They “wear” us, allow us to “stand firmly on the ground” and “go through life easily.” And no less than a face or hands, they deserve our attention – at any time of the year.
Often we start paying attention to the feet only when they already cause us discomfort. Meanwhile, this part of our body affects our well-being (physical and emotional) much more than we used to think. A Chinese proverb says: “A smile is born at the feet.” And this expression has an almost literal meaning: by pressing on the reflex points on the feet, you can achieve relaxation of the face. A detailed “topographic map” of the foot is used by reflexologists to influence literally any organs and systems that need support and healing. The famous American reflexologist Kevin Kunz* calls such pressure points “energy receptors” and believes that they are very closely connected with the nervous system: “Active points on the feet instantly convey signals to the brain and internal organs – perhaps this is also due to because the “fight or flight” reflex once played a very important role in the struggle for survival.
A good foot massage helps to fully restore strength – professional dancers know this very well. And the motto of a qualified pedicure master is to strengthen (not thin) the skin of the feet. Here are some other topical recipes for an easy life on your feet.
Tired legs
Each of us feels it from time to time – even those who spend the whole day not on their feet, but sitting in an office chair. The cause of fatigue in both cases is hampered microcirculation. A Thai foot massage at a beauty salon, a hot tub, a walk along the “health path” (filled with round sea pebbles) at a fitness center, or self-massage of the feet – any of these methods help not only relieve tension from the legs, but also relax the body. “The surface of the earth is not flat at all, but people who live in the city and walk along asphalt paths in hard-soled shoes have completely forgotten about it,” says Kevin Kunz. “Walking barefoot on rough surfaces, grass or sand, we stimulate active points and help the body get rid of stress.”
An exercise
Place a mop stick on the floor and carefully step on it, first with one, then with two feet. If the feet feel sore, the stress level is very high. Start with a little pressure on your feet and gradually, as the tension and soreness eases, put all your weight on your feet.
Our allies
1. Saicara Heavenly Feet gel-foam for tired feet with a cooling effect and protection against fungus.
2. Pedix foot bath tablets, Alessandro, with revitalizing marine plankton extract.
3. Relaxing cream “Sake and Rice” from the Planet Spa line, Avon.
4. Bosch hydromassage foot bath: vibration massage, infrared heating, turbo massage modes, nozzles with massage balls, brush, pumice stone, rollers for deep foot therapy.
sensitive fingers
Too thin skin, sensitive to wet friction, suffers even in very comfortable shoes, especially in summer. The long second (or first) finger rests on the toe, and there is pain in the corner or edge of the nail. When cutting nails, it is worth leaving about half a millimeter of a free edge. To strengthen the skin, you can try foot creams containing urea (for example, from Gehwol), using them for a course of three weeks.
Recipe
Dancers use this method: thoroughly wipe the inside of new shoes with dry soap. This keeps friction to a minimum.
Our allies
5. Painful Toe Relief, Sally Hansen, with benzocaine.
6. Stick to eliminate friction in shoes, Compeed. Compeed plaster, which accelerates the healing of blisters and scuffs (lasts three to four days).
Cracked skin
It would be wrong to endlessly sand the skin, which is prone to cracks – from this it dries even more and becomes even less elastic, which only exacerbates the problem. First of all, she needs moisturizing masks: apply a thick layer on the skin, put on a special bandage cover (or just cotton socks) and leave it overnight. Only after a course of moisturizing can the stratum corneum be polished off – either with the help of products with fruit acids, or in a hardware pedicure room. Preventive points: shoes with a closed heel, the use of silicone or latex pads under the heel or front of the foot, daily moisturizing of the skin of the feet.
Our allies
7. The NightTime Heel Repair Wrap, Sally Hansen, is used in conjunction with a Nighttime Heel Repair Mask or Crack Healing Cream.
8. Neutrogena Norwegian Formula Intensive Repair Cream for Damaged and Cracked Skin.
Corns
The more often you cut them off or cut off the roughened areas with pumice, the faster they will recover – this is a protective reaction of the skin. Good pedicurists always keep a small protective layer on the sole. The hardening of the skin depends on the posture and on the distribution of the load on the reference points of the body. To remove dry calluses and seals, it is better to use chemical rather than mechanical means – in combination with a foot cream. There are patches for ingrown corns, such as Compeed.
Our allies
9. Dry callus and cuticle remover Go Lightly, Pedix, Alessandro: apply for 10 minutes, then remove with a spatula along with rough skin.
10 Let It Go Callus Remover, Spa Ritual, removes rough skin and speeds up cell renewal.
* Kevin Kunz is the author of Reflexology – Health at Your Fingertips (Dorling Kindersley Book, 2005).