Foot Care: Taking Care of Your Feet

Your feet can give an impression about your personal hygiene. There are two main factors by which your foot can get affected. One is no proper maintenance and the other is wearing improper footwear. These two factors can be resolved very easily by taking some initiative and time to clean your feet and also getting the right shoes.

As your feet are the most strained part of the body, they have to be given the utmost care. So, wash your feet daily, see to that you wash off the soap thoroughly and dry them properly, especially between the toes where moisture settles, and creates problems. Trim your nails regularly, do not make it too short and cut out or dig at corners. Massage your feet every night with oil, which will relax your feet and keep them soft and supple.

According to ayurveda it is said that if you walk too much on rough surfaces or expose your feet excessively to sun, wind and water, it will cause cracks on heels and soles, this is apart from the roughness and dryness of the feet which are caused by the Pitta and Vata doshas.

Just as how you exercise to keep your body fit and healthy, you need to do your foot exercises to keep your feet healthy. It is said that the best exercise to keep your feet healthy is to walk bare foot on grass in the garden. The other exercises which you can do to keep them healthy are:

Ankle Stretch: Sit down with your legs stretched, point your foot down and bring it towards you, as closer as possible, and hold for a few seconds in that position and stretch them back. Repeat this for 10 times.

Foot Stretch: Sit on the floor with your legs stretched. Loop a towel around your feet, see to that your heels are on the floor and pull the towel towards you with your hands, try and pull the middle foot and toes towards your body. Stay in that position for a few seconds, and then relax. Repeat this exercise for about 10 times.

Always wear the footwear which is comfortable rather than fashionable. Use foot powder before you wear your shoes. Wear the shoes that fit you. Switch your shoes everyday. If your shoes are too tight or if it does not fit you properly then corns will appear on the bony areas of your foot due to the pressure and your blood circulation will also get disturbed.

There are lots of things that you can do to take care of your foot, like, if your feet is dry, you can apply petroleum jelly and cover them with socks so that, they become soft and smooth. To relax your feet you can rub soda can or a tennis ball. Make sure you do not apply any lotion in between your toes, as they can lead to skin infection.

By taking care your foot you are not only maintaining your personal hygiene but also preventing yourself from getting affected by diseases like Arthritis, nerve disorders, circulatory disorders and others.