Foot health is an important component of your body's health, and it can affect much more than just the feet. How you step, or, rather, how well you step, can affect the health of your knee joints as well as your lower back. Problems like overpronated or supinated feet can cause a chain reaction throughout your body, resulting in a number of problems. These foot issues can be combated by maintaining healthy, strong feet, and there are several things you can do to achieve this.
Step 1
Vary your footwear. Wear different shoes each day, and change your socks every day. Make sure your shoes are properly sized for your foot; this will prevent your toes from becoming cramped and painful. Wearing different pairs of shoes keeps your feet from settling into one specific sole, forcing the muscles in your feet to stay alert. Changing your socks daily helps prevent the development of fungi and other topical foot problems.
Step 2
Wash your feet daily. Use soap on the entire foot, and consider using a pumice stone to wear away hard developments on the skin, such as callouses. Don't soak the feet in water; instead, wash, including between the toes, and dry them quickly. This will help prevent the development of many topical foot problems, such as corns, callouses and fungi.
Step 3
Walk around barefoot when indoors. Barefoot walking helps keep foot muscles tight, strong, and flexible; when you walk without shoes, you are exercising muscles that might otherwise remain relaxed when in footwear. This can also help you guard against foot strains, sprains and other injuries that may develop in the foot.
Step 4
Cut your toenails straight across, instead of conforming to the curve of the quick. Cutting straight across will prevent the nail from curling underneath and stabbing into the meat of the toe, creating a painful ingrown toenail.
Things You'll Need
- Soap
- Properly-sized footwear
- Socks
- Toenail clipper
