FitSugar

3 Easy Steps For Treating Dry, Cracked Heels

Jaime Richards — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 04:06:35 PST

Cracked heels can be a problem, especially in the colder months when the air lends itself to dry skin. On top of that, these fissures can worsen as a result of the pressure put on your heels throughout the day - especially if you're a fan of foot-imbalancing stilettos. Along with being less-than-aethestically-pleasing, untreated cracked heels can split even further, causing pain (and in some cases, infection). Prevention is key: moisturize daily, get pedicures as needed, and drink plenty of water to save your feet. But what do you do when your cracks are already out of whack? Find out how to do your own at-home treatment when you read more.

How to Save Your Achy Party Feet

Leta Shy — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 14:34:56 PST

If the holiday parties have you living in heels, you've probably got some unhappy feet on your hands. Wondering how to beat the suffering? Here are some feet-relieving remedies to help you out.

Prevent injuries by keeping your ankles and leg muscles strong. After all, who wants to make a wobbly party entrance? Take a few minutes a day to add some ankle-friendly exercises to your routine, like tiptoe walking, heel walks, and balance exercises. Find out the four important exercises you should be doing if you wear heels here.
Don't stop there. If your feet are achy after a night of dancing on stilettos, relieve them while combating the muscle-shortening effects of sporting heels for an extended amount of time. Be sure to stretch them out with these seven stretches for high-heel wearers.
Feet still achy? Find more relief with these five things you can do to treat your achy feet, and try to alternate wearing heels with flats to give your feet a rest!

Start Now to Prevent Achy, Tired, and Sore Feet This Summer

FitSugar — Wed, 18 May 2011 01:23:55 PDT

Whether your feet are sore from a long run or a night on the dance floor, there's one thing for certain - achy, throbbing feet can put a damper on your day, not to mention your workout. With Spring in full swing and Summer fast approaching, chances are you'll be using your feet more and more, whether it's a steady stream of weekend hiking or enjoying the outdoors with longer runs. But before you break out the sandals, check out these tips for making sure you are taking care of those oft-neglected body parts.

Roll with it. Use an ice-cold water bottle or a fuzzy tennis ball (or buy a Rubz ball) to roll on the bottoms of your feet for the perfect remedy after a long hike or run, or even just from standing for too long. Doing this along with a regular stretching routine will help prevent any overuse injuries.
Stop the flop. With the weather warming up, you may find yourself reaching for your flip-flops, but reserve them for the gym shower. Flip-flops lack support for your arches and Achilles tendon, and they also cause your muscles to work overtime in an awkward way. Toes need some air? Check out these feet-friendly sandal options.
Heal your heels. Dry heels can lead to painful heel fissures, which can prevent you from being able to exercise the way you want to (no one wants to endure painful cracked heels while they run!). Summer is prime time for cracked heels since our feet are more exposed to the dry air, so take time and develop your heel healing routine before it's sandal weather.
Groom correctly. Long toenails aren't just gross to look at, they can cause problems while you're running by cutting into skin around it, but short nails can be a hassle too - they can become ingrown and painful, which also limits your exercising capabilities. Make sure you groom your nails carefully before you have to deal with these issues.

Link Time - Dating a Man With a Foot Fetish

TresSugar — Mon, 10 Jan 2011 13:05:58 PST

How to date a man who loves your feet . . . a lot - YourTango
The reality of reuniting with an ex - Glamour
Cher from Clueless is still considered a beauty icon - BellaSugar
"How I knew he wasn't the one" - The Frisky
When a custody battle involves the dogs - Huffington Post
Regretting the way you lost your virginity - College Candy

Rx For Smelly Feet: Vodka

FitSugar — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 03:47:42 PDT

Sometimes stinky feet are a way of life for workout junkies. Instead of tossing out your running shoes or scrubbing toes until they're nearly numb, I've got a little tip that will have your soles smelling squeaky clean.

Steal a bottle of vodka from your liquor cabinet and douse a cotton ball with the clear liquid. Rub it over your tired dogs and let the alcohol do its trick. Get in between your little toes with a vodka-drenched Q-tip. While you may be tempted to pour yourself a cold 'tini, please resist the urge to put an olive on your pinky toe.

If you have any tricks for taming foot odor, please share them in the comments section below.

Are You Self-Conscious About Your Feet?

TresSugar — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 10:30:45 PDT

There's an unintentionally hilarious article in the New York Post today about one woman's scarring night out. The problem? She was asked to remove her shoes upon entering a friend's apartment.

In her case the fear was not bare feet but mismatched socks, yet the plight is the same. Most of us recover in a few seconds rather than give quotes about our sole-baring experience that read like "I sat in the corner on the couch the entire time, because I was so terrified," but I'm sure (I hope!) it sounds more dramatic when written than said.

I shouldn't talk anyway, because my foot fear is real. I don't like people looking at them, and I certainly don't like anyone touching them - I all but need a Xanax to get a pedicure. I always calm down by reminding myself that no one's probably even looking. So when it comes to baring your toes, do you have cold feet?

Get Decent Heels This Flip-Flop Season

OnSugar Blog — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 04:00:00 PDT

Check out this sole-soothing guide from OnSugar blog Older Girl Beauty:

I hate wearing shoes. Seriously. If I could be barefoot all the time, I would be a happy girl. Heck, I could be the Barefoot Bandit's girlfriend if it wasn't for the whole "stealing" thing he had going on. Of course, running around barefoot doesn't make for the prettiest of tootsies. In fact, it makes my heels pretty dang callusy and hard.

Since it's Summer, and I have to leave my house sometimes, I tend to throw on some flip-flops, which doesn't hide the heel horror that I sport. So I need some heavy-duty help to make them presentable. After trying many things, I have narrowed it down to two things that help a lot.

To see her picks for smooth feet, just keep reading. Have your own magic combo of products? Why not create your own OnSugar blog to share it? You might just get featured here on Bella!

Cracked Heels and Running: A Painful Combination

FitSugar — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 07:00:50 PDT

In the Summertime, I'm all about wearing sandals. This can prevent sweaty stinky tootsies, but it can also make the skin extremely dry and callused. If you enjoy running, the pressure of pounding your feet on the ground when you run can cause heel fissures, or cracks in your dry skin. If you continue to run, the fissures can split open further and become deeper. Youch! When that happens, the fissures can bleed and expose the underlying tissue to infection. Plus they're really painful, which makes running downright impossible.

Want to know how you can prevent fissures? Then

5 Ways to Fake Sandal-Ready Feet

BellaSugar — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 04:00:02 PDT

The weather's heating up, so open-toed shoes are coming out. One day, probably very soon, many of us will be faced with a dilemma: wear cute sandals and risk exposing busted-looking toes, or hide our feet in oppressively hot sneakers. This doesn't have to be a conundrum, though. There are plenty of ways to fake pretty, pedicured feet when you don't have time for a pedicure. To find out five sneaky ways to get great-looking feet in a flash, just keep reading.

4 Ways to Keep Your Feet Blister-Free This Summer

BellaSugar — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 08:00:12 PDT

Wearing the cute strappy sandals on a high school class trip to Cedar Point seemed like a good idea, but Mom was right - sometimes you have to choose comfort over looks. But thanks to a whole bunch of products and DIY methods, most of the time you can wear those cute, warm weather-appropriate shoes without suffering.

Blisters are caused by friction, so the key is to prevent your shoes from rubbing against your feet. Moisture-wicking socks are used by athletes to prevent blisters from forming, but unfortunately, socks and sandals just don't mix (unless the Clark Griswold look is something you're going for). While it's practically impossible to keep your shoes from touching your skin, you can follow a few different methods to create a thin barrier between you and your sandals. So bust out the espadrilles and huaraches, it's time to get blister-free this Summer. Get the details when you read more.