Our foot health specialist Fay and Louise have put together a simple easy to follow 4-step weekly routine to get your feet ready for showing off your toes this summer!
​
1. Soak and Soften

• Prepare: Fill a basin with warm, soapy water. Add a handful of Epsom salts or a few drops of essential oil to help soothe tired muscles.
• Soak: Submerge your feet for 10 minutes. This softens the outer layer of dead skin and thick calluses, making them much easier to buff away.
• Dry: Towel-dry your feet completely, paying close attention to the spaces between your toes. 
  
  

2. Exfoliate Dead Skin

• Buff: Gently rub a pumice stone or a Boots Foot File on dry skin to buff away calluses and rough patches on the heels and balls of your feet.
• Scrub: Use a granular foot scrub, like a Tree Hut Sugar Scrub, to polish the tops of your feet and ankles. 
  
  

3. Deep Hydration

• Apply: Use a targeted cream containing Urea to deeply hydrate and repair cracked heels. Urea draws moisture into the skin barrier to heal dryness.
• The Sock Trick: For an intense overnight treatment, apply a generous layer of cream, put on a pair of damp cotton socks, and cover with a dry pair of socks.
• Note: Avoid applying heavy creams directly between your toes to prevent excess moisture. 
  ​

4. Grooming and Sun Care

• Nail Care: Trim toenails straight across to prevent painful ingrown nails. File the edges smoothly so there are no sharp, jagged corners.

FOOT HEALTH APPOINTMENTS ARE AVAILABLE EVERY TUESDAY, WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY.  CALL US TO BOOK OR BOOK ONLINE 

Good asparagus needs minimal treatment and is best eaten with few other ingredients. Here are two ways of serving it, both of which make a delicious spring starter. ​

With feta
1 bunch asparagus (around 250g, trimmed weight)
1-2 tbsp rapeseed oil
½ tsp sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
4 thin slices (30g) feta (or a few spoonfuls of ricotta)
Grated zest of ½ lemon
​
Place a ridged griddle pan over a medium-high flame and leave for a few minutes until very hot. Snap the ends off the asparagus as in the previous recipe. Toss the spears in a tablespoon of oil and season. Lay the asparagus on the griddle, placing the spears perpendicular to the ridges, and cook for six to nine minutes, turning occasionally, until just al dente and charred. Place the asparagus on two plates, lay the feta slices on top and drizzle with a little more rapeseed oil around and about the plate. Finish with the lemon zest and a grind or two of black pepper

Another airing of this article, but well worthy of a read if you have forgotten how important family, friends and community are in helping your health and well-being.
The health benefits of community were first uncovered in America in the late 1950’s. At this time, drugs to lower cholesterol levels were neither popular nor readily available, as a result of dietary changes and increased stress levels, heart diseases were spreading in the US like an epidemic. Yet in the town of Roseto, Pennsylvania there were nearly no heart attacks for the high-risk group of men – 55 to 64. Whilst men over 65 had a death rate of 1%, while the national average was 2% (1954-1961). 

Researchers initially thought that a unique diet was the underlying differences. But further investigation discovered that they cooked with lard, loved pasta, drank wine, feasted on sausages, and smoked the occasional cigar. 
Although the Roseto men worked in quarries and mines, the population did not follow any regular exercise routine, and many were overweight. Interestingly, records of Rosetans living in other parts of the US showed that their mortality rate from heart disease was similar to those of other Americans.

After a prolonged stay in Roseto observing the day to day lives of its inhabitants, Sociologist John Bruhn, and Stewart Wolf, (Head of Medicine at the University of Oklahoma) were able to ‘crack the code’ to their longevity and happiness. Founded by Italian settlers in the 1880’s Roseto was a close-knit community where several generations of a single family often lived together under the same roof. They loved and supported each other and engaged as a community, with high attendances at clubs, societies, and church.

This link between happiness and close relationships with family and friends is reinforced once again in one of the longest studies carried out by Harvard. Commencing in 1938, this detailed research examined the lives of 724 people for over 75 years. Researchers found that those participants who lived alone or could not forge close relationships were relatively unhappy, irrespective of wealth and fame. Their health deteriorated rapidly, and their cognitive ability declined relatively quickly. Furthermore, they had shorter life spans than the average. 

They identified 5 areas in the world where people lived exceptionally long lives, (many living into their 90’s and 100’s). ​

**** Once more, they discovered that genetics in all probability only accounts for 20–30% of this longevity, meaning environmental influences, including diet and lifestyle play a huge role in determining their lifespan. In all the identified 9 key lifestyle habits which set these groups apart, none of which included joining gyms or pumping iron. Instead, they move naturally, have vegetable gardens which they tend to daily and don’t have mechanical conveniences for housework.
Each group had a sense of purpose, or ‘Why I wake up in the morning’!’ According to Buettner and his team, knowing your sense of purpose is worth up to seven years of extra life expectancy. Although each of the groups in the Blue Zones experience stress, they have routines or rituals to alleviate or shed that stress. Some take time out each day to remember their ancestors, others pray, or take a nap whilst the Sardinians do happy hour!

During the research, the team interviewed 263 centenarians and discovered that all but five belonged to a faith-based community.  It did not appear to matter which denomination, but their research showed that attending faith-based services four times per month can add 4-14 years of life expectancy.

Just like the inhabitants of Roseto, blue zone communities place their families first, with aging parents and grandparents living in close proximity or in the home. They have committed to a life partner (which can add up to 3 years of life expectancy) and invest time, love, and affection in their children.