How Do You Treat Your Feet?

How you treat your feet is pretty important to your long-term health and ability to remain physically active. For some reason we tend to forget about our feet but they need some serious TLC. In addition to getting you through workouts and runs, they also carry you around all day, every day. I wanted to share some of the things I do to keep my feet healthy and injury-free.

1) I don’t wear high heels. 

Back in the early days of this blog when I was still working a 9-5 job, I wrote a post about why I stopped wearing high heels. I will admit that I wear them on special occasions for short amounts of time but long gone are the days of 10+ hours per day in heels. I can’t tell you how many of my female clients come in complaining of back pain and general pain/tightness in their legs from long days in heels. And my mom just had a big surgery involving plates and screws in her foot thanks to years of wearing heels.

Hope I convinced you to think about how much you wear heels from that spiel. It’s a topic I feel passionate about!

2) I wear the right shoes. 

I also stress to my clients, students and physically active friends and family the importance of wearing the right footwear…especially when it comes to running.

I know shoes can be quite an investment and sometimes it seems harmless to buy whatever is on the sale rack but working out and running in the wrong shoes can lead to injury. Having someone analyze your gait can help you identify if you need shoes made for overpronation, neutrality, arch issues, motion control, stability or any other specialization.  Just recently, I struggled with some foot pain after changing shoes in the middle of half marathon training.

Additionally, I wear different shoes when I am doing strength/CrossFit style workouts that are lighter weight and feature a lower drop than running shoes.

3) I do self-massage and mobility work with a lacrosse ball. 

I’m a huge advocate of mobility work for the feet. Rolling out your feet no only feels great (it’s like giving yourself an amazing foot massage) but it also helps to stretch and release tension in the feet, prevents injuries such as plantar fasciitis and improves hamstring flexibility. Yes, you read that right. Rolling the feet can help to loosen connective tissue that starts in your feet and runs throughout the entire body.

4) I treat myself to nice socks. 

Whether it’s socks to go with boots or sneakers, wearing high-quality, cushioned socks makes a world of difference in how my foot feels in a shoe.

I recently received a selection of Bombas socks to review and in a nutshell…I loved them. They are hybrid athletic/leisure socks that feature fun colors and designs. But the selling point that made me agree to try the socks is that these are socks with a mission. For every sock purchased, Bombas donates a pair to someone in need (similar to the Toms business model).

Since launching just a little over a year ago, Bombas has donated over 150,000 socks to those in need. I was surprised to learn that socks are the number one clothing request at homeless shelters.

The socks are so soft and comfortable. I discovered that they are made from long staple pima cotton. This sock fabric keeps your feet warm in winter, cool in summer and features natural moisture wicking qualities. Another huge bonus in the comfort department is the Invisitoe feature that means no annoying bump that runs across the toes of the socks. I can’t tell you how many times I have taken my shoes off and repositioned my socks to deal with this in the past.

I usually choose ankle socks but I kind of loved the crew socks that they sent me to sample. I’ll definitely be wearing them with my boots…and they don’t fall down! The Stay Up Technology means Bombas stay up, aren’t too tight and don’t slip down. They tested 133 tension levels to find the perfect feel!

So make a pledge to treat your feet right as we go into a new year. Stop wearing high heels (or at least cut back!!!), get fitted for the right athletic shoes, roll out your feet and buy some nice socks (and how cute would these be as stocking stuffers?).

Visit the Bombas website and get 20% off your purchase using code PBRUNNER. Applies to your first order of any size.

Talk to me about how you take care of your feet. Do you wear high heels? Have you tried mobility work? What types of socks do you wear? 

This post is sponsored by Bombas but the thoughts and ideas are my own. Thank you for supporting Peanut Butter Runner!