Walk This May

Walking around is just part of life- the majority of the time, it’s just a function to move around the house, go to the gym and drop the kids at school. All of the steps you do add up and combine to many benefits to your health. Do you track the number of steps you take each day?

Are you a lock-down puppy owner? Are you enjoying the daily walks? There are so many great walks around London, and we have access to many amazing parks, from Lloyd Park near our Croydon clinic to the iconic St James’s Park near our Covent Garden clinic.

To get more exercise from walking, try to change it up sometimes. Go a bit faster, get your heart rate up, plan routes with some hills, go off-road or lengthen your stride. These things will make your body work a bit harder in different ways. For example, walking on a cobbled street or grassy path will test your ankle mobility and build up the strength in the small muscles around your ankle. Spending a few minutes each walk, extending your stride length will develop flexibility in your hips. Try a few of these things, and let us know what you think.

As well as the physical health benefits, there are so many well-being benefits to going for a walk. I find that putting my phone in my pocket and ignoring it for the walk allows me some much-needed thinking time. Walking in nature is said to decrease stress, boost your mood and spark creativity, do you find this? It’s also a great way to spend time with family and friends, especially if you’ve planned a walk with a nice coffee shop halfway around.

We are podiatrists, and our aim is to keep you on your feet, able to enjoy walking without discomfort.

Common injuries from walking are;

-Blisters

-Sprained ankles

-Calluses

Conditions that we see in the clinic a lot that affects walking are;

-Plantar Fasciitis

-Heel spurs

-Achilles Tendinopathy

-Bursitis

-Verrucas

-Ingrown toenails

You will struggle to achieve the recommended 10,00 steps a day when you have a foot condition. Fortunately, podiatrists are here to fix these problems so that you can enjoy being out and about. Get in contact if you are worried about walking.