Pedicure: A Hiker's Best Friend

I have hiked numerous trails throughout the United States and learned the hard way that sometimes not preparing your feet can cause you pain for weeks to follow. Who would have thought that something as simple as a pedicure could not only leave my feet looking nice for sandals but also more comfortable for hiking some of the most difficult of hikes.

Love a good hike or thinking about getting into hiking? The boots or shoes might be important but you might also consider a good once over of your feet before taking on a trail…

You are probably looking at this article with a puzzled face at that statement, but a trip to the salon for a pedicure or even an at home spa day for your feet might just be beneficial before you take on a challenging outdoor activity like hiking.

It really doesn’t matter if you are a man or a woman on this one, none of us are impervious to foot pain caused by hiking. The leading cause for this actually has little to do with your shoes and more so to do with how you treat your feet inside the shoes themselves.

Toenails that have not been groomed can often times rub within the shoe itself. When going downhill they can ram the end of your shoe and quickly become more prone to breaking or damaging.

After a hike which I had forgotten to trim my nails my feet were so mad at me. I could feel pain in my swollen toes, I had scraped my toes within my shoes and even my soles were red and sore from trying to offset my step from pain.

Ladies, do we love our cute toenails that are freshly painted for summer? Yes we do! So why would we not take care of them when hiking to keep them looking nice so we don’t end up with that weird missing nail look with summer sandal season rapidly approaching?

Men, while you often don’t think as much about the appearance of your feet from a style standpoint, who wants to deal with ingrown many times caused from nail damage.

Now keep in mind, when trimming your nails for a hike you can also go to far. Trimming your nails to short can be just as harmful as leaving them to long and can create ingrown nails which can also very painful.

So when is the ideal time to get your nails clipped or manicured before a hike?

Ideally you want to make sure you take care of your feet between 5 and 7 days before your trip. By doing this you will allow your sensitive tissues surrounding your toes to heal and become more resilient to the elements before pushing their boundaries and creating inflammation.

While you should always carry clippers with you in case of breaking and irritation due to damage along your hikes or travels, unless you absolutely have to use them, I do not advise doing so on the day of.

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