10 facts about the forgotten everyday heroes
What we would be without our feet can be seen in the ancient Chinese custom of the lotus feet. At that time, it was a tradition to break and bind the feet of young girls. At an age of about five, girls were forced to have their toes tied under the soles of their feet. These were bandaged and were not allowed to be loosened. The goal was to reach a height of 10 centimeters. This ideal of beauty not only caused the women unspeakable pain, it also teaches us how much the deformed feet limited these women in everyday life. At the time, this unsteadiness was intentional. The women could barely get around and walking long distances was nearly impossible for them. This led to a dependence on the husband and was intended to encourage his protective instinct. Nowadays, these women are socially disadvantaged, because without our feet, even small challenges can no longer be mastered.
Fact 1: 60% of adults suffer from deformity
As part of a study, adult feet were examined in 16 European countries. It came out that 60% of the participants suffered from a malposition of the feet. Often we are not even aware of this deformity. However, the noticeable consequences will be familiar to some. Thus it comes mostly to back and joint complaints. Knee pain is a particularly common consequence. The reason: your body tries to compensate for the malposition and your posture changes.
Fact 2: Women suffer from foot complaints 4 times more often than men
Foot ailments and their consequences are primarily a women's problem. Last but not least, our preference for high heels contributes to this. Because even if we like the sexy pumps so much: Unfortunately, they are not healthy for our feet. Therefore, the following applies: Only wear the hot torture shoes on special occasions and save a few centimeters of heel.
Fact 3: The biggest feet are 40 cm long
Jeison Rodriguez has, according to the "Guinness Book of Records", the biggest feet in the world. The 2-meter man from Venezuela has the shoe size 66. The length of his feet is an incredible 40 centimeters!
Fact 3: There are 90,000 sweat glands on the sole of one foot.
There are a whole 90,000 sweat glands on the sole of our feet. Every day, our feet secrete about 500 milliliters of moisture, and the warm and humid climate is particularly pleasing to bacteria. No wonder that unpleasant foot odor often becomes a problem. With regular foot care and breathable shoes, however, you can quickly put an end to the pong!
Fact 4: Our feet bear a weight of 2,500 tons every day
In just one day, our feet carry an average weight of 2,500 tons. For comparison: This is roughly equivalent to 2 single-family houses!
Fact 5: Our heels carry ¾ of our body weight
When standing alone, our heels bear ¾ of our body weight. By the way, our Achilles tendon can withstand up to a ton of weight.
Fact 6: We circle the earth 3 times in a lifetime
Our feet travel an average of 130,000 kilometers in a lifetime. This corresponds to a staggering 200 million steps and 3 laps around the earth.
Fact 7: We store 214 kilometers every year
With shopping trips alone, we cover an average of 214 kilometers every year. In terms of time, that's roughly equivalent to a 40-hour week.
Fact 8: A shopping trip can break our feet
After an extensive day at the mall, our feet can really hurt. In fact, it could even be a fracture! If you suddenly find yourself walking a lot, you may suffer a fatigue fracture. The foot no longer manages to cushion the acute load and the bone can break.
Fact 9: One quarter of our bones are in our feet
Our feet are made up of 26 bones, 27 joints, 32 muscles and 107 ligaments. ¼ of our bones are located in the feet. Despite this, we usually do not consider it necessary to strengthen and stretch our feet. Keeping the rest of the body fit, nevertheless, seems obvious. Why not try a few simple foot yoga exercises?
An uncomplicated exercise can look like this: You stand upright. Your feet are no more than hip-width apart. Now inhale and lift your heels until you are standing on the balls of your feet and toes. Then exhale again while slowly lowering your feet back to the floor. Repeat this exercise 10 times a day. Your feet will thank you and your calves will also get a workout with this exercise.
Fact 10: Our feet are equipped with 1,700 nerve endings
There are 1,700 nerve endings in our feet. Traditional Chinese medicine says that you carry your entire body on the soles of your feet. During a foot reflex massage, for example, headaches and back pain are dissolved.
Do you now see your feet with different eyes?
Our feet perform remarkable services. Every now and then we should remember this and do something good for them. Maybe you treat your feet to a rich care or you show them your appreciation with a soothing massage. In any case, you now know: your feet are definitely worth paying attention to!