not offer supportive arches.
- Aging and pregnancy can affect your feet. That is why if you’re a pregnant woman, we suggest that you go for comfortable footwear or shoes with broad heels, good shock absorbency, and ample arch support, and good shock absorbency. On the other hand, older people tend to lose some of the cushioning fat located on their feet’ balls. That is why if you’re noticing this change in your feet, we suggest that you wear shoes that give more shock protection.