Oftentimes, we simply don’t give our feet credit for all they do. Without our feet, we wouldn’t get very far. On a daily basis, our feet absorb so much impact as they take us where we’re going. After standing or walking for several hours, you most likely feel some swelling and pain in your feet. If your dogs are barking, it’s time to take better care of your feet and show them a little extra love. Here are some actions you can take to practice better foot care:
Wash Them Daily
Keep odor, bacteria and fungus at bay by washing your feet every day. Sit on the edge of the tub and rub soap into your feet, making sure to get in between your toes. Rinse your feet off with warm water and thoroughly dry them.
Soak Your Feet
Do your feet need some relief at the end of the day? Soak them in warm water with a squirt of liquid soap that is moisturizing. Although you may want to soak your feet in Epsom salt, it could dry your feet out, which is why we recommend moisturizing soap instead.
Moisturize Your Feet
Dry, cracked heels can feel extremely uncomfortable, and they can worsen in the winter months. After washing and drying your feet, apply a moisturizer to your feet. If you need only light moisture, stick with a lotion. If your feet are extremely dry, rub a cream over your feet for some extra relief and then put on socks to help seal in the moisture. You could choose to use a cream designed specifically for feet, but any moisturizer will do.
Alternate Your Shoes
To avoid foot infections and odor, don’t wear the same shoes two days in a row. If you have a pair of shoes you absolutely love, consider buying two different pairs to alternate. Wear a clean pair of socks daily, and you could change them out more during the hottest times of the year.
Stop Wearing Flip Flops
You probably know by now that wearing high heels and pointy-toed shoes regularly are bad for your feet. However, flip-flops are equally as harmful to your feet. When you wear this type of footwear, your heels hit the ground with greater impact, which results in pain. They can also rub you the wrong way in between your toes and cause blisters.
Regular flip-flop usage could even result in hammer toes, which is when your toe knuckles are permanently bent. In order to keep the shoes on your feet, your toes have to work harder and bend slightly. If you have bunions, this type of footwear only exacerbates the problem because your toes are over gripping the shoes. Unless you’re at the beach or the pool, just say no to flip-flops.
Wear OpeToz® Instead
If you find most footwear uncomfortable, check out our colorful open toe sneakers. Although they have an open toe design, these shoes still provide you with ample comfort, support and traction. In fact, these shoes were designed out of necessity when traditional footwear proved to be too uncomfortable for our founder. Available in six different color combinations, you’ll find the perfect pair for your tastes. Shop our selection of open toe athletic shoes today.