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This week we are looking at feet as part of our ‘learning about our body as we age’ series. I have to admit that I haven’t been kind to my feet because I didn’t really give them too much thought throughout my life until they finally gave up on me!
Being small, wearing high heels was always a priority on my list of fashion accessories and, as soon as I took my first job as a secretary, aged just 16, I wore stilettoes every day. Miraculously, it was only as I was approaching 70 that osteoarthritis became an issue and I received a life-changing diagnosis. I suppose I should be very grateful that it took over half a century of abuse before my feet finally gave in and could no longer cope with elevated footwear. Drastic changes had to be made!
So osteoarthritis is a major problem for me personally, but there are also other age-related issues that can happen to our feet.
Skin Changes
As with the skin all over our body, the skin on our feet becomes thinner and more fragile increasing our risk of cuts, bruises and other injuries. In addition, our skin tends to become dryer as our sweat and oil gland activity decreases, and this can lead to such discomforts as cracked heels and rough skin. Applying foot cream every day after our bath or shower can really help here. We are also more prone to develop corns and calluses all due to repeated pressure or friction from our footwear.
Fat Pad Reduction
Another problem is that the fat pads on the bottom of our feet may become thin, reducing our natural cushioning. This can make walking and standing more uncomfortable as our bones and joinare less protected, particularly if we wear shoes with thin soles. This has definitely happened to me, even resulting in my feet reducing in size from 3½ to size 3.
Muscle and Tendon Changes
If we don’t exercise, we will quickly lose the strength and flexibility in the muscles in our feet, affecting our ability to balance and maintain stability. As our tendons become tighter and lose elasticity, this can reduce our range of movement and increase our risk of falling.
Decreased Blood Flow
Conditions such as peripheral artery disease can reduce blood flow to our extremities causing cold feet, numbness or slower healing of wounds. Again, exercise helps enormously in boosting our blood flow.
Nail Changes
While our skin gets thinner, our toenails may become thicker, more brittle and harder to trim. Older adults are also more prone to toenail fungus which can cause discolouration and deformity.
Balance and Sensation
There may be a loss of sensation as nerve function also declines with age, resulting in reduced feeling or numbness, especially for those living with diabetes. This lack of sensation can affect our balance with the increased risk of falling.
Changes in Foot Size
As I mentioned earlier, interestingly, as we grow older the shape of our feet can change, even resulting in a change in our shoe size. Whilst mine shrank, in some, feet become wider due to ligaments and tendons loosening, causing feet to flatten and widen.
Bony Changes and Deformities
For those of us who live with arthritis in our feet, as we lose the cartilage between our joints, the body may form new bone growth, known as bone spurs or osteophytes. I had such a growth on my right big toe which caused me constant and acute pain, so much so that when I had surgery on my left foot recently, I asked my surgeon if he could remove the growth from my big toe on the other foot at the same time, which he duly did, thankfully!
So, our feet can cause us quite a lot of grief as we grow older but there is a real balance between respecting them - and not expecting them to be able to do what we did 40 years ago - and adapting to still keeping them moving. The most important thing is that we can still enjoy life to the full whilst accommodating our feet in shoes that are comfortable.
Recently I organised a charity dinner in aid of Steps Conductive Education Centre in Leicestershire – a charity of which I am Patron. It was a wonderful evening held in the Ballroom of a local Stately Home. I wore a beautiful black satin skirt with a bit of a train, and a black lace and sequinned top, finished off with a bright red sash tied in a bow. It looked elegant, together with a string of pearls around my neck. But what shoes could I wear? Heels are no longer an option, sadly, but I wore sparkly Skechers which looked great and I was able to move around all evening – in comfort!
We are fortunate that shoe fashion has transformed itself toward trainers and flats so no longer do we need to feel self-conscious in our casual shoes. I certainly don’t.
Take a look at our videos about Fashion Trainers and, if you are fortunate enough to still be able to wear stylish shoes with a heel, you may also like Shoes to Enhance Your Look. You'll find these videos on the page about how to Dress to Flatter Your Figure in the Ageing Well section of the website.
We must understand that exercise is fundamental to our being able to live a quality of life and it is even more important for anyone living with arthritis. The worst thing we can do is live a sedentary life if we have arthritic feet. We must keep them moving! For more videos relating to osteoarthritis, go to the Arthritis page in the Health section.
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Fashion Trainers
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Shoes to Enhance Your Look
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Prawn Saag
Serves 4
Per serving: 118 calories, 1.3g fat (excluding accompaniments)
Prep time: 10 mins
Cook time: 20 mins
175g cooked shelled prawns
1 red onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 green pepper, deseeded and finely diced
1 x 400g can chopped tomatoes
300ml tomato passata
1 green chilli, seeded and finely chopped
200g fresh spinach
freshly ground black pepper
chopped fresh coriander to garnish
- Rinse the prawns well under cold running water.
- Preheat a non-stick frying pan, then dry-fry the onion for 2 - 3 minutes until soft.
- Add the garlic and green pepper to the pan and cook for 2 - 3 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes, tomato passata and chilli, and bring the sauce to a gentle simmer, then add the prawns and the spinach and heat through.
- Season to taste with black pepper and garnish with coriander. Serve with 1 green Portion Pot® (170g) cooked egg noodles per person.
Chef's Tip: This sauce also works well with chicken or, for a vegetarian version, you can substitute Quorn™ pieces
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Don't forget, you can download and print a copy of all our recipes if you click on the image to go to the recipe's page on the website.
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Fun, Facts & Fitness from Mary Morris MSc.
I believe that, of all the body parts many of us do not give enough attention to, our feet are probably top of the list.
When we consider the enormous number of miles we walk over a lifetime (and more than anything I hope you do want to keep walking!), then taking care of our feet is paramount. They carry us around throughout the day, every day, and they deserve a good amount of TLC. We could say that if our feet start failing then so do we! So, let's explore the very best way to give them the attention they both need and deserve.
Our Feet as we Age
The average person will have walked 75,000 miles by the time they are 50 years old and our feet are as vulnerable as any other part of the body to become problematic as we get older. Of the 206 bones in the body an incredible 55 of them are in our feet and there are 33 joints in each foot! Each joint is covered with cartilage and lubricating fluids that lessen considerably as we age. So, it is hardly surprising that feet are going to be very prone to problems.
Some Common Problems
Achilles Tendonitis
This is an inflammatory injury of the Achilles tendon. It occurs most commonly in those who play sports such as tennis which requires a lot of starts, stops and turns. Untreated it can lead to a complete breakdown of this tendon, taking a considerable amount of time to heal – much longer than a broken bone.
Athletes Foot
This is a highly contagious fungal infection of the feet that is easily spread. Regularly using moist floor areas such as changing room floors and showers makes us more susceptible.
Arthritis
This is osteoarthritis of the feet, which is the ageing related degeneration of the joint cartilage. It leads to joint pain, stiffness, joint deformity and a gradual loss of mobility.
Bunions
A bunion is a bony protrusion on either the inside or the outside edges of the foot. They form gradually when the bones in the foot are misaligned, often from wearing shoes that don't fit or that squeeze the toes together tightly.
Gout
Also known as gouty arthritis this is an inflammatory form of arthritis that is caused by the accumulation of uric acid crystals in the joint. It can be extremely painful, feeling as though there are fragments of glass in our joints, with the big toes being most affected. Eating too rich a diet can be to blame.
Plantar Fasciitis
This is caused by micro-tears in the thick fibrous tissue on the underside of the foot. Symptoms of plantar fasciitis include pain in the heel and the arch that is often worse in the mornings. It is common in long distance walkers or runners.
Taking good care of your feet
As you might expect it is good to know how we can do the very best in caring for such a hard-working part of our body. So here are a few tips to help us.
- Maintain a healthy weight.
It seems rather obvious to say that carrying excess weight puts added pressure on the joints in your feet, but keeping our BMI in the healthy range of 20-25 will certainly reduce stress on the joints in the feet and slow the progression of arthritis.
- Wear your heels like they are worth millions – sparingly!
High heels have a lot to answer for. Not only do they lead to foot deformity they also put the rest of the body out of alignment, affecting all the other joints further up. The type of shoes we wear is crucial to the long-term health of our feet. Choose shoes that provide good arch support, cushioning and are a comfortable fit. The popularity of trainers, (even for getting dressed up!) has been a fashion shock, but extremely valuable for foot health.
- Exercise regularly.
Low impact exercise such as walking, swimming and cycling helps to keep our joints flexible and strong without putting great strain on them. Also strengthening the muscles around our feet and ankles through specific exercises helps support the joints and reduce stress. The Foot Workout on our website provides a very effective, yet short, exercise programme for your feet.
- Wear supportive footwear.
This will help reduce the risk of those foot problems highlighted earlier. For walking, for example, make sure you are wearing strong and supportive walking shoes designed for the job.
- Maintain good posture.
Poor posture leads to uneven weight distribution on our feet leading to increased wear and tear on the joints of the foot.
- Manage underlying health conditions.
For those living with diabetes, gout and rheumatoid arthritis, you may be more prone to serious foot issues. See your medical practitioner regularly to identify any changes that may be occurring.
- Eat a joint-friendly diet.
Regularly eating anti-inflammatory foods such as omega-3 rich fish, leafy greens, nuts and seeds all help to reduce inflammation in the body. It is well known that foods that are ultra-processed and too high in sugar promote damaging inflammation.
- Drink plenty of water.
Good hydration will help to maintain the lubrication of the cartilage in those joints in the foot.
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This Week's Fitness Challenge
- Go to our website and try The Foot Workout. Do it 3 times this week. Learn the routine and plan to make it part of your regular programme.
- On your daily 30+ minute walks this week focus on how you place your feet on the ground. A positive heel strike and a push off the toes guarantees the best use of all the joints in the feet.
- Strengthen your feet with exercises that require you to balance – any of the Ballet workouts or the Balance Exercises will do the job nicely. Try to include these among your 3 strength workouts this week.
- Revise the Post-walk Stretches on the website which concentrate on the lower legs and ankles to maintain mobility in the foot and remember to do them every day after your daily walk.
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Did you know... 
In Victorian times, before the advent of police radios and panda cars, policemen walked a "beat" covering a specific area, usually shown on a map in the police station and given some sort of name or number.
 Constables would be assigned a beat by their sergeant and sometimes given a card indicating that they should be at particular points at set times, usually 30 to 45 minutes apart. The points would usually be a public telephone box or police box or occasionally a public house with a telephone where it would be possible to call the constable should he be needed to respond to an incident. They would remain at the point for a set amount of time, typically five minutes, and then continue to patrol the area, gradually making their way to the next point.
The amount of walking required on every beat resulted in the poor bobbies frequently suffering a malady which came to be known as Policeman's Heel - a name still commonly used to describe the condition medically known as Plantar Fasciitis.
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And finally...
As one of our lovely readers put in an email to me recently, ‘getting old isn’t for cissies!’ - and that is so true. I also believe that if you are a subscriber to this Newsletter, you are determined to live life to the full and to the absolute best of your ability. I really hope that all of the above hasn’t depressed you but rather inspired you into action.
For those amongst our readers for whom their feet are working perfectly, long may they continue to do so, and for those of us who aren't quite so fortunate we must remember to still stay as active as we can.
Let’s all have a great week!
With love and best wishes,
Rosemary Conley CBE DL
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LIVE LONGER | LIVE HEALTHIER | LIVE HAPPIER
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