Your feet are one of the most neglected yet the most used part of your body. You use them every day for walking, driving, standing, jumping and running. Feet contain about one quarter of the bones of our body as well as muscles, tendons and ligaments. When you're walking, the pressure on the feet can exceed your body weight and when running, up to four times as much (1). For fashion they are put into high heels or shoes that are too tight. The only time we pay attention to our feet is when they cause us pain or have been injured. It makes sense to take care of our feet since they do so much for us.
Here are some easy and fairly quick ways to pamper those tender tootsies that I often do together but you can do however is easiest for you.
1 . The Foot Bath. Grab yourself a towel, a bowl or basin that your feet can fit into ( a large disposable roasting pan will do in a pinch), the essential oil(s) of your choice (I like eucalyptus and peppermint especially when I have a cold or lavender when I want to have a good night's sleep), and 1/3 to 1 cup of Epsom salts (optional).
Place the towel on the floor where you are going to sit for your foot bath .
Fill the bowl about 3/4 full with very warm water - I'd say the water should be about your favorite shower temperature (you have to leave room for the displacement of water when you put your feet in).
Add the Epsom salts at this point (if you are using them), while you're still at the tap so that when you stir the water to dissolve the salts, it just makes a mess in the sink (or tub as the case may be).
Place the bowl on your towel and add 3-5 drops of the essential oil(s) and give the water a quick swish. Place your feet in the bowl for 5-20 minutes (it all depends on how hot your water was and how much time you've got). In the summer you can use cool water and peppermint essential oil to cool and refresh your feet.
Dry the feet off.
Some of the advantages of doing a foot bath are that it increases circulation, raises the temperature of the feet and legs, reduces pain and swelling, and it's just plain relaxing to both the muscles in the feet but also the whole body.
2. Exercises. OK, now that your feet are all warmed up and relaxed, it's much easier to exercise the ankles and feet. For this you will need the towel and a ball no larger than a tennis ball (any ball will do including one of those dryer balls from the dollar store -just don't press down on it too hard or it might break). Move the bowl out of the way.
Since you are still sitting down, lift your legs (or one leg at a time) in front of you and rotate your feet in whatever direction you like and then in the opposite direction. You don't have to do this very long or lift the leg very high, it's just to loosen the tendons and ligaments in the ankle. If you are standing in a line or at the sink you can also do ankle circles. Stand on one leg (hold onto something if your balance isn't good) and rotate the foot that's in the air in two directions . Switch legs.
Place your feet back on the floor. Now lift the toes of one (or both) foot towards the ceiling leaving the heel on the floor as if you are lifting your foot off a car's pedals. You then move your foot up onto your toes. Repeat as many times as is comfortable. This can also be done with your feet in the air, standing (not in heels), or while lying in bed.
Grab your ball and place it on the floor between your feet. Keeping the feet together on the ball, move the ball forwards and backwards along the arch from heel to toes or toe to heel. In reflexology, this area is associated with the spine (the tail bone at the heel and the head at the toes) and you may notice tender or crunchy spots along this area that correspond to any backache you may have ( mine's in the middle of my back thus in about the middle of my arch) If you do find such an area, just roll the ball around this area for a little longer.
Next, take the ball with one foot and roll it all over the sole of the foot. Don't worry if the ball gets away from you, just fetch it back. This area of the foot is associated in reflexology with the digestive system , urinary system, the heart and the lungs. Again, if you find any tender or crunchy spot just spend a little more time in that area with the ball. Repeat on the other foot.
Place the ball under the toes of one foot with the heel on the floor gripping the ball with the toes as best you can. Roll the ball from one side of the foot to the other while trying to keep the ball under the toes as much as possible (the ball likes to try to escape doing this one). This area is associated with the neck and shoulders which is where most people carry their tension so this is a great area to spend a bit more time on. Obviously, repeat on the other foot.
Finally, place your feet on the towel and scrunch it up under the toes as if you were going to pick it up with your toes. Do this about 5 times. You can also grab the ends of the towel to help stretch the Achilles tendon and the plantar surface of the foot by placing the towel under the ball of the foot and pulling on the ends of the towel so the moves foot upwards towards the shin. Needless to say, don't pull so hard as to hurt yourself. Hold as long as is comfortable and do both feet.
3. The Ultimate Pamper. If you do the exercises first ( or skip them all together), while your feet are still wet you can use a pumice stone to remove any calluses or dry and rough spots and push back the cuticles. After you have dried your feet, apply your favorite moisturizer, and give your feet an all over massage. Here, you can also trim your toenails (straight across to prevent ingrown toenails) and apply nail polish. If you skip the nail polish, put on a thick layer of moisturizer and a pair of cotton socks. The socks help keep your feet warm and allows the moisturizer to penetrate the skin better. Doing this at night before getting into bed you should have a good night's sleep and, in going to sleep in the socks, you will wake up with the softest feet you've had in a long time (great for sandal time).
Doing all of these things for your feet shouldn't take much longer than 30 minutes (not including polish drying time) but it will depend on how long you soak your feet. Breaking these things up during the day will also keep your energy up and can help keep your stress down. Make these things yours, but do try to do them as often as you can, and your feet (and the rest of you) will thank you.
(1) Retrieved from: Learn about Feet and Podiatric Medicine/ Penn Rodebaugh Diabetes Center;
http://www.pennmedicine.org/diabetes/hup/learn/feet.html ; Feb. 8, 2013
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