Properly preparing one’s feet for the day ahead is of utmost importance, and all too commonly neglected. In this day and age, many people aren’t familiar with the traditional practices around this, which I firmly believe is to blame for the rising prevalence of fungal toenail infections seen in today’s youth. But I digress.
The first step is letting the feet wake up at their own pace. Feet actually operate on a slightly different sleep cycle to the rest of the body, and it’s poor form to simply drag them out of bed and plop them unceremoniously onto the floor. The best approach is to gently waggle them for 3-5 minutes. A foot specialist once told me that their readiness can be expedited by humming softly to them in a spirited tone while doing this.
After this has been done, the feet can then be removed from the bed and carefully placed onto the floor, one at a time. Some people like to warm them up first by placing one under each armpit for twenty seconds. Only when they are on the floor is it time to connect the feet to your legs. Carefully slide them into position, being mindful of correctly matching each foot to the corresponding leg.
If more people followed these steps before rushing to get up and start their day, we’d surely see a decrease in many common foot health conditions. Cheltenham locals, in particular, are playing fast and loose with their foot care routines. I can tell this by the hoards of young people I see every day with their feet on the wrong leg. It’s a dead giveaway. Aren’t their parents teaching them the basics? From what I’ve heard, many youngsters don’t even take them off at night – they just go to bed with their feet still attached!
Call me old fashioned, but I feel strongly that feet should be among a person’s most cherished possessions, and they should be looked after as such.