All fitness lovers have heard about the horrors of athlete’s foot. The fungi causing this infection are among the most persistent and can be a real hassle to remedy. If you’re not careful where you step on or what you touch, the infection spreads fast and can cause an annoying itch that doesn’t go away quickly.
Luckily, athlete’s foot can be prevented by using some common tricks and precautionary measures to reduce the risk of infection. From my personal experience with fitness and training, I can say that prevention always beats a cure, and here are some of my top tips to avoid the problem.
Use Breathable Shoes
When you exercise, your feet are bound to get sweaty and grimy. Some people have more sweat glands on their hands and feet than normal, causing even a slight exertion to produce sweat that never really goes away.
Breathable shoes and socks are the first line of defense against sweaty feet. Nylon socks, for example, are among the biggest offenders as the plastic material doesn’t allow for any perspiration and sweat-wicking.
However, even excellent socks will just siphon all the sweat to the shoes if they are not made from breathable materials. One of the most popular new materials for breathable shoes is Merino wool. It’s lightweight, durable, holds its form well, and thermoregulates easily. Merino is also anti-microbial, which severely reduces the chance of fungi proliferating inside shoes. Loom footwear is one of the best all-terrain sneaker brands you can find on the market that exclusively uses Merino wool as the base of their breathable shoe material. Their sneakers use the wool’s natural properties to deliver comfort and performance.
Avoid Using The Gym Shower
Most athlete’s foot infections come from the outside world, typically by indirect contact with an infected person. Our bodies constantly shed old skin cells wherever we go, and this fine dust is usually not a problem in small quantities.
However, gyms and other public areas where people exercise are prime locations for athlete’s foot. The huge concentration of people means plenty of discarded skin cells, and all of them have to go somewhere. The most common place you’ll get athlete’s foot is the gym shower, especially if you go barefoot.
Lockers are another common place for transmission since the act of undressing and putting on clothes naturally leads to the dissemination of old skin cells.
Change Socks Regularly
If you notice a recurring problem with sweaty feet, then old socks might be the cause of your issues. Keeping a pair of socks on for more than a day increases the odds of a small infection taking hold and spreading throughout the foot.
After a thorough gym exercise or a hike, it’s much more comfortable to remove the sweaty socks with a fresh pair. This way, your feet aren’t wet for too long, which is one of the leading causes of persistent athlete’s foot infections.
Get Athletic Without Athlete’s Foot
The best way to stay clear from foot infections is to purchase a pair of high-quality shoes or sneakers for everyday chores and exercise. If you want all-terrain sneakers you can take on every trip to the country, go to www.loomfootwear.com to shop for one of the best products on the market.
*collaborative post
