Feet first mentality makes for comfortable days working onboard

What could be more important than taking care of your feet when working onboard?  When you’re feet are in pain, your back can become sore and your body can become out of alignment. If you don’t have a healthy body, you can’t provide the best service possible to your guests and you won’t enjoy what you’re doing either.

Everything depends on your foot health. The anatomy of the human foot speaks for itself as to the importance of keeping them strong and healthy. Our feet contain 26 bones, 33 joints, 250,000 sweat glands and more than 100 tendons, muscles, and ligaments. They have the very important job of supporting our entire body.

So why is it that crew are often in cheap, poorly made shoes or no shoes at all without a proper foot soothing routine?

We can’t take our feet for granted.  We must love them so they can love us back.

Pre-Guest Trip

Make an effort to wear proper shoes ashore, prior to working on them for 12-14 hours a day.  High heels do not support a healthy foot in most cases, so make sure you wear them for a minimal amount of time, if at all.  According to the American Ostepathic Association, “killer heels are killing much more than you think. One in 10 women wear high heels at least three days a week and a third have fallen while wearing them. Statistics show that high heels are one of the biggest factors leading to foot problems in women, with up to a third suffering permanent problems as a result of prolonged wear.”

If you’re doing a lot of walking, flip flops and many sandals also do not support foot health. Try out New Balance Minimus shoes or something similar for shoes that  look good and support your feet.

Purchase proper shoes for working onboard.  Try Sketchers Go Walks, Sketchers Cali Bobs, or Swims.  Try them out before buying them.

Get good inserts such as gel inserts or a custom made orthotic inserts.

Foot Soothing Routine

1. After a shower use a roller or a lacrosse ball to roll out and soothe your feet.
2. Soak your feet in a bucket with warm water and Epsom salts for five minutes.  Add an essential oil to create a spa feeling.
3. Exfoliate your feet with either a foot exfoliator or any salt scrub.
4. Massage your feet with any natural cream and use an acupressure chart to find problem areas to work on.
5. Wrap your feet in moisturizing socks.
6. Put your feet up the wall for a five minutes before bed.

Angela Orecchio is a chief stew and certified health coach. This column was edited from her blog, Savvy Stewardess, The Smart Girl’s Guide to Yachting. Contact her through www.savvystewardess.com and angela@savvystewardess.com.