Tinsel Toes! Healthy Foot Tips for New Year

Happy Holidays Shoe-Lovers!

With the end of 2009 fast-approaching – and a fabulous 2010 ahead of us –  I wish you all a New Year full of beautiful heels and healthy feet!  What better way to kick off the New Year than with some healthy foot tips to keep your feet fierce!

1. Moisturize!   Nothing says winter feet more than dry, cracked heels!  The best kept secret to smooth winter feet is  - Vaseline.   Touted by Tyra Banks as the best kept beauty secret  – Vaseline is not only a great moisturizer but it’s also cheap!   The best time to use Vaseline is immediately after a shower or bath as it locks in the water – keeping your skin naturally soft.  Don’t want to slide around?  Slip on a pair of socks after applying the Vaseline.
2. Exfoliate!   It’s natural to get thicker skin on your heels and ball of foot – especially if you walk a lot or wear shoes without socks (i.e. high heels).  Combat thick skin by exfoliating once a week with a pummus stone or Ped-Egg.  I find it most effective to exfoliate in the shower as the water softens the skin.  After exfoliating – don’t forget to Vaseline up!
3. Let toenails go au naturale!   Unless you are wearing open-toe shoes in the winter (Brrr!) most people are not going to see your toenails in the winter.  And with most nail polishes containing formaldehyde and toluene, don’t your toenails deserve a break?  After removing nail polish if your toenails have a yellow hue to them, don’t worry.  This is from the nail polish and should clear in a couple weeks.
4. Go Barefoot!   As a Podiatrist, I love the recent media around barefoot running and the new barefoot running shoes.  People have become intrigued by the complexity of the foot – and how it impacts the rest of our joints and alignment.  The best way to maintain strength and motion in our foot is to walk barefoot!  This allows our feet to move freely (as they are designed to move) and our toes to grip the ground to maintain our balance.    Want to go one step further, start taking classes that are done barefoot to challenge foot strength, such as Yoga, ballet – or my Catwalk Confidence workout!

Happy Holidays shuzsociety fans!
Dr. Emily

Dr. Emily Splichal is a Podiatrist, the creator of Catwalk Confidence and shuzsociety’s “fit feet for shuz” columnist.   To order her Catwalk Confidence and Stiletto Recovery DVDs, visit CatwalkConfidence.com.

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