Be Kind to Your Feet and They’ll Help You Get From A to B

We’ve all heard that we should be trying to walk 10,000 steps a day. This equates to roughly 8 kilometres day, 243 kilometres a month and 2,920 kilometres a year! That’s a lot of mileage that we’re putting on our poor feet! Luckily, with more than 100 muscles, tendons and ligaments, our feet are usually tough enough to handle daily stresses.

It’s All About the Shoes!

Unfortunately, most of us don’t think about foot health until something goes wrong. To stay active and healthy, it is important to treat your feet right. Start, by wearing the proper shoes.

Avoid the Fancy High Heels!

Women run into foot issues four times more than men, and it is often due to the fashionable, fancy looking high heels they love to wear. When I worked in an office, I used to wear them all of the time so I know how fun they can be to wear. I also remember how much pain I was in at the end of the day, especially in the ball of my foot and in my toes. Now that I’m in gym shoes 80% of the time, I can’t imagine wearing a pair of high heels around for a day or evening. If you have to wear them, try minimizing your walking with them on. Carry your heels to your desk and put them on there. Try to buy wedges versus the spiky heels.

Flip-Flops Aren’t Much Better!

You’re toes aren’t crammed into tiny toe boxes like they are in high heels but your feet aren’t much better off in flip-flops. It’s because this style of shoe doesn’t give arch support. Wearing flip-flops extensively can be quite painful for people with flat feet. In some instances, they have actually been shown to cause your feet to flatten!

Supportive running shoes are really the best shoes you can wear for healthy feet.

What Can Really Happen if You Don’t Take Care of your Feet?

Educate yourself on these common foot ailments, and what you can do to prevent them from occurring.

Plantar Fasciitis.

What it is: Plantar fascia is a thick band of tissue that runs from the heel to the ball of the foot. When the tissue gets inflamed, it causes a stabbing pain in the heel. It’s more likely to happen if your feet roll inward too much when you walk (pronation), you have high arches or flat feet or you are overweight. Also, walking, standing or running for long periods of time can cause plantar fasciitis, especially if your shoes are worn out or don’t fit properly.
Ways to prevent it: Wear proper-fitting, supportive shoes with a closed heel and buy new shoes regularly. I often recommend that my clients buy new gym shoes at least annually. Give your feet a rest after a hard day of work and try not to walk or run on hard surfaces. Also, stretch your calves and toes daily.

Fallen Arches.

What it is: Pain caused by a fallen arch in your foot can be unbearable. Flat feet can be caused by: wearing improper shoes, muscle weaknesses, aging or they can be hereditary.
Ways to Prevent it: Get your feet checked by a podiatrist and if you’re prescribed orthotics – wear them! To avoid getting to this point, keep your arches strong with the ‘towel curl’ exercise. To perform this exercise stand on a flat towel, curl your toes up, scrunching the towel under your foot and then push the towel out to flat again by unclenching your toes.

Shin Splints:

What it is: A shin splint is a lower leg pain that occurs below the knee either on the front outside part of the leg or the inside of the leg. It’s likely to be caused by overusing your muscles, doing too much, too quickly.
Ways to Prevent it: Watch your running and jumping habits by building your endurance slowly. If you change the surface you’ve been training on (ie. you move from a flat, indoor treadmill, to the road), take your time building up the distance.

2 More Tips to Keep Your Feet Healthy

1. When buying new shoes, purchase them later in the day after you’ve been on your feet for a few hours. This way, your feet have swollen to their largest size and you’ll be less likely to buy a pair of shoes that’s too small.
2. Enjoy a good pedicure a few times a year. Not only is this treatment a great way to relax and rejuvenate, it also promotes circulation and helps relieve tension in the calves and feet.

To Sum it Up…

Feet are an important body part that often get overused and underappreciated. As noted above, if you don’t take care of them, there are quite a few things that can go wrong. Pay attention to the footwear you put on your feet, and give them a rest from time-to-time!