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Walking barefoot on the sand and water is a massage, gymnastics, reflexology and just a pleasure. As long as the weather permits, please yourself and your (tired) feet.
Summer is a time of freedom. We take off heavy clothes, free our feet from shoes, which are forced to stay in a “packed” form all year round. The river or sea shore is the perfect place to take care of them, get them in shape. In your program: walking on sand, walking in water in a calm mode (ankle-deep or knee-deep) or with effort (immersed in water up to the waist).
Sand: reflexology as it is
“Start with wet sand, it’s easier,” says kinesitherapist Gil Amsallem. “Such a coating is pliable and safe, and also hard enough: this exercise is accessible to everyone.” The only contraindication is cuts on the skin or other unhealed wounds.
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In dry sand, the foot sinks deeper, and each step is given with great effort. “The arch of the foot experiences a lot of stress, while the heel, the plane of the foot and the fingers work as described in all textbooks, but this rarely happens to us in ordinary life,” continues the kinesitherapist. We tower on our heels, lace up our sneakers, zip up our boots, and the stiff sole takes us from heel to toe.
The pliable dry sand puts the joints and the many small bones of the foot and ankle to work. Do not think that such walks along the beach are just relaxation. This is a very dynamic gymnastics, and it requires real effort. And for some of us, it will seem difficult and even painful.
Foot: a real wonder of the world
To keep the body in balance and enable walking, 21 muscles, 26 bones and 31 joints work in the foot. The work involves 62 sweat glands, a hundred ligaments and more than 7200 nerve endings. This “masterpiece”, as Leonardo da Vinci called it, with its complex architecture, gives its owner an incalculable amount of suffering. Unless, of course, we take care that all mechanisms work in the correct mode, without breakdowns.
Knee-deep in water: soft gymnastics
Anyone who simply walks in the water, enjoying its movement, without suspecting it, is engaged in hydrotherapy. Walking in water is a great way to relieve emotional, nervous and physical stress. In water, minor joint pains are mitigated. The light resistance it provides restores blood circulation and relieves heaviness in the legs (you will feel it after half an hour of walking).
“Get in knee-deep water and do some exercises,” recommends Gilles Amsallem. Raise your legs above the water as if you were wearing flippers. Such work increases the range of motion in the joints and softens the ligaments. Ideal for tight joints. Or “drag” your feet on the sand, further increasing the resistance of the water: such a massage has a beneficial effect on blood circulation.”
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In waist-deep water: powerful hydromassage
The deeper you go into the water, the harder it will be for you to go. Water (according to Archimedes’ principle) will push you up, in addition, you will feel its pressure from all sides. Resist – this is a great exercise for balance. If you have problems with the circulation of lymph, blood, venous insufficiency or heaviness in the legs, you will instantly feel relief. And the low temperature of the water perfectly tones the skin.
Gymnastics in the water, even if it’s just walking, allows you to strengthen the muscles without harming them. Alternate walking forward and backward, which will force the muscles of the inner thigh to work – they are rarely involved during normal movements. After an hour of walking in the water, you will emerge from the waves completely restored, with a feeling of extraordinary lightness throughout your body.
Extreme skin massage with sand
- On the shore. Take a handful of wet sand in each hand (be careful, the skin will not withstand dry sand!) and rub your body in the water, rising from the ankles up. Pay special attention to the feet, knees and elbows.
- Houses. Bring a supply of fine sand with you from your vacation. Mix two handfuls of sand and three tablespoons of sweet almond oil. This homemade scrub is suitable not only for the body, but also for the face, if you are careful and gentle.