All the Reasons Your Feet Are Amazing, and How to Show Yours More Love

Runners World
By Cassie Shortsleeve August 6, 2019

If your running shoes fit, your toenails aren’t falling off, and your socks aren’t bloody, it’s easy to ignore your feet. But your lowest extremities really are worth awing over. “The foot is an amazingly complex structure from both a mechanical and architectural viewpoint,” says Adam D. Perler, D.P.M., a podiatrist in St. Petersburg, Florida.

With each step, your feet are subject to heavy loads—one-and-a-half times your body-weight when you walk, between five to seven times your weight when you run.

“Over a lifetime, the average person circumnavigates the Earth’s circumference more than five times,” says Perler. “There are very few complex mechanical things we can engineer that would be able to withstand so many cycles without complete failure or breakdown.”

All of that is incredible, and reason enough to show your feet some more respect. But there's also a tactical reason to pay attention to your puppies. They are your body’s foundation, and you know what happens if the foundation is faulty. Plus, experts say foot ailments are often initial signs of serious medical conditions like arthritis, diabetes, nerve and circulatory disorders, and more.

Routine maintenance goes a long way. Here are six ways to treat your feet right.