If you are a professional women working in a corporate office with a 9-5 life, and back to back meetings, 5-minute-lunches and PowerPoint slides are your best friends, and you sometimes just feel like your feet are the biggest source of your daily pain (other than those difficult customers/coworkers/managers) this article is written for you.
We are on our feet a lot. Like, A LOT.
There’s always more to accomplish than there is time to accomplish things. I get it. I lived that life. But if you forget to take care of yourself once in a while and keep your health and sanity in check, you won’t last long. Working in the corporate world is a marathon, not a sprint. (Although at times it may feel like a series of sprints.) On Cubicle Chic today, we’ll talk about a simple and quick way to find relaxation and reduce stress at work. Here it is…
Take care of your feet!!
Our feet support our entire body weight as we move from meeting rooms back to our desk and back to meeting rooms. What do we typically reward them with, as stylish women in the corporate world? The cruelty of high heels and pointed pumps! With that… let’s talk about the first tip on taking care of your feet.
1. Wear comfortable shoes without compromising on style
The reality is that we wear those torturous shoes for the looks to begin with. So, if the resolution requires us to sacrifice the looks, it’s not much of a resolution, is it? Allow me to introduce me to Miss Madel here… they make perfectly stylish shoes for the corporate workplace, and yet their shoes come with zero compromises in the style department. You can use the code JESSICA10 to get 10% off on your purchase in the next two weeks! What I’m wearing in the photos is the Donna in nude, and I LOVE the color for the spring and summer season. If you wear a lot of black and white, these beauties will add a refreshing pop of color to your outfit.
There are a few other styles offered by Miss Madel that are really pretty –
2. Utilize acupressure points to relieve feet pain.
If you, especially your feet, have had a long day, try massaging these pressure points that will help alleviate some discomfort. Every point is meant for different kinds of pain/pressure relieve, according to Smarter Healing. Click on their link above to see what each acupressure point is meant to do & how to massage them.
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- All pain associated with feet and legs
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- Pain for ankle and heel
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- All pain for feet and lower legs
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- Swollen feet
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- Overall feet/leg/thigh/join pain
3. Wear well-ventilated shoes (or create a safe space to take them off at work.
This applies to those of us whose sweat glands are unfortunately wired in the downward direction. I’ll be the first to admit I suffer from sweaty feet syndrome (yes, that’s a term, coined by me). The mule design of the Miss Madel Donna shoes is obviously a very ventilating design. But other ways to find well-ventilated shoes include finding the right material. For example, I’ve heard that Rothy’s makes very well-ventilated flats. I haven’t tried the brand myself, but I would share with you guys once I have!
4. Manage your salt intake
It’s a well-known fact that consuming too much salt will cause more swelling. As we age, the swelling may occur more in the feet area or simply shows more prominently. If you want to understand the medical mechanism of how this happens, you can look into what is edema. But this tip is simple. Avoid that salty food, drink lots of water, and you will be OK!
5. Exercise your feet/leg regularly at work
This is my personal favorite. Whether you’re stuck on a 3-hour spreadsheet spree or a dead-end teleconference that’s not going anywhere, these exercises are perfect for these occasions. On Live Strong, you can find a list of discreet workouts you can do at your desk. Glute clenches, stomach vaccum, or knee lifts… take your pick, and exercise (discretely) away! If you have the luxury of time and space, you can even do some lunges, calf raises, or mountain climbers. All of these exercises are meant to increase circulation to your legs and keep pain and swelling away from you!
Disclaimer: Thank you Miss Madel for sponsoring this blog post. I really enjoyed the Donna shoes and would be wearing it on the regular!