Perfect Summer Feet

Several years ago, I wrote an article called ‘A Love Story’. A revisit is timely. Summer fun. Vacation. Cottage country. Wherever there is sand, there lays the perfect partner for your feet. 

A Love Story

A beach. A riverbed. A desert. An ocean floor.
Sand, sand and more sand. Those tiny gritty eroded rocks. Those small loose granular grains that can do absolute wonders for our feet. A perfect match.

‘Wriggle the sand between the toes.
Rub the sand against the soles.’
Luxuriate in nature’s natural exfoliant that helps soften the feet 
and remove the dry skin buildup.

Exfoliation reduces aging. So, for younger and healthier looking feet, walk that beach or sit near the water’s edge and dig tunnels with the toes. Don’t stop there. Sand the hands. Build a castle, or bury yourself as far as you dare. Play.

Yes, the sand will find its way into the folds of your bathing suit.
Yes, wind gusts will blow it where you do not want it to go. It will end up in your cooler and sneak into your sandwich bag (thus the name), and it will attach itself to your sun lotions like a magnet.

It may get in your eyes and your mouth and your ears. But think ‘glass half full’. Sand cleanses, softens and soothes. And it simply washes away.

Lancelot and Guinevere. Orpheus and Eurydice. Napoleon and Josephine.
Sand and Feet. Perfect mates.

Alas. No beach, riverbed or ocean floor? Is the Sahara out of the question?
Exfoliate at home. Use salts instead. Soak, scrub and enjoy the tub. Improvise.

We do suggest alternatives to sand. But if the sand is an option this summer, perhaps you might engage it with a new perspective. There are many health benefits to befriending the sand. The 3000 to 7000 tiny nerve endings in each foot are stimulated by walking or running, eliciting that tingling pleasurable feeling.  All muscles in feet, legs, calves, quads and glutes are strengthened. Sand ‘exercise’ makes you feel grounded and centered, relaxed and energized.

If the beach and the sand is on your to do list before summer ends, remember to pack your neembodybar, your zinc, your lavender linen spray and lemongrass essential oil, your neem salve, your sheamu (or shargan) butter, and your trusty water bottle. Don’t forget the towel, umbrella and sunglasses. Experience the last days of summer fun the natural way. And if the sand calls, let the feet wallow in it.