Our ultimate survival guide for the Holidays!
The festive marathon!
Our favorite season of warmth, giving, and beautiful moments with the whole family has arrived! However, we all know what else this means... The familiar phrase "shop until you drop" seems more relevant than ever these days! Endless strolls, crossing aisles in department stores and crowded shops are... an everyday occurrence! Waiting in long queues to buy the right gifts. Wandering among garlands and ornaments until you choose the perfect tree. Preparing and often bending over the kitchen to get the treats and small delicacies for the holiday table just right. Accompanying the little ones to sing carols! Strolls and photos in the park and playground with Santa Claus! [caption id="attachment_4113" align="alignnone" width="369"]
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All this running around and "happy" fatigue naturally affects the body, and especially our feet, increasing the feeling of heaviness, tiredness, and pain at the end of the day. An adult body consists of a total of 206 bones. Of these, 26 bones, 33 joints, 107 ligaments, and 19 muscles or tendons are found in each foot. This means that one-quarter of all the bones in our body are concentrated in our feet. Standing and increased mobility during the holiday season naturally puts more strain on our limbs than any other part of the body. In our effort to take care of our loved ones as best as possible, we should not neglect the care of our own body.
That's why we've prepared some small tips to help you stay as rested and healthy as possible, welcoming the new year with your brightest smile!
6 tips for foot care
- Restful cooking:
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These days, cooking is naturally a big part of it! Open recipes on the kitchen counter and preparation time require a lot of standing and bending over pots and mixers! To continue your cooking habits without feeling the weight accumulating in your feet, you can place a polyurethane anti-fatigue floor mat in the middle of the kitchen.
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These mats are ergonomically designed to absorb shocks, giving the sensation of stepping on a reinforced cushion! Combine the lift they offer by placing **Christou1910's silicone heel pads** in your soft, fluffy slippers. Many believe that foot pads are only suitable for uncomfortable shoes, but they can also be worn at home, relieving your feet all day long!
The heel pads, in turn, absorb shocks and elevate the foot by 1.5 cm, providing all the reinforcement your sole needs in the heel area, relieving the arch and protecting the ankle, knee, hip, lower back, and spine joints, further aiding in balance and proper body posture!
• Restful shopping:
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The key to comfortable shopping is early organization! But even for last-minute gifts, it's a good idea to always have a pair of your comfortable sneakers handy, providing the right cushioning inside to support the arch of your foot. Marathon shoppers can add Christou1910's anatomical silicone insoles to their feet. The hypoallergenic insoles provide support to the 3 main points of the sole: the heel, the arch, and the metatarsus. The spine and lower back, burdened by the weight of many bags and gift packages, are relieved, while unwanted calluses and corns are prevented.
To have full protection against shopping adversities, you can also wear compression socks or tights! Both women's socks and graduated compression tights, as well as men's, relieve weight, swelling, and fatigue from the legs by activating good blood circulation! All this support for your feet and relief from pressure gives them the break they so desperately need.
- Foot spa:
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Amidst the holiday frenzy, steal some time at the end of the day to give your feet an invigorating treatment. Every time you return home, the first thing you should do is take off your shoes, allowing your tired soles to breathe. Take a warm foot bath with essential oils, such as lavender to relax muscles, or for a more festive touch, add a drop of mint and even a few pine needles from your natural Christmas tree, providing a natural, refreshing aroma! If you feel increased itching and fatigue, you can also soak your feet in warm water with white vinegar for disinfection and toning of both your soles and nails.
If you notice that calluses on your feet are not subsiding, you can apply a special moisturizing cream containing Urea gel. Add a generous dose and wrap your feet with cellophane bags for a long time or even overnight, thus providing truly deep hydration. Natural solutions, such as olive oil for moisturizing and sea salt for exfoliation, are equally effective.
If you don't have time for a pedicure, take care of your feet at home. After a relaxing shower, you can rub your sole with a rasp, removing all dead skin cells. Don't forget to cut your nails often, as dead skin or soap residue and elements responsible for fungal growth tend to accumulate there. In addition to the usual clippers, you can also use a clean, soft toothbrush, cleaning them with upward, outward motions. Remember to regularly remove nail polish, allowing your nails to breathe. A nail oil with oils such as tea tree has antibacterial action, further enhancing foot cleanliness.
- Careful nutrition:
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We all know that holidays also mean... dietary transgressions! Before you start setting goals for the new year, pay a little more attention to your performance in tasting all the festive specialties! Avoid as much as possible foods that contain a lot of purines and can raise your uric acid levels, causing joint pain or even an attack of gout. Uric acid tends to crystallize in the joints, affecting the big toe first, as the toes are the coldest parts of our body. Such foods include, for example, red meat, shellfish, mushrooms, dried fruits, beer, and red wine. Abundant consumption of salty foods can, in turn, cause swelling in the joints, such as our ankles.
- The right shoes:
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To protect your feet and achieve restful partying, it's a good idea to choose shoes based on your foot's anatomy. If you have flat feet, meaning the joints in the arch of your foot have somewhat dropped, then when you choose flat shoes, even if they seem harmless, without proper cushioning and support, they can cause muscle spasms in your arch and foot. Therefore, anatomical silicone insoles are a lifesaver in this case too!
If you have high arches, then you may experience more frequent pain and burning sensations in the metatarsus and heel. This happens because high arches shift the weight distribution to these two points more than usual when you stand or walk. Shoes with forefoot cushioning or wide heels can help support the ankle, providing stability. To provide the necessary support, you can wear the metatarsal cushion with organic essential oils. You will feel a small, soft layer absorbing shocks and soothing your body from any discomfort!
In case you have permanent calluses or a bunion on your big toe, the protective toe tube and the bunion cushion, with their strong healing action, act therapeutically like balm thanks to their organic essential oils, helping the body naturally eliminate the problem.
• Low temperature:
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Blood circulation in the feet is affected by changes in temperature. When our feet are cold, it means that blood circulation in the upper layers of the skin has decreased to maintain warmth in the rest of the body. That's why our feet are often dry and cracked, even if they haven't been exposed to the cold! Very tight tights and thick socks often press hard and block circulation even further. So, one more reason to choose socks or tights with compression technology, facilitating the "journey" of blood in your body!
However you choose to spend your Christmas holidays, whether in relaxation mode or wild party mode, don't forget to take care of yourself! Beautiful moments are precious, but your feet are just as precious!
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That's why when you're organizing supplies for the holiday table at the supermarket, don't forget to make a stop at the Christou1910 stand in the health corner of the cosmetics section (see the list here). And let the festivities begin!
