With Christmas and New Year’s sales around the corner, here are some tips on looking after your feet for the next round of shopping!
1. Avoid wearing slippers
Slippers barely provide any support for our feet. Our foot muscles have to work much harder to hold onto slippers during walking, causing our feet to tire out easily. For casual footwear, consider wearing sport sandals that have straps across the ankle for better support.
2. Cushioning shoes are not necessarily good
Ever wondered why that particular pair of cushion-y shoes feels soft and comfortable to begin with, yet cause your feet to ache at the end of the day? Shoes that have too much cushioning or flexibility actually provides minimal support in them and may not be suitable for those with very flat feet or wobbly ankles. As a general guideline, it is better to wear shoes that have a firm midsole, a firm heel counter and straps/laces that goes across the ankle.
3. Wear correct fitting shoes
Our feet tend to swell up at the end of the day especially after a long day of walking. Do wear shoes that aren’t too tight to accommodate for the swelling! A good tip is to wear shoes with adjustable straps or laces so that you can easily loosen them if your feet are feeling too snug within the shoes.
Here are some tips on choosing the right pair of shoes that will provide both comfort and support.
4. Do a simple strengthening exercise before you shop!
Warming up your feet before a whole day of shopping would be a good idea to prevent the risk of injuries. A simple tip toeing exercise can help to strengthen the calves and the arches. This exercise will condition your feet and legs to be able to receive more load (shopping bags) and for you to walk for longer! See the video below.
5. Stretch after shopping
Feeling tightness on at your arches and calves after shopping? Try rolling your foot on a small firm ball to loosen those arch muscles. If you do not have a ball, try using your thumb to massage the arch area.
For tight calves, a simple few calf stretches as shown in the picture video below will help to relax your calves to prepare you for the next day of shopping!
Your back could also be hurting after all that walking and standing after shopping. A good pelvic tilt exercise can relieve the lower back aches and mobilise stiff lower back joints. It is also a good exercise to re-introduce fluids back to the lumbar discs. Follow this easy exercise in the video below.
Hope these tips will come in handy the next time you shop!
Have a pain-free festive season!
