This festive season, spare a thought for your feet when spending long hours in the kitchen.
With home baking and cooking fashionable, people are rediscovering their kitchen, but much of the footwear designed for use in the house may not be up to the job.
Kitchen floors usually have robust floor coverings which are easy to clean such as wood, tile or stone and whilst carpet is more forgiving underfoot it is just not a practical option for the busy kitchen.
Standing for long periods on hard floors without appropriate footwear can lead to corns, callouses, painful / swollen ankles or even plantar fasciitis.
When standing on hard floors we need to treat our feet as we would outside, which means thinking about cushioning and support such as that offered by trainers or shoes from companies like Hotter, Dr Comfort, Birkenstock or Vionic.
- Try to avoid standing in one position for too long.
- Use kitchen appliances to make short work of mixing, crumbing and blending.
- Some jobs may be able to be done seated at the kitchen table or on a stool.
- After a long day, take time to sit with your feet up.
- Massage and foot baths also help circulation.