About Healthy Legs, Healthy Feet, Healthy You

Since Walsh’s opened its doors in 1952, we’ve been committed to helping our friends and neighbours live independently, remain in their community and homes for as long as they’re able, and also enjoy being able to get around- both in and outside of their home.

We’ve also maintained that sometimes the best medicine is simply a good dose of knowledge. We’re hoping we can share some of that knowledge and insights into exploring healthier lifestyles through this blog.

We encourage, and invite, you to share your experiences with us and with others who visit our website and read our blog. Share your challenges, and how you’ve been able to find strategies which you find helpful.

Everyone, no  matter what age, wants to enjoy a healthy, and active lifestyle but with all the activities of work and family, we often forget about maintaining the health of our legs and by extension, our feet. At Walsh’s Pharmacy and Walsh’s Health & Lifestyle Centres, we’re dedicating July to promoting better leg (and foot) health. You’ll see that emphasis, and message, in our July Flyer and BizBull advertising.

You probably haven’t given this much consideration, but the human leg is an extraordinary piece of human engineering- from waist to toe, we have a network of more than 60 bones, and literally miles of blood vessels and nerves. Did you know, that In a lifetime, the average person will walk some 150,000 kilometres (take approximately 9,000 steps every day)- equivalent to almost 4X around the earth.

Health conditions, lifestyle habits, heredity, injury, surgery, age, and even pregnancy can all play a role in leg and foot health. While we can’t control heredity or age, and can’t affect the issues of surgery or changes during pregnancy, we can improve lifestyle factors through exercise, good posture, and the wearing good fitting clothing and footwear…wearing appropriate gradient compression stockings, a brace or orthotics can also help avoid some of the underlying issues associated with leg and foot problems.

Here’s a simple checklist you might consider:

• Avoid long periods of sitting (travel, for instance), or standing; circulation improves with physical activity;

• Elevate your feet above your heart whenever possible; this practice boosts the body’s natural circulation;

•  Lose excess weight; managing weight through healthy diet/regular exercise reduces leg symptoms as well as swelling;

• Avoid hot baths/excessive sun exposure; excessive heat can cause veins to dilate and may induce swelling

• If you have spider/varicose veins, consider appropriate treatment, as well as seeing a compression specialist
• Keep hydrated; hydration helps to prevent leg cramps
• Practice walking properly- learn to flow rather than pound (less body strain) the ground. Walking is also an excellent, low impact, way to tone leg muscles, reduce body fat and improve circulation;

• Eat a healthy, low-fat diet; the outcomes are obvious.

There are various ways we, or your healthcare provider, can help with choices and options. Why not talk to one of our many accredited fitters today; find out how we can help you improve your leg, and foot, health.