5 Tips For Healthy Summer Feet

1. Go barefoot a little! For sensory motor and intrinsic foot muscle development. Walk in the grass, dirt, and sand, for example. It's not for everyone, especially people with diabetes should be careful not to scrape their feet on sticks or other hard objects in the grass. Otherwise, going bare foot on natural surfaces has been shown not just to strengthen feet, but also to have a grounding effect on a calm body and mind. 
    
2. Shock absorption underfoot, for some. To reduce pains in your feet, knees, hips and back. Walking barefoot excessively, on hard surfaces like tile, interlock, or concrete, is a whole other matter, for many. When your feet are hot in the summer, we tend to go shoeless more often or wear sandals without a supportive structure. We get this complaint from Align Clients quite a bit in the summer, and work with them to get their mobility back using better and custom-fit footwear options with Align Orthotics™.
    
3. Strap-up and hunker down for good ergonomics in healthy sandals. Look for sandals with an ergonomic footbed and adjustable straps, so that your toes aren't bending to try to grip the sandal on. This is one of the ways claw toes are formed, among other MSK issues! We take for granted that lace-up shoes don't pose this problem. Check out this video on how to wear our Brutus sandals by Camper. 
4. To flip or to flop. That is the question to consider to protect your summer feet dermatologically. Even foot health fanatics have a place in their wardrobe for flip flops! When feet are wet and you can't wait for them to fully dry, it can actually be a good idea to step into flip flops, avoiding excessive moisture between your toes or in your shoes, which could cause fungus. They're especially useful poolside, to avoid picking up a fungus from the deck and changerooms. Check out our awesome men's and women's orthopedic flip flops by Vionic.  
   Also helpful is to wear footwear and socks that wick away the perspiration caused by those 250,000 sweat glands in each foot. This also helps prevent foot inflammation and infections. Talk to us to see if these moisture-wicking healthy walk/run socks are right for you. 
    
5. It's important to put sunscreen on your feet, too! Many people do not think about their feet when applying sunscreen, but did you know that the skin on your feet is highly susceptible to melanoma and other forms of skin cancer? This actually happened to the world's favourite Reggae singer, Bob Marley. Honour him, honour you, think healthy feet and lather them in your favourite sunscreen.