Fun Feet Facts!

To gently ease you into BIG Feet Appreciation Month here are few feet facts to get you in the mood!

• Our feet have over 250,000 sweat glands and the average pair gives off about half a pint of perspiration per day.
• Our feet carry us the equivalent of five times round the earth in an average lifetime.
• The ancient Greek philosopher Socrates once quoted “When our feet hurt, we hurt all over”.
• Charlie Chaplin, Hollywood’s silent comedian with the splay footed trademark walk, had his feet insured for $150,000 (£33,500) in the 1920′s; a fortune at the time.
• It is against the law to take your shoes off if you have smelly feet in a theatre in Winnatka, Illinois.
• The Achilles tendon was named after Achilles’ heel. According to Greek mythology, Achilles’ mother held him upside down by his heel and dipped him into the River Styx to give him immunity to wounds; he was protected wherever the water touched, so his only vulnerability was his heel.
• The record for the person with the biggest feet in the world is held by an American, called Robert Wadlow. His feet were 47cm long and he took size 37 shoes!
• When you’re running, the pressure on your feet can be 3 to 4 times your body weight.
• 25% of a human skeleton’s bones are located in the feet.
• Seventy-five percent of us will experience foot health problems of varying degrees of severity at one time or another in our lives.
• Women have about four times as many foot problems as men; lifelong patterns of wearing high heels and other inappropriate shoes are the primary cause.
• An American study called “If the shoe fits, wear it” found that nine out of ten women are wearing shoes that are too small.
• Shopping for shoes is best done in the afternoon, as your feet tend to swell a little during the day, and it’s best to buy shoes to fit them then.
• Your feet can mirror your general health. Such conditions as arthritis, diabetes, nerve and circulatory disorders can show their initial symptoms in the feet.
• There are currently more websites on the Internet focusing on foot fetishes than on foot health.