The busy Christmas and New Year period can be incredibly challenging for your feet. While you’re rushing down Oxford Street in pursuit of the perfect presents, climbing a stepladder to ‘deck the halls’ with festive garlands, and dancing the night away on New Year’s Eve, they’re working extremely hard. As a result, your feet are particularly prone to fatigue, muscle tension and other foot problems at this time of year. So why not give them some well-deserved seasonal treats?
As experienced London chiropodists and podiatrists, we’re foot health champions and encourage all Londoners to make foot care a priority during the Christmas party season and beyond. After all, your feet are your body’s foundations – they support you and play a vital role in movement. We’ve put together the following festive foot care suggestions to help you reward their efforts.
1. Treat Your Feet to Superior Slippers
While musical Christmas jumpers and Santa hats are great fun, we suggest you avoid novelty festive slippers. Oversized footwear shaped like penguins or elf boots, for instance, tends to be cumbersome, flimsy and made of non-breathable synthetic materials. In other words, it increases your risk of foot injuries, pain, strained muscles, odour and athlete’s foot.
Treat your feet to superior slippers instead. Look for a supportive, well-cushioned pair made of a breathable material such as felted wool or suede. Sturdy, flexible, non-slip rubber soles with deep treads are another important feature. Ensure your slippers feel comfortable and also provide a secure fit so they don’t slide off unexpectedly when you’re rockin’ around the Christmas tree.
2. Try a Fun Foot Workout while Watching Christmas TV
You don’t need to go to the gym to give your feet an enjoyable workout. There are plenty of simple foot exercises you can do from the comfort of your armchair while watching festive TV.
- Make circles in the air with your feet for an effective warm-up. Try 15 clockwise circles then the same number anticlockwise.
- Wiggle, curl, straighten then spread out your toes to make them suppler.
- Grip the floor several times with each foot to stimulate your arches.
- Roll a massage ball back and forth under each foot to reduce muscle tension and improve flexibility.
With regular foot workouts, your feet are bound to feel stronger and healthier by New Year.
3. Give Your Feet the Gift of a Foot Massage
If your feet could write a letter to Santa, a soothing foot massage would almost certainly be at the top of their Christmas wish list. Foot massages have significant health benefits: they boost blood flow to skin, tissue and muscles while also stimulating your nervous system, which in turn stimulates the production of endorphins (hormones linked to relaxation and positive emotions). Numerous venues, including luxury spas, provide foot massages in London.
Of course, if you have a foot problem that causes pain and discomfort (for example, plantar fasciitis or Achilles tendonitis), an ordinary massage may not be appropriate. In that case, consider Foot Mobilisation Therapy instead. Your podiatrist will gently – and expertly – manipulate your feet and ankles. They may use tool-assisted massage and soft tissue techniques too.
Many clients find FMT invaluable: it reduces pain, discomfort and swelling, enhances mobility and balance, and improves foot/ankle function. Contact us to see how it could help you.
4. Choose the Right Trainers for Your New Year Fitness Challenge
If you go on a New Year fitness kick, make sure your feet also get a kick out of your chosen form of exercise by wearing the right kind of trainers.
- Running shoes are ideal if you’ll be pounding London’s pavements. They’re lightweight and flexible with relatively smooth soles and curved toe boxes to facilitate speedy and ‘springy’ forward motion. Thick heels and cushioning absorb shock to protect feet.
- Cross-training shoes are versatile – they’ll take you from an aerobics class to strength training, say. Because they’re sturdy, wide and often feature grip not only on the soles but around the sides, they provide a secure ‘platform’ for feet engaged in lateral motion.
Your feet may also benefit from prescription orthotics – custom-made, high-performance insoles designed by our podiatry experts. We assess your foot/ankle function, analyse your gait then design orthotics especially for your feet. By supporting your feet, distributing pressure evenly and correcting abnormalities, prescription orthotics can make trainers and other shoes more comfortable and boost your performance during exercise.
Chiropody and Podiatry Experts in London
Whether you need treatment for specific foot problems or simply want a general foot health-check, our chiropody and podiatry team can help you.
Step confidently into 2025 – book an appointment with Feet By Pody today.