Are Your Feet Ready for a New Year? 3 Resolutions to Make

You can’t get new feet for the new year, but you can resolve to make healthy habits a part of your daily routine. From what shoes to wear to dealing with foot pain, there are a wide range of resolutions you can make that will treat your feet right long into the future.

At Chicagoland Foot and Ankle, our board-certified podiatrists deal with many different foot-related issues, from plantar fasciitis and heel pain to athlete’s foot and ingrown toenails, so we have your feet covered.

But why deal with painful consequences when you can prevent problems in the first place? Here are three suggestions for resolutions to keep your feet healthy throughout the year.

The importance of healthy feet

Feet, obviously, are essential for standing, walking, running, and jumping. But healthy feet do more. They even out your gait so you don’t develop problems up the chain in your knees, hips, pelvis, and lower back that then lead to more pain and problems that need to be fixed.

If you’re making resolutions about keeping your feet healthy, what do they look like? Here’s what our experts have to say.

Resolutions for healthy feet in the new year

These aren’t the only resolutions you can make, but they give you a good place to start.

Choose the proper shoes

“Proper shoes” can mean different things in different circumstances. If you’re talking about general shoes for everyday use, choose footwear:

• With a roomy toe box so your toes can move
• A low heel so you don’t scrunch your toes together due to the angle
• Proper arch and heel support so your feet can work the way they were meant to and not suffer injuries

If you play a sport, choose an athletic shoe designed for that sport. Some offer more support for making quick pivots and turns, extra cushioning to prevent overuse injuries, and custom-fit so you don’t end up with gait problems.

Even if you’re going out for a night on the town, you don’t have to sacrifice foot comfort. Opt for something flashier but that doesn’t have a four-inch stiletto that would leave you balancing on your toes all night. Your feet will thank you.

Warm up and cool down

Whatever your form of exercise, never start cold; you’re just inviting a foot injury. Do some gentle stretches of your calves and feet, and maybe add some light jogging to get the rest of your body involved.

Once you’re finished exercising, take 10 minutes to cool down from the exertion so your muscles and tendons become acclimated to the diminished activity.

If you’re playing a sport, search online for some specific warmups and cooldowns for that sport, so you know you’re targeting all the right parts of your feet and legs.

Inspect your feet frequently

You may not always know when a problem starts, like a corn or a case of athlete’s foot, especially if you’re a diabetic and are dealing with peripheral neuropathy, which robs you of sensation in your extremities.

Inspecting your feet at the end of the day can give you a heads-up if anything’s brewing.

Problems are much easier to treat — and treat successfully — when you catch them in the early stages. If you notice a problem, give our office a call to schedule an appointment so we can ensure your feet are healthy moving forward.

Do you want some more ideas for resolutions? Have a podiatric problem and don’t know what to do about it? At Chicagoland Foot and Ankle, we can help. 

Call any of our locations (Mount Greenwood and Portage Park areas of Chicago, as well as Orland Park, Bartlett, Niles, and New Lenox, Illinois) to schedule a consultation, or book your appointment online today.