29th November, 2010 - Posted by Sarah - No Comments
This post is aimed mostly at the ladies in the audience, but all the advice can be applied to men’s shoes too!
The start of December signals the beginning of the party season. That means a lot of standing, walking, dancing and posing in your finest party outfits which tend to include very beautiful but totally ridiculous shoes.
We all want to look our best at Christmas time and I think most people are guilty of sacrificing comfort for style. But it doesn’t have to be that way!
Lets have a look at the nasty things that can happen if you wear silly shoes:
- Bunions
- Cuts
- Blisters
- Ingrown toenails
- Broken toenails
- Sore, swollen feet
- Plantar fasciitis
- Shin splints
- Tight calves
- Low back pain
- Sprained ankles and other injuries due to trips and falls.
Lovely eh? That last one with the purple nail polish is actually me…I try to avoid wearing flip flops on nights out now.
Luckily it is still possible to wear fancy shoes without causing a horrible injury. Here are my top tips:
- Wear well fitting shoes. Sounds obvious, but squeezing yourself into a size too small will never turn out well.
- Choose something as supportive as possible. Cute straps, arch support, laces, wedge heels – they all help to keep your feet happy.
- Start training! Wearing heels changes your posture and your gait, putting pressure through different areas of your feet and using different muscles to keep you standing and walking. This is one of the reasons your feet and legs start hurting. So ease yourself into it. Start wearing your lowest, comfiest heels for a quick trip to the shops and build up from there. By New Years Eve there’ll be no stopping you!
- Take a break. Your night will last longer if you take a couple of breaks. Have a sit down and enjoy a cocktail while you rest your feet.
- Prepare for emergencies. Keep a couple of cab numbers with you, and a pair of flats in your bag (way better than roaming the streets of London barefoot). If you are in London, texting Text CAB to 60835 will get you 2 local cab numbers and the black cab number sent to you.
Here is just a small selection of potential choices:
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10th November, 2010 - Posted by Sarah - No Comments
A study of 40,000 people has indicated that exercising in your leisure time helps reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression.
Volunteers were questioned by researchers from King’s College London. They were asked about physical activity carried out during work and leisure times, and about levels of anxiety and depression.
Results show that those who are physically active outside of working hours have fewer symptoms of depression. Dr Samuel Harvey, the lead researcher on the project said: “Our study shows that people who engage in regular leisure-time activity of any intensity are less likely to have symptoms of depression. We also found that the context in which activity takes place is vital and that the social benefits associated with exercise, like increased numbers of friends and social support, are more important in understanding how exercise may be linked to improved mental health than any biological markers of fitness.”
You can read the abstract of the study here.
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7th November, 2010 - Posted by admin - No Comments
- Look straight ahead. Don’t twist your spine or turn your head to look at a screen – have everything in front of you. Use a document holder if necessary.
- Use a back rest. Holding yourself upright can b tiring, leading to slouching. Use the back of your chair to support yourself. Include a cushion in the small of your back.
- Keep everything within reach. The more you use something, the closer it should be. You shouldn’t need to stretch for the mouse or squint to read from the monitor.
- Keep your feet on the ground. Your hips and knees should be at 90°. If you are on the short side you may like to invest in a foot rest.
- Don’t sit down! Staying still for hours on end is a bad idea. Get up, walk around and take a break.
Want more specific advice? Email or tweet me a photo of you at your desk and I’ll tell you what I think!
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