7 Ways to Get Fitter, Healthier (aka “Skinny”) Feet

Almost everybody desires a fit body. While a fit body includes well-defined abs, shoulders, and chest, an often-overlooked part of being fit is having feet that fit well into any shoe of your choice. For your whole body to be in alignment, you need to keep your feet in good shape. As Hollywood star, Megan Fox (who incidentally is known for having beautiful feet) can probably attest, healthy feet give you a better centre of gravity, and can also enhance your overall stamina as well as make you look good. Read on for How to Get Fitter, Healthier, aka Skinny Feet!

Causes of Obese Feet include (but are not limited to)

1. Genetics

Some people are born with bigger feet. Right from infancy, their feet have been slightly bigger than the average for kids of their age. That’s fine. We know you can’t determine the hands’ that genetics deals you but who’s to say you have to have ‘obese’ feet for the rest of your life?

2. Overweight

Being overweight is the number one cause of obese feet. If your body mass index (BMI) is greater than 30, you might be at risk of having fat/obese feet. You may seek help from professionals to help with body weight. Visit Khalilicenter for their weight-loss procedures.

3. Pregnancy

One of the most often reported side effects of pregnancy is swelling of the feet. If you recently gave birth, you might notice a slight swelling of your feet that normally goes down after pregnancy. However, sometimes it does not ‘go’ immediately and may somewhat alter your foot size.

4. Underlying Medical Condition

Injuries are also another cause of wide feet; injuries like a sprained ankle might cause you to develop obese-looking feet. Also, health conditions like kidney diseases, diabetes, lymphedema, and blood clotting can make your feet far bigger than normal.

So, if you notice your feet have increased in size over a relatively short period, it’s best to visit your health care provider. Treating the underlying condition should alleviate the symptoms and get your feet back to normal

If you fit into any of these categories, you have nothing to worry about. There are various ways to help you have fitter, healthier or some say “skinnier” feet.

How Can You Get More Slender or Skinny Feet?

1. Try an Electro Muscle Stimulator

EMS, short for Electro Muscle Stimulator, is a device that dates as far back as the 1950’s but took about two more decades to be discovered and used in America. It works primarily by stimulating your feet’ s muscles and nerves with electrode pads. This way, electrical signals spread through the muscle fibres, causing the breakdown of surrounding fat for energy (kind of like exercising that muscle).

The best part is that this device is portable and lightweight, making it easy to use whether at work or on vacation.

2. Eat Healthier

If you have ever registered at a gym, you were probably told the same thing by your instructors; Your diet will determine if your workout routine will help you yield great results. If you’re working on changing any part of your body, the first place to start is by upgrading your diet to a more nutritious one, and for reducing excess foot tissue this is also certainly needed.

You should incorporate healthy foods into your meals – ideally, a low-calorie diet consisting of fruits, vegetables, starches and wholegrain produce. Avoid junk and heavily-sugared foods. This will go a long way in helping your foot health.

3. Burn Excess Body Fat

Going for long walks and runs is a great way to get your feet into tip-top shape as quickly as possible. Running or walking long distances can help you burn calories for visible effects, not only in your upper body but in your feet and legs too.

It is advised to get 45-60 minutes of running or other aerobic exercises in per day; this has the effect of keeping you in good shape and, as a side effect, also reduces the overall surplus weight and fat in your legs.

Did I mention weight training? It’s a good idea to do some weight training exercises as they can impact your bodily appearance and help burn calories and fat at an accelerated rate as long as you’re consistent with it.

4. Try Feet-Slimming Exercises

There are many exercises that focus on your foot muscles that can lend to giving the appearance of skinny feet. Most of them incorporate flexion, extension, and a rotation motion of your feet. This ultimately causes energy consumption and lipolysis (break down of fat) localized to your feet. Click here to watch a step-by-step video of some great exercises that you can do for your feet.

5. Adjust Your Posture

Many times, ‘chubby’ feet can be caused by a rigid posture. The more you work a muscle, the thicker and bigger it becomes; the same applies to your feet. Ensure that your feet get some time off by elevating them on an ottoman box seat or similar when you are sitting or performing any sedentary activity.

Simply try sitting down face up. Raise your legs and place them on an elevated surface (the elevated surface could be on your desk or platform or an ottoman seat).

Notice how light your legs become? This is a great way to keep pressure off your legs, which can reduce their size. Also, this has the added benefit of reducing any tissue swelling and can help with a skinny feet appearance.

6. Drink Water, Lots of It!

If you’re looking to improve your overall health, you need to increase your water intake. Nothing detoxifies your body like staying hydrated. Water serves many purposes; it naturally helps to suppress appetite, helps you cut down on the intake of carbonated drinks, helps rid your body of toxins, the list goes on. Drink lots of water or at least 1-2 litres every day depending on the weather (the hotter, the more liquid) to aid you in losing the appearance of water weight on your feet.

7. Plastic Surgery

Many people decide to undergo plastic surgery, for either:

  • Toe shortening (for a shorter foot – not recommended)
  • Liposuction (for a slimmer foot silhouette)

Although these might seem like quick fixes to your problem, you should know that cosmetic foot surgery is not approved or recommended by the American Orthopedic Foot and Ankle Society. It is advisable to try less invasive methods that pose less risk to your overall long term health. In addition, you can get a piece of advice from an expert and professional from Mordern Orthopeadics for foot problems.

If your bigger or wider foot is a result of any bone deformities, then cosmetic surgery may be the most effective way of alleviating any disability that may have arisen.

You don’t have to settle for ‘chubby’ feet all your life. Now you know the different ways to slim down unhealthily-sized feet. Take some time to think through what you need and select the option that suits you best. What do you think about the trend of skinny feet? Let us know in the comments below, and join in the conversation on FacebookTwitter & Instagram!

Jennifer Dawson

Jennifer Dawson is an experienced freelance writer who specializes in food and nutrition. Working in fitness marketing previously gave her a good feel for the industry and since going freelance she has been able to explore her preferred topic areas such as diet types, nutrition and food. Outside of work, Jen enjoys traveling, swimming and spending time with her young family.

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