Staying healthy is not easy and it takes a multi-pronged approach to stay fit. Often it is the little things that matter. For example, getting off the bus and walking for two stops, buying a black coffee instead of a cappuccino are all actions that add up and make a difference to overall health.

Surprisingly, looking after your feet is on the list of little things that make a huge difference to your long-term health. Visiting your local foot clinicon a regular basis can all make a huge difference to your health. If you want to know more, please read on to find out why.

Better feet keep you moving for longer

There is no doubt that if you have bad feet you are not going to want to get up and go for a walk or a run. Taking an exercise class or going to the gym is going to be painful, so you are less likely to want to do it.

Having bad feet narrows down the kind of exercises you can do. This makes it harder for you to stay fit.

It also means that you will be less active in your day-to-day life. You are going to get in the car to go to the shops rather than walk if walking results in painful feet.

Good posture helps with joint and bone health

When you have bad feet, your posture is affected.  You walk in a way that compensates for the fact that your feet hurt.

This means that you walk in a lopsided and unnatural way. Over time, this puts a huge strain on your spine, hips, knees and ankles.

If you keep good posture and walk properly, it is far easier to maintain strong bones and joints. As you age this will have a big impact on how mobile you are and therefore on how healthy you stay.

Foot care is particularly important for diabetics

If you are one of the millions of people in the world, who suffer from diabetics looking after your feet is even more important. Circulation is an issue for diabetics, so problems with the extremities like the feet are common.

Over time the feet can start to go numb, small cuts do not heel and in time it is possible to lose toes, and potentially also your foot or part of your leg. If left gangrene and other infections can set in.  These serious infections or amputations are life changing. They have a very negative impact on your life. Therefore, for diabetics, looking after their feet is critical.

A chance to spot health issues

Podiatrists and chiropodists can also help you to choose the right footwear to avoid issues with your feet. The way you are built, your gait and how you walk all have an impact on which type of footwear you should wear.

So, if it has been a while since you last visited a foot clinic take the time to make an appointment and start looking after your feet.

I wrote an article this morning about the effects of exercise on your skin. In that article I mentioned I have a cow’s milk allergy and that I drink soy milk or soya milk instead. I’m never sure it has an ‘a’ on the end or not! The taste of soy milk is ok in my opinion and it changes depending on which brand you buy. I didn’t realise that more and more people are switching to soy milk because of the added health benefits. I’ve listed a few of them below. A big thank-you to the soya.be website for some of the facts and figures used in this article.

Isoflavones
The presence of isoflavones is the most important and unique benefit of soy milk. Each cup of soy milk contains about 20mg isoflavones (mainly genistein and daidzein). Cow’s milk does not contain isoflavones. Isoflavones have many health benefits including reduction of cholesterol, easing of menopause symptoms, prevention of osteoporosis and reduction of risk for certain cancers (prostate cancer and breast cancer). Incidents of these cancers are very low in countries with high intake of soy products, including soy milk. Isoflavones are also antioxidants which protect our cells and DNA against oxidation.

Allergies
Only 0.5 percent of children are allergic to soy milk, whereas 2.5 percent are allergic to cow’s milk.

Vegetable proteins
Vegetable proteins have a great advantage in that there’s a lower loss of calcium through the kidneys. Research has also shown that a diet rich in animal (and dairy protein) creates a higher risk for osteoporosis.

Diabetes
Although this is not confirmed, some studies have shown an association between drinking cow’s milk in early life and the development of insulin dependent diabetes. This association does not exist with soy milk.

No lactose
About 75 percent of the world population cannot tolerate lactose. Some ethnic groups are more affected than others. For example 75 percent of Africans and 90 percent of Asians have lactose intolerance. As an additional benefit, soy milk contains the prebiotic sugars stachyose and raffinose. These prebiotic sugars boost immunity and help decrease toxic substances in the body.

Cholesterol
The saturated fats in cow’s milk are unhealthy and increase your cholesterol. The protein in cow’s milk has no benefits for the cholesterol. Soy protein can decrease cholesterol levels. The FDA (Food and Drug Administration of US) confirms that soy protein, as part of a diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol may significantly reduce the risk of coronary heart. The FDA recommends to incorporate 25 grams of soy protein in your daily meals.

No hormones
Cow’s milk contains natural hormones (from the cow) but also synthetic hormones, which can influence the good working of our own body. The synthetic hormone rBGH (recombinant bovine growth hormone) increase milk production by as much as 20 percent.

If you don’t drink it already, maybe give it a try. If you like it, you could try introducing it into your diet. Try drinking it alongside cow’s milk so you get the best of both worlds.

Enjoy!