Saturday, May 7, 2011

15 hamful things for your feet! How to protect your feet and your body!

While skipping around online and hoping from page to page I found an interesting article on our feet and how it can and will affect our health. Staying healthy means paying attention to every single part of your body, inside and outside. Such as taking care of your feet, which can prevent all sorts of problems and conditions and could possibly land you in the hospital. Did you know back pain, circulation problems, infections and other injuries can be caused by poor foot health?

I found a list of 15 harmful things that you may be doing to your tired, old feet!


1.) Wearing shoes: Yes, certain shoes are worse than others - as you continue reading the list you will find this out -but all shoes can hurt our feet in one way or another. A study was conducted by the University of the Witwatersrand in South Africa which found that societis who didn't wear shoes had the healthiest feet, which led them to believe that humans had better feet before we began wearing shoes! Why? When you wear shoes it alters your natural walking pattern and inhibits our natural gait, our gait took 4 million years to perfect!
2.) Careless pedicures: Yes, they feel amazing. However, many women go in for their weekly pedicures without consequence. But, there's still a risk of infections. Did you know when you get a pedicure on the same that you shaved your legs or if you have open wounds or cuts on your feet it raises the risk of infection? Also, using unsterilized or poorly sterlized instruments are also a threat. Make sure the technician doesn't trim your toenails too short or push back your cuticles which are your toenails' natural protection.
3.) Flip Flops: Yes, my favorite shoe for summer and in all reality I wear these through-out the year. Since flip-flops offer no arch support, which can cause your feet to roll inward and develop significant pain over time. You can also overwork your muscles and tendoms which can lead to calluses, heel fissures, lower back pain, and it can leave your feet vulnerable to shap glass and other debris.
4.) Walking barefoot in public areas: I'm guilty of this one. It sounds disgusting,and it happens more often than you'd think. Walkingbarefoot in locker rooms, and even at the spa puts you at a higher risk for Athlete's foot, fungal infections and plantar warts. And these are painful!
5.) Cramped shoes: Like clothing shoes are the same regarding to size. Just because it's cute and on sale doesn't give you an excuse to buy it. Wearing shoes that are too tight in the to area will cause your toes to not stretch out, which can lead to a hammer toe over time.
6.) Narrow-toed high-heels: As I previously stated cramped shoes can lead to hammer toe, but narrow-toes high-heels can cause you to develop pain or unsightly bunions, which can cause the big toe to point outward because of an enlarged joint or even extra formation of the bone. Wearing Narrow-toed high-heels can cause swelling, redness and lots of discomfort that can last for days.
7.) Wearing shoes that make your feet sweat: Wearing your shoes for a long duration of time or wearing shoes that won't break can make your feet stink and it can end up beaing a breading ground to nasty bacteria and fungi in your socks and shoes. It can also allow blisters to develop with all of thechafing and slipping.
8.) Forgetting sunscreen: Typically we put sunscreen on our face and our shoulders. But we sometimes forget a very vulnerable spot, our feet! Our feet aren't used to being exposed to the sun in such an extreme way and they can get burnt easily.
9.) Forgetting the socks: When you wear shoes without sock you increase the chance for developing calluses and corns. Make sure that you wear thick enough socks to avoid slipping and friction that can lead to painful, ugly developments.
10.) Not taking extra care of your feet if you have diabetes: Diabetics are highly prone to having issues with their extremeties such as their feet. They need to take extra care of their feet to avoid injury and other problems as they have less circulation in that area. They can wash their feet in warm water daily, moisturize, cut their toenails, wear socks, and wear proper fitting shoes.
11.) Not protecting your feet against the elements: Yes, I'm guilty of this one as well. I live in Iowa and as I previously stated I love flip flops and I hate having to lace shoes up and what not. Ever since I were younger I can remember running out in the freezing snow wearing flipflops to jump into my car. Frostbie occurs after cells begin to die when they're exposed to frigid and dangerous temperatures. Even after they've been oxygenated they still die. Make sure that you wear thick socks and shoes designed for extreme situations such as this.
12.) UGG's: They may be stylish and warm and on the top list for shoes each and every year. But, UGG's lack any kind of arch support, and many women complain of tired feet after wearing UGG's and knock-off UGG's. Let alone, UGG's can lead to an icky situation as they have no slip protection.Who would make a boot for cold temperatures without a slip resistant bottom? I purchased a pair of UGG's a couple years back and I had to return them. I was slipping and sliding all over the place. HORRIBLE situation!
13.) Not getting enough -iums in your diet: Calcium, magnesium and potasium are good for muscle health, and they can lead to less charley horses. Those who lack the -iums seem to have more charley horses and seem to be higher risk of dehydration which can cause soreness. Make sure to set aside an extra minute each morning to take your supplements.
14.) Not cutting your toenails correctly: When you avoid cutting your toenails or ingrown nails you have a higher risk of painful infections later on. Cut your nails when they are dry, filing instead of cutting can help as well, and let the cuticles relax they do not need to be pushed back.
15.) Wearing old shoes: Your favorite pair of shoe gets pulled out several tims through the year. Did you know wearing a shoe with more than 350-500 miles logged won't give you the support that you body needs? And if they are worn on the insides, you can have a risk of slipping, chaffing and friction. Toss the shoes and save your feet from blisters, corns and calluses!

4 comments:

  1. Great article! I wonder how many foot fetish guys will'Google' this and find your site! Ha.

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  2. I'm one of those ladies that will pay for a pair of shoes that are too small cause they are on sale.. and cute.. eek!

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  3. Aw... now I can't buy the size smaller in shoes. Boo!

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