Many people look forward to summer’s arrival when they can ditch heavy clothing and footwear to bask in warm and sunny weather. While you can feel relieved to say goodbye to the freezing temperatures and dry air that can plague you in the winter, summer brings other challenges. Heat and humidity can affect your overall health, including your feet.
If you take precautionary measures, you can keep your toes, ankles, and feet in good condition throughout the summer months. You may visit a podiatrist if you notice a problem with your foot health. But otherwise, you should think about preventive care you can do for your feet at home. Read on to find four tips that will ensure your feet look and feel their best this summer.
Avoid Walking Barefoot Too Often
When you roam your backyard, the beach, or the poolside without shoes, you can feel comfortable and more in tune with your environment. Skipping shoes and walking barefoot every now and then may be fine. But if you do it too often, you can put your feet at risk.
Walking barefoot outside exposes the skin on your feet to the sun’s rays. This can prove dangerous, especially when the skin is usually covered from direct sunlight by shoes. Wear plenty of sunscreen on your feet to avoid sunburn and other skin problems.
Without shoes, your feet can also pick up infections or fungi, leaving you with warts, itchy skin, or toenail fungus. Make sure you wear shoes in high-traffic areas, like bathrooms, to prevent contracting these conditions.
Pay Attention to Your Choice in Footwear
The type of shoes you wear this summer can affect your ability to keep your feet and toes healthy. You may feel tempted to grab a pair of flip-flops all summer long to keep your feet cool yet conveniently covered. If you wear them too often, you might strain the muscles in your toes and feet and risk an injury.
Try to choose shoes with good support in the sole that do not feel too tight or too loose. Ill-fitting shoes can cause blisters or other injuries to your feet. If you plan to engage in an activity that requires specific footwear, like water shoes or hiking boots, make sure your shoes comply.
Stay Hydrated
Hot weather can make you sweat as an automatic reaction to keep your body temperature cool. Sweating will make you lose water, so make sure to replenish by drinking plenty of water and staying hydrated. Not only will this allow you to prevent medical issues related to dehydration, but it will keep your feet in good shape too.
Maintaining adequate hydration will encourage good blood circulation, which proves especially important to your feet and other extremities. This can keep swelling and inflammation at bay which can fight chronic foot pain and other discomforts.
Change Your Socks
Your feet will sweat, too, throughout a hot summer day, which can make them feel trapped in a moist environment if you wear shoes and socks. To reduce this swampy feeling in your shoes, choose thinner socks that are more breathable than woolen winter-weather socks.
Athletes know to change their socks after each use after a sweaty workout. But in the summer, we will all sweat enough after venturing outside to warrant a change of socks. Changing your socks on a regular basis lowers the risk of breeding fungus and bacteria that can otherwise harm your feet.