KEEPING FEET SWEET
You may have heard the saying that the average person takes enough steps in their lifetime to walk twice around the globe. For the more active, make that 4 times! Yet, how many people cram them into shoes all day, hide them under the blanket at night and generally try to ignore them? There is general advice on keeping them healthy, such as making sure you wash your feet every day, drying well and between the toes, and avoiding ill-fitting shoes.
Here are a few others that could prove useful:
Moisturise your feet regularly. In warmer weather, wearing open shoes or sandals encourages more moisture loss which brings on cracks in the skin. So, even though you are doing a good job of airing the feet in the summer, take care to hydrate them or they’ll be in worse condition at the end of the sandal season.
Avoid washing feet in very hot water as this encourages dry skin.
Always shop for shoes late in the afternoon as your feet will have expanded then and you’ll have a better idea of what makes a good fit.
Alternate your shoes daily. As your shoes absorb sweat from the feet, it gives them a chance to dry out properly.
If you wear heels, alternate the heel height regularly to avoid constant contraction of the calf muscles.
If removing hard skin and callouses, don’t be tempted to remove too much. You may get more hard skin growing back with a vengeance. Little and often is best.
Wear flip-flops or bathing shoes when you go to communal showers or swimming pools to avoid catching an infection.
Don’t wear flip-flips or similar footwear constantly or too often as they offer little support to the feet
