Agony of Da-Feet! 8 Ways to Be Sweet to Your Feet!
Poor little piggies. You escaped for the evening and danced the night away in those “had to have’em” high heels, but your poor little piggies cried “ouch, ouch, ouch”, all the way home! Ah, the high price we pay for fashion. Actually, guess who foots the bill? Your feet. Those chic shoes have your toes screaming: Hey, It’s crowded in here! If you are going to wear high heels, try to spend the least amount of time in them as possible. If you wear heels to work, be sure to fling them off on the train or keep a pair of driving shoes in your car. Try to counteract the time spent in the “toe crunchers”, by wearing sensible, comfortable shoes whenever you can. Sensible doesn’t always mean unstylish. You’ll find some really cool sneakers and flats while shoe hunting. If the shoe fits. Speaking of shoe hunting, you’ll need to have some good fitting shoes in your wardrobe. The best way to try on shoes is standing, and aim to do it later afternoon, when your feet are a little swollen. Also, keep in mind that shoes should not be “broken in”. Shoes are not supposed to stretch over time. They should feel comfy as soon as you buy them. If they don’t they are too small, and could cause trouble. If you can, try not to wear the same shoes two days in a row. This is to let them breath. Shoes need a breather? Who knew! Best foot forward. If you are very active and play sports, your feet may be taking a lickin’. The best thing you can do to protect your feet is to buy the shoe specially designed for that particular sport. For a great all around shoe, “cross-trainer” sneakers are a good choice. Playing sports put a lot of wear and tear on your shoes and your feet. If you do get a blister, wait- don’t pop it! Keep it clean, dry, and safely covered by a band aid. Don’t get corny. Corns and calluses- yuck! They are what happens when you mistreat your feet. They have not come to gross you out, actually they are your body’s way of protecting you against the excessive pressure and friction. Wearing the right shoes will help avoid these hardened monstrosities. If you get one- don’t try to cut it yourself. Over the counter products work, but they are harsh, so you have to be extremely careful! One of the best home remedies is to gradually rub it off with pumice or special file. Each day when you get out of the shower, give it a quick scrub. Be very gentle! Scrub-a-dub stub. While you’re in the shower getting all squeaky clean, did you forget something? One of the first steps in foot heath is clean feet. Go ahead, don’t be bashful- scrub in between those toes. Sure, it tickles a little, laugh if you must, then don’t forget to dry them thoroughly. Happy feet are clean feet! A little peppermint foot scrub will make your feet ecstatic! Foot-loose and injury free. Due to their location, your feet are quite prone to injury. If you feel you may have seriously injured your foot, seek medical attention and don’t ignore it. Your feet are way too important. Keep your feet and ankles loose by doing simple stretches before and after activities. Spend a few minutes warming up by doing some foot and leg stretches. Be careful not to bounce our pull. Gradually lengthening muscles works best. Also, whenever you get a chance you can strengthen the muscles in your feet by doing towel curls. It’s simple: stand on a small towel with your bare feet and curl your toes in. Doing some basic toe raises works great too, but sorry, it’s not going to burn off that donut you just ate. Feels “sole” good. There is nothing more relaxing than a foot massage. You already know the perfect masseuse…you! You don’t need an appointment or a credit card. You don’t even need a lot of time. Even a few minutes giving yourself a good foot rub can do wonders. There are a lot of techniques you could learn, but it’s best to keep it simple. Get some rich, fragrant massage cream or lotion. Start with long sweeping motions, paying extra attention to the soles of your feet, where you are prone to hold a lot of tension. For an extra moisture boost, you can leave the cream on, cover your feet with saran wrap, stick a sock over the squishy mess, and go to sleep. You’ll wake to the softest feet ever! Toe-it-all. Cutting your own toe nails isn’t a difficult task, but there is a right and wrong way to do it. The wrong way can lead to painful and annoying ingrown toenails. The proper way to cut your toenails is really easy. You really only have to know two things: cut straight across, using a toe-nail trimmer, and make sure you don’t round off the edges or cut the corners. That’s usually the culprit behind ingrown toe-nails. Wanna know the most amazing little trick to relax your toes? It’s called toe rotations! Just grasp your toe at the base (where it begins at your feet), and one toe at a time do small circular motions. Try to rotate each toe three times in one direction, and three times in the other. You won’t believe how good it feels! Footnotes: The little extra’s Splurge on a pedicure whenever you can. (There are some great spas on Long Island to check out that serve up some fancy foot-work!) Don’t skimp on the socks. Make sure they are clean and comfortable. If you are wearing sandals in the summer, be sure to slap some sunscreen on your feet. For an added spring in your step, buy some crazy colored nail polish. Be brave: on your toes- anything goes! Janene Mascarella
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If you're a mom, then you are bound to always be on your feet. Your unappreciated feet probably don’t get the loving they deserve. It’s been estimated that your feet will take you some 115,000 miles in your life-time. So it's a good idea to take great care of them.