Do you ever think about how important your feet are for your health? Good foot health is essential for an active life especially now Spring is here bringing better weather and more outside activities.
Feet may seem quite small compared to the rest of our bodies, but they account for more than a quarter of all the bones in the entire body. With 26 bones and 33 joints, our feet provide us with a solid foundation of balance, posture and support. They also have connections to our limbs, our heart and other vital organs. Because of these connections, they are pretty accurate indicators of our overall health and wellbeing. So paying attention to your feet and making sure they’re always pain free and healthy, means you are also helping to ensure the rest of your body is as healthy as possible too.
The importance of feet also serves as the foundation for reflexology – which studies how one part of the body relates to another. Practitioners of reflexology rely on a “map” of the foot, where each part of our feet corresponds to another body part, notably the internal organs. Pressure applied to different parts of the foot is believed to stimulate or activate corresponding parts of the body.1
Stretching the feet, ankles and lower legs every day and before exercising helps keep the muscles strong and avoid injury. Two of the Nikken flagship products are the insoles. Nikken’s founder Isamu Masuda developed the magnetic insoles to simulate the therapeutic pebbles in the Japanese public hot baths. The Kenko mStrides® and Kenko mSteps® can both be cut to size to fit right into your shoes. The magnetic nodules massage the soles of the feet and act similarly to the acupressure practiced as part of reflexology. People who work while standing find Kenko insoles particularly helpful in keeping their feet energized and stable.
We know that keeping a healthy weight is beneficial for the whole body but in particular for our feet. Excess weight puts pressure on the feet, leading to foot pain, stress fractures and other health issues.
Clean, dry and moisturised feet… Healthy feet start with good hygiene. Thoroughly clean and scrub your feet with soap and water when you bathe. Afterward make sure you dry them well. Fungal organisms love moisture, so depriving them of any wetness will make it more difficult for them to thrive. Nikken’s TRUE elements® Hand & Foot Cream helps soothe dry hands and feet with Shea butter – known to nourish skin whilst the seaweed extract Chondrus, has moisturising properties.
Feet and ankle support… It’s important to make sure that shoes fit properly and are in good condition. Some of us have a favorite pair that are especially comfortable; however, if they are worn out inside or outside, they can cause foot strain. Along with the feet, the ankles need protecting too. The Nikken KenkoTherm® Ankle Wrap is great for use during exercise or just daily activities providing comfort and support. Another great support is the KenkoTherm Duk® Tape. Flexible enough to be applied to most joint areas Duk Tape helps support joints and comfort stressed muscles with its Far Infrared and Negative Ion technologies.
This spring, let’s keep out feet healthy and moving towards Active Wellness…
4th May 2021
