Healthy Feet for a Healthy Life

Good quality foot care is something that should be part of your daily routine. Your feet provide the base for the rest of the body, and so making sure they are in good condition and free from pain and discomfort will improve your quality of life. This is especially important if you're an avid gym goer and frequently find yourself wearing sweaty trainers that harbour bacteria. Footwear is as important as foot maintenance, so this guide will offer a number of simple tips to help reduce foot odour, bacteria build-up and keep your feet smelling fresh.

Different Shoes and Socks

It's never a bad idea to have a couple of pairs of gym shoes. If you frequently walk or run to the gym, train and then head back home again, you'll increase the amount of time your shoes are saturated with sweat. This will encourage bacteria growth, which has a greater chance of increasing foot odour and causing painful conditions such as athlete's foot and other fungal infections such as fungal nail. Having a second pair of shoes and multiple pairs of fresh socks means you can keep your feet cleaner and drier throughout the day. Letting your shoes air out for a day or so is also a good way to reduce bad odours which will otherwise cling to your feet. 

Clean Nails

Keeping your nails well trimmed and filed will reduce the risk of ingrown toenails. This occurs when the edge of the nail is sharp and pierces the skin. This in turn can get infected and cause redness, swelling and pain. If this does occur, trimming the nail back and treating the infected area with anti-bacterial cream or tea tree oil usually does the trick. However, if you're a little squeamish or this doesn't work, then a trip to the doctor or a podiatrist will certainly help.

File and Smooth

Keeping your feet smooth and soft underneath will not only make them look healthier, it can also prevent calluses and deep painful skin fissures. Keeping a pumice stone or a foot file in the bathroom will encourage you to use it regularly to remove dead skin. This is best done at night on clean, dry feet. Rubbing a deep moisturiser onto them afterwards will help to reduce the rate at which the calluses return, whilst wearing woollen socks to bed will retain the moisture from the cream. If the calluses continue to return, then take a trip to a podiatrist for further assistance. 

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