5 Tips for Healthy, Attractive Feet

Feet are the most used and abused body parts—and unfortunately usually also the most neglected. The average person walks about 10,000 steps each day. That adds up to traveling the circumference of the globe over four times in a lifetime! Not only that—25 percent of our bones are connected in some way to the feet.

Based on these numbers alone, it’s easy to see why we should take better care of our feet. Take a look at these 5 suggestions for happy, healthy, and beautiful feet.

Manage Moisture

Too much moisture or wearing shoes that don’t breathe leads to sweaty feet and increased bacteria, which means smell and the potential for hygiene issues. Try these tips:

• Wear breathable footwear.
• Always wear socks—even better if made with sweat-wicking fabric.
• Sprinkle baby powder in your shoes before you put them on.

While too much moisture makes a mess, it’s still important to moisturize the skin of your feet. An easy way to keep your feet soft and smooth is to give them a soak/cleaning each night before bed and slather a rich lotion on them, followed by socks.

Wear Supportive Shoes

Blisters and other sore spots can result from shoes that fit improperly. This can happen in all types of shoes, not just stilettos. If you find that you are feeling irritation or developing blisters from a particular pair of shoes, the best plan is to stop wearing them altogether.

Just make sure you buy shoes that fit well—too tight will cause pain, blisters, and anatomical problems while too loose will cause friction and blisters. For shoes that lack support, try inexpensive insoles.

Cleanliness

How much attention do you pay to the process of cleaning your feet? It is not enough to simply let the shower water and soap trickle down to your feet or to soak them. To really make sure your feet are getting clean, take the time to wash your feet at least once each day with warm, soapy water. Scrub between your toes and around cuticles and nail beds. Two or three times per week, use a pumice stone or exfoliating file on rough spots. You should also make sure your toenails stay trimmed straight across and filed down. Your feet will look great and you won’t have to worry about ingrown nails or infections.

Foot Exercises

We’re all born with flat feet, and unfortunately some of us keep them. One common exercise to stimulate the foot muscles and encourage arch development is called the “towel scrunch.” To perform this exercise, lay out a small hand towel on the floor in front of you. Put the heel of your foot on the side of the towel closest to you and then use your toes to pull, or scrunch, the top of the towel back towards the ball of your foot. If you do this exercise just three times every morning, you will see improvement in your arches over time.

Another arch exercise works by standing on the balls of your feet on a step at least four inches from the ground with your heels hanging out over the edge. Stand on your tiptoes and then slowly lower the heel until it is even with the step. Avoid letting the heel drop below the stair level because that does not make the arch muscles work as hard. Repeat the move for three sets of 10 repetitions. Over time, this exercise will become easier and the repetition can be increased. Just be sure to hold on to a railing.

Lunula Laser Treatment

Foot fungus, or onychomycosis, is one of the most difficult ailments to treat, but it can be very embarrassing if left untreated. Erchonia’s Lunula laser technology treats and clears foot fungus without any pills, expensive creams, or pain. Patients have reported that from the first treatment to six months later, 6.15 mm of clear nail grew, or 37 percent of the existing nail cleared.