April has been busy at Walking Cradles! We have introduced 13 new styles already this month, and there will most likely be a few more. After the uncertainties about the types of shoes people may have been purchasing this spring, we have been delighted to see a wide variety of styles going out our doors – dress shoes, career shoes, flats, heels, sandals – it seems people are ready to kick off their slippers and kick up their heels again! As we look forward to warmer weather and trading out our boots for sandals, it is important to touch on a few key components to keeping our feet in the best condition possible!
Foot health isn’t just about the care you give to your feet, but is also very dependent on the shoes you wear. Walking Cradles mission is to provide shoes that are made in a vast array of sizes and widths, but also to provide information to why wearing the proper size and width is so important. Of course, if you haven’t had your foot professionally measured in a few years, that is your first important step!
In honor of National Foot Health Awareness month, we would like to give you an overview of some of the “steps” you can take to treat your feet to the TLC they deserve – because when our feet hurt, our entire body is affected!
Let’s start by thinking of what you do on an average day. How many times you get up and move around – not just if you are on a walk or run for exercise, but just doing your average daily activities. If you think about it, your feet play a vital role in just about every activity and getting you there!
The average American walks from 7,000 – 10,000 steps a day. That equates to 3+ miles each day. With each step we take, our feet bear the force of two- to three-times our body weight – depending on a few factors, such as if we are walking up an incline or stairs.
Each of our feet are composed of 26 bones (which is ¼ of the bones in our entire body), 33 joints and over 100 muscles and tendons. Some of these bones, joints, muscles and tendons are very small and can thus be injured, strained or broken easily. Wearing a properly fitting, well-made shoe is important for the protection of all parts of your feet.
There are three different sections to your foot – the fore-foot, which is your toe and the bones that are the metatarsals; the mid-foot, which is a group of bones that create the arches in your feet; and, finally the hind-foot, which is the heel and ankle area of your foot. All these components operate together to help the flexibility of your feet and to literally take steps to keeping you moving!
What can you do to reduce the chances of foot problems sidelining your daily activities?
As the temperatures rise and the flowers bloom, we want everyone to be able to put their best feet forward so we hope these tips help! If you want some new, well-fitting, beautiful shoes, we would love for you to check out our new arrivals at walkingcradles.com!
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