Keeping Your Feet Ready to Dance
It would be nice to think we all have Cinderella feet and were ready to
dance the night away in those special high heel shoes. Unfortunately some people have cracked
heels, corns, calluses or bunions and have too much pain to hit the dance floor.
It is sure
easy to overlook and neglect your feet as they are always covered except if wearing sandals in the
summertime. But when putting on nylons you sometimes notice how neglected your feet have been or if
you have purchased a pair of shoes that do not fit correctly.
Just think how much abuse
your feet take each day. Your feet absorb the shock of tons of pressure from approximately 9,000
steps a day. Taking time to show them a little love and respect will help once in a while. Even
elevating your feet for a few minutes each day can help improve circulation.
Foot problems
can be painful, but can be prevented. Here are a few tips to help keep your feet in fighting
shape:
- Cleanse daily.
- Use an exfoliant and remove dead skin with a pumice stone.
- Buff and moisturize regularly especially use heels and soles where calluses
are likely to develop.
- Wear the proper shoe size that is comfortable and does not squeeze the toes
together.
- Avoid wearing hose that are too short.
- Pamper your feet with a foot bath and massage.
- Periodically check for warts and if you do have one see a doctor so they
won’t spread.
- Clip your toenails properly--short and straight across to prevent having
ingrown toenails.
- Refresh tired feet with a lightly scented powder.
- Use a medicated powder if you have athlete’s feet.
- Avoid fungus growth by keeping your feet dry.
- If you have nail fungus it should be treated with medication.
- A sunscreen may prevent you from sun burning the tops of your
feet
You can go to a salon for a pedicure or you can give yourself one. You can
tailor your toe treatments to any style from pampering or aromatherapy pedicures. Any good pedicure
should cover the basics: trimming, shaping, polishing toenails, as well as slough off calloused
skin, and soothing the 7,000 nerve endings in each foot. Here are the steps to follow:
- Remove any polish.
- Soak your feet in warm water with bath salts, Epsoms salt, a few drops of your favorite
essential oil or bath oil. Soak your feet for eight to ten minutes. Apply an exfoliating body scrub
or foot sloughing cream to a loofah, a sloughing paddle, or wet pumice stone and scrub rough
patches on the balls and heels of your feet or wherever you find dry skin or calluses. Rub the
pumicestone in circular motion. Then gently scrub the cuticles with a nail brush.
- Clip and file toenails straight across and smooth the jagged edges with the coarse side of an
emery board. It is important to keep your toenails short and straight across. You should keep your
toenails even with and never longer than your toes but do not cut the corners. Do not file in a
round shape into the corners or you are likely to get ingrown toenails. It is important not to cut
your toenails too short because the tender flesh under your nails is not meant to be exposed.
- Clean the dirt from underneath your toenails. If you should have a painful hangnail, trim it
with clippers.
- Remove your feet from the bath and dry them with a towel. Make sure your dry between the
toes.
- Massage your feet to relax and revitalize them. Use a moisturize lotion or cuticle oil. Work
your thumbs in a circular motion and apply pressure all over the bottoms of your feet.
- If you are going to polish your toenails, you need to insert foam toe separators, a small roll
of cotton, or folded tissues between your toes so your polish won’t smear.
- Apply a base coat, let it dry. Then apply two coats of polish and a top coat brushing from the
base of nail to tip.
- For a skin softening treat you could smooth a thin film of Vaseline or a heavy moisturizer
cream onto your feet and wear a pair of cotton socks to bed.
The benefits for taking care of yourself are more than just physical as they are also mental
and emotional as well. It is hard to look good if your feet are hurting. To carry you through a
strenuous day and a glamorous evening dancing you want your feet to be healthy and
well-cared-for.
Your feet are what will literally carry you to success.
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