Day 133-Dani gets sassy with foot facts

• A human foot & ankle is a strong, mechanical structure that contain 26 bones, 33 joints, and more than 100 muscles, tendons & ligaments.
  Respect.
  
• The soles of your feet contain more sweat glands and sensory nerve endings per square centimeter than any other part of the body.
  Hmm, so sweating helps me eliminate waste from my body, but if my feet can't breathe, can those sweat glands do their job or does the waste accumulate in my bod?
• There are approximately 250,000 sweat glands in a pair of feet, and they excrete as much as half a pint of moisture each day.
  Half a pint?! Again, respect.
  
• The 52 bones in your feet make up one quarter of all the bones in your body. When they are out of alignment, so is the rest of your body.
  Der. That's what I've been saying. It only makes sense. Would a building with a wonky foundation stand the test of time? It stands to reason--pun intended!--that your problems start as soon as you are out of alignment. And, no, I'm not talking chiropractic alignment. That's only temporary, which is why you continue going back year after year after year. Work with me and I'll help you achieve lifetime alignment, which results in lifetime wellness.
  
• A 2½-inch high heel can increase the load on the forefoot by 75%.
  One of the dumbest things a person can say: "Ah, these shoes are killing me!"
  
  
  

  

  Nice posture!
  graphic from Katy Bowman's Every Woman's Guide to Foot Pain Relief

  
  
• Women are 4 times more likely to have foot problems than men are, mostly due to footwear.
  Because we wear dumb shoes! Smarten up, gals! You wouldn't let your husband bind your daughter's feet, but if you're wearing stoopid shoes, you're practicing a form of foot mutilation every day. No one but you is telling you to wear those. If you're letting society dictate your daily pain level, well...
  
• The American Podiatric Medical Association states the average person takes 8,000 to 10,000 steps a day, which add up to 115,000 miles in a lifetime – more than 4 times the circumference of the globe.
  Unless you are like the majority of Americans, and then your lifetime of steps might get you to Duluth.
  
• During an average day of walking, the total forces on your feet can total hundreds of tons, equivalent to an average of a fully loaded cement truck.
  Which is why you need better body mechanics and better footwear. Your feet are DESIGNED to bear that load and bear it well. Do you think your creator messed up?
  
• Foot ailments can become your first sign of more serious medical problems. Your feet mirror your general health, so conditions like arthritis, diabetes, nerve and circulatory disorders can show their initial symptoms in your feet.
  Ignore your feet, and you are in a spiral of deterioration.
  
• 75% of Americans will experience foot problems at one time or another in their lives.
  That number is WAY too high. Ridiculous.
  
• About 60% of all foot & ankle injuries aged 17 or older are ankle strains or sprains.
  Yeah, it's about then that we really start in on the moronic shoe choices. Until then, we're slapping around in Keds. Then we start dating, working, searching for mates and our shoe-sense goes right out the window.
  
• About 19% of the US population has an average of 1.4-foot problems each year.
  I'd love to compare that to other countries, other cultures. Oh, to be a gazillionaire and fund such research!
  
• About 60-70% of diabetics will develop some form of diabetic nerve damage, which in severe forms can lead to diabetic lower limb amputation. Approximately 56,000 people a year lose their foot or leg due to diabetes.
  AUGH! AUGH! What's the No. 1-recommended exercise for diabetes prevention and control? Walking! Move your feet, KEEP your feet.
• Walking is the best exercise for your feet. It contributes to your general health by improving circulation and weight control.
  
  That's what I've been saying and doing, boys and girls, and it's made such a tremendous difference in my life and health (aren't they sort of intertwined?) that I am grateful for the very simple act of walking. My legs and feet no longer hurt, my cardio capacity has markedly improved, my butt is way nicer looking, my leg muscles are nicely developed, my feet are kick-*ss strong, my circulation has improved dramatically, I've lost some weight, I'm relaxed and I thrive on the thoughts that bump around in my brain when I stroll.
  What's not to love?
  Dani