National I LOVE My Feet Day! is observed annually on August 17. This is a day to appreciate how valuable our feet are, to practice good foot care and pamper our feet.
- 75% of the adult population has a foot problem and improper shoe choices account for the majority of those problems.
- Nearly a quarter of all bones in our bodies are in our feet.
- Your feet may just be the most ticklish part of your body.
- Your two feet have 250,000 sweat glands that are capable of producing half a pint of sweat in a single day!
- The American Podiatric Medical Association states that the average person takes 8,000 to 10,000 steps/day. That adds up to 115,000 miles in a lifetime, more than 4x the circumference of the globe
- Eighty percent of Americans over 21 have reported having a foot ailment.
- Feet function best in their bare, or natural, state.
- Commonly seen in athletes, shin splints are a cumulative stress disorder caused by repetitive stresses on the bones, muscles and joints in the legs.
- Women are four times more likely to have foot problems compared to men.
- It takes 12-18 months for a toenail to completely regrow.
- Shoe sizes were originally measured in barleycorns.
- This unit of measurement originated in the United Kingdom during the 14th century and is still being used around the world today.
- Based on the length of a grain of barley, each shoe size adds a third of inch, corresponding to the fact that there are three barleycorns in an inch
- The first shoe dates back to 3,500 BC. Made of a single piece of leather, it was recently found in present-day Armenia.
- 1 in 1,000 babies is born with an extra toe or finger. The condition is called polydactyly.
- 9 out of 10 women wear shoes that are too small for their feet.
- The pressure on the feet when running can be as much as 4x the runner’s body weight.
- In the United States, the best-selling shoe size is 8.5 for women and 10.5 for men.
- Shopping for shoes is best done in the afternoon, says the American Podiatric Medical Association. Your feet tend to swell a little during the day, and it’s best to buy shoes to fit them then. Have your feet measured every time you purchase shoes, and do it while you’re standing. When you try on shoes, try them on both feet; many people have one foot larger than the other, and it’s best to fit the larger one.
- Corns and calluses are caused by friction and pressure from skin rubbing against bony areas when wearing shoes. If the first signs of soreness are ignored, corns and calluses rise up as nature’s way of protecting sensitive areas.
- A 2½-inch high heel can increase the load on the forefoot by 75%.
- Madeline Albrecht holds the world record for most feet sniffed at 5,600.
- The first boots were made for Queen Victoria in 1840.
- The average woman walks 3 miles more per day than the average male.
- The only shoe museum in North America is located in Toronto. This museum showcases shoes spanning over 4,500 years.
- Foot Cheese Is an Actual Thing. If anyone’s ever told you that your feet smell like stinky cheese, rattle off this piece of trivia: It’s totally possible to make actual cheese with bacteria from foot sweat. In fact, Ireland held a Foot Cheese Exhibition in 2013 that featured several varieties of foot cheese, as well as varieties that evolved from belly buttons and armpits.
- Podophobia is the Fear of Feet. A phobia of feet, known as podophobia, manifests itself as anger or extreme revulsion to the sight of feet.
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