Freshen Up Your Runner’s Feet For Summer

Most runners wear their blackened toenails like a badge of honour, but continuous damage to your nails can mean losing them all together. Darkened nails usually result from nails that are too long, or shoes that are too small. Make sure you clip your nails regularly, cutting as straight as possible to avoid Ingrowing toenails.

If you have a bruised nail, a popular home remedy is to mix equal parts water and white vinegar and apply it to the darkened nail with cotton wool. The mixture will lessen the colour if applied daily for a week-long period.

Callouses

The best way to banish dry callouses is to wait until the end of your shower – when your feet have soaked up lots of water – apply a scrub and exfoliate vigorously. The scrub, and dead skin, will wash away in the water.

Use a pumice stone on more developed patches. Never use any sharp blade or other metal material to remove callouses as these can cause serious skin infections.

Tough Skin

To get rid of that reptilian skin, moisturise your feet daily, paying close attention to areas that are prone to callous formation. If you exfoliate your feet, always do this before moisturising: thinner skin absorbs moisturiser much more effectively. A hot bath or shower will open up your pores and allow for moisturiser to penetrate your skin better.

Blisters

The cause of blisters is actually due to sweating and moisture, as well as friction. The best blister preventer is a three-step method of:

1.      Dust your feet and shoes with foot powder to combat excessive sweating.

2.      Buy quality running socks. The high-performance material helps you maintain traction within your shoe whilst wicking away extra moisture.

3.      Buy well fitting running shoes to prevent your foot slipping around inside them. Regular runners should have at least two pairs of well-fitted running shoes to alternate between.

Keep good care of your feet whilst training for running events and they will look as good as you feel.