Isn’t the famous cliché from dating sites that people say that they love long walks on the beach?
Let’s start with a basic question.
Should you walk on the beach in your bare feet?
The answer depends on a couple of factors.
1. If you are walking on dry sand and you have had problems in the past with having an unstable ankle, then you might want to rethink the whole barefoot walking in the sand. While some would see it as a benefit, walking in the sand takes more effort and uses more muscles than normal walking. If you are walking in dry shifting sand, you could be much more susceptible to injuring a weak ankle. The same could be said if you have had foot injuries like plantar fasciitis. The barefoot walking on shifting sands could irritate the condition.
2. The second issue is my favorite issue – the danger of foreign objects. Often times when you are walking the beach, you are not looking at the sand while you walk and you could step on a piece of broken glass or something sharp in the sand.
3. The last issue is that depending upon the time of day for your walk, the sand could be hot enough to burn the soles of your feet.
I don’t want to discourage you from walking on the beach. It is great exercise. I would just like you to take some precautions.
1. Before you go on your walk, please do a few warm up exercises like marching in place and rotating your ankles. These warm up exercises will help your muscles prepare for the exercise to come.
2. If you are going out during the day, make sure you have used sunscreen not just in the normal places but protect your feet also.
3. Take water to make sure you keep hydrated.
4. It is easy to get talking and walking and lose track of how far you have gone. When you are first starting, pay attention to distances and build your number of steps over time. You don’t want to end up so sore that you can’t go out again for a few days nor do you want to end up so tired that you have a hard time making it back to your starting point.
5. At the end of your walk, take a minute to do some cool down exercises like leg stretches.
A walk on the beach can be romantic and be great exercise. Just make sure that you are careful to pay attention to the conditions.
You know that I would prefer that you wore a great pair of sandals rather than your bare feet but I hate being the spoil sport all the time. The best part is that you are at a beach to take a walk. Enjoy!
Your pal,
The Foot Blogger Chick