Your feet do a lot of hard work and they need all the help they can get if you want them to still be serving you well when you are old and grey. Shoes that look good such as women’s high heels or shoes that have a high convenience factor such as thongs (flip flops) can be injurous to our feet. In the case of high heels the balls of your feet get over-worked, you can get achilles tendon shortening and lower back pain too because the pelvis gets tipped forward too far in order to stand straight in them.
In thongs (and high heels) you have no arch support, this applies to most sandals too. You can also get hammer toes and plantar fasceitis from shoes with no heel support.
In footwear with insufficient arch support the arches are more likely to collapse (pronate) which is hard on your knees and will even adversely affect your spine, if your main arch has already collapsed it is even more important.
Orthotic inserts tailor made for you by an Orthotist can be of great benefit to you, so long as you renew them when they wear out and they are used in shoes they are suited to they can be of assistance for not only your feet but for the overall structure of your whole body. A flat foot can give you knee pain on the other leg.
Bare foot running on grass can help you run faster but more importantly you can change direction quicker without twisting your ankle. There is actually an association of bare foot running enthusiasts. Thick soled runners may look comfortable and absorb shock well but the soft edges of the soles make your ankles more susceptible to rolling.
Walking on dry sand helps stretch and strengthen your toes and bush walking can strengthen the muscles in your soles and help your balance. Even the fittest amongst us can have weak foot muscles because we are accustomed to walking on flat level surfaces all the time, walking over twigs and rocks helps strengthen the muscles that correct your foots position.
Above everything please regularly massage your feet, even 5 minutes will help. Your feet work very hard, if you allow them to stiffen your foot won’t roll and spread as you step, this affects your stride and balance, this is a safety issue as well as a fitness one.
As we age the circulation in our feet deteriorates which can cause swelling at the day’s end, this is worsened by socks that have tight top bands. Raise your feet when you are relaxing and lie down, it will help relieve any pooling of fluid.
The act of massaging your own feet can in itself be a good stretching exercise for your legs and hips, when you lean forward to reach them.
If you have any issues with ingrown toenails, act early and learn how to trim your nails properly, do not trim the corners back of your big toe nail, trim straight across or the nail will dig into the skin at the side of the nail as it grows through. If your toe joints get stiff stretch the joint and move it around, if you allow your toes to stiffen it diminishes your ability to enjoy a good walk. This simple action can save you from having a painful nail removal later on and make walking and running generally much easier.