Dr Gordon Slater
Image Credits: SkinForBeauty.com

Take good care of your body…it is the only one you have to live in. One of the most assuring things about the COVID-19 pandemic is the fact that you are not alone. While the majority of the workforce gets to work from home, for the most part, with the curfews in place, we are restricted with the activities that we can do once we’re outside the worksphere. Today…if you’re one of the lucky ones who gets to work from home…it’s always a good idea to get dressed…to go nowhere. 

Let’s do a head to toe outline of the fun and fabulous things that you can do to keep your self feeling pretty good during the few weeks that we have left in the hotel of our homes. For a few weeks…you can just pretend you’re your own boss. 

Hair: When was the last time you took some time for some hair care? When was the last time that you cut your hair or even coloured it. Now’s a good time to try that new style you’ve been wanting to try out. You have the time now to actually do things like take the time to curl your hair and even colour it. There are so many  hair items on the market. Innovative companies such as GHD, are creating innovations that will make drying, curling and styling your hair more innovative. Now’s the time to make yourself a good list and organize your hair treatments. A few essentials to include in your list include: hair spray, bobby pins, curlers, hair serums and mousse. Since we are self-isolating, we highly recommend that you purchase critical non-essential items online. The links in this article were placed for your convenience. Click on them…create your shopping basket and get started on your hair care. 

Next, is a little facial care. With many salons currently not taking clients, there are various items that you can utilize in your treatment regime that can give you that spa treatment from the comfort of your home. When was the last time you gave yourself a facemask? Facemasks have the ability to treat various imperfections on the skin. If you want a little skin tightening, or if you want to treat some acne flare ups, these are ideal. If you usually visit your aesthetician for a facial, for the next few weeks, you can invest in a good facial brush such as the Clarisonic. When it comes to your daily facial routine…are you cleansing, toning and moisturizing. With routines such as taking your children to school involved, you may miss these activities. Now you have no excuses. You can take your time to pamper yourself with systems such as these

What about your body? When was the last time you and your partner gave each other a massage. Now’s the time to do these things. In the evenings, after your dinner, and you’re settling down to rest for the evening you can take the time to pamper yourselves. If you have an at home sauna…you can take the time to spend a few minutes in the sauna before you retire for the day. Sweating out the toxins is one way to keep your body at peak. Take a time to make a body kit for yourself and your significant other. Treat this time like an extended vacation. 

This wouldn’t be an orthopaedic blog without a little foot care. The only time most of us remember that our feet exist is at the point where arthritis starts to set in, or the point at which we sprain the ankle and need to keep it wrapped so it can heal. While the world isn’t expecting you to be high maintenance, it is helpful to pay at least ten minutes to half an hour of attention to your feet before any serious complications develop. 

With our daily lives, physical activity such as walking or running can place a toll on our feet. Depending on the impact, it is often important for one to revamp the feet once a workout or daily activity has concluded. With the summer/winter, how does one actually manage to take care of the feet? 

As a start, you can consult with your orthopaedic surgeon to identify what items will be beneficial to your at home pamper kit. This is a great option, if you’re diabetic, and need to attend to your feet regularly. Instead of self-care feeling like a chore, it will feel like a luxury and you’ll want to do it. If you can, indulge in the following: 

  1. A Foot Spa: With a wide range of options from the super affordable to the super luxe, it is possible to purchase for yourself an at home foot massager. With this massager, you can facilitate the massaging of your feet, and improve the circulation through your entire feet and ankles. The soothing warm water will relax both your feet and your mind. Interestingly, if you really want to go low budget, you can add some dish washing liquid to your water. The agent is antimicrobial and moisturizing. Additionally, you can purchase foot soaks from your local pharmacy or beauty supply store. Jazz up the experience with a little lavender soak, and you’ll be healing and relaxing at the same time. 
  2. Epsom Salts: The versatility of Epsom Salts cannot be stated enough. From an internal perspective, it is the perfect body detox for your liver. If you ever feel your energy levels on a low, it may be that your body is toxic. Toxicity is induced by the ingestion of preservatives with time. You can either detox via internal ingestion of the salts, or you can detox via the osmosis process. In your foot spa, or a basin, you can create a salt solution. Fill the bath just about half way, and add half a cup of Epsom salts. If you have any blisters, they will heal with time. Additionally, via osmosis, with a concentrated salt solution, you can detox as the salts in the water, will pull toxins from your body through the pores in the soles of your feet. The soles of your feet are actually very sensitive and porus.  
  3. Foot Scrub: After you have soaked your feet, you can facilitate exfoliation by using a foot scrub to massage the feet. You can create your own scrub via a mixture of coffee (after you’ve percolated it and have the ground coffee left over), coconut oil and brown sugar. Apply gently, and let the scrub nourish your feet. 
  4. Foot Cream: With aromatherapy becoming more mainstream, you can actually determine what scents to apply to your feet in order to give yourself a boost. If you’re heading to sleep you can apply a lavender lotion. These are very inexpensive and you can find them in your local pharmacy, near to lotions and candles. If you want to energize your body, you can actually apply an invigorating scent like a mint or citrus scent that will energize the senses once they are stimulated.

Once you are finished, you can simply go through the process of either placing your feet into socks, or if you’re heading out for the day into your favorite comfortable sandals. Pamper yourself today. 

Reference: 

  1. Post WorkOut Foot Pampering: https://www.verywellfit.com/best-ways-to-pamper-your-feet-3435790