Feet. We all have them. And we demand an awful lot from them! We expect them to carry our weight around all day, every day. We stand on them, walk on them, and run on them. We place them in tight shoes or squeeze them into high heels. But we seldom take the time to think about them. Until they start sending us pain signals.
Some facts about your feet:
For a lot of my clients, the time I spend working on their feet is the most relaxing and the most rewarding. Taking care of your feet can do more than just relax you. A good foot massage can:
Because the feet are so important, I try to include some foot massage whenever possible and usually end a massage session by wrapping the feet in hot towel. But you don’t need to see a professional massage therapist to get some of the benefits of foot massage. You can make massaging your own feet a part of your night time ritual. And if you want to make that special someone feel really special, rub their feet for a few minutes. You might be surprised by how much they appreciate it!
To your health!
Gail Grieger
Some facts about your feet:
- The foot accounts for 25% of the bones in the body.
- There are more than 33 joints and 100 tendons, muscles and ligaments in the foot.
- There are roughly 250,000 sweat glands on a pair of feet. Your feet can sweat 1 pint of water during a workout.
- Your feet can contract array of nasty diseases from communal showers including planters warts, athletes foot, and ring worm.
- Tarsal tunnel syndrome is a very common reason for feeling pain and burning in your feet.
- Looking at your toenails can give you clues about your health. Spoon shape indentations are signs of anemia. Hairless toes show poor blood circulation, pits in the surface of the nail are signs off psoriasis.
- High heels can hurt your feet. Wearing 2 ½” heels can increase the load on your forefoot by 75%.
- Walking is the best source of exercise for your feet. It contributes to your general health by improving circulation and aiding weight control.
- In the average person’s lifetime they will walk more than 250,000 miles. That’s about the distance from the earth to the moon!!
For a lot of my clients, the time I spend working on their feet is the most relaxing and the most rewarding. Taking care of your feet can do more than just relax you. A good foot massage can:
- Increase circulation in your feet and legs.
- Help reduce or eliminate foot and joint pain.
- Help strengthen the foot and, when combined with foot strengthening exercises, reduce foot and ankle injuries.
- Some studies indicate that foot massage can help reduce migraines and even contribute to lowering blood pressure.
Because the feet are so important, I try to include some foot massage whenever possible and usually end a massage session by wrapping the feet in hot towel. But you don’t need to see a professional massage therapist to get some of the benefits of foot massage. You can make massaging your own feet a part of your night time ritual. And if you want to make that special someone feel really special, rub their feet for a few minutes. You might be surprised by how much they appreciate it!
To your health!
Gail Grieger
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