FitBeauty: Pamper your piggies

Whether you spend hours of your day pounding the pavement in shock-absorbent running shoes or standing in stilettos, you are probably putting your feet through a work out just by doing your daily routine.

If you add in ill-fitting shoes you had to have, socks with the tiniest and most irritating hole in the toe, a nagging blister, hot pavement, a callous that never goes away, not getting a seat on the subway, an extra long go on any given machine at the gym...well, face it. Your feet are cashed.

How can you expect them to carry you at all -- let alone with strength, power, endurance, grace, assurance, sassy steppiness -- if you don't treat your feet to some delicious down time once in a while? Strip off those stinky sweat socks, peel off your overworked pantyhose, flick out the lint from between your tired toes and baby your feet with DIY pedicure.

Here is a pedicure that'll get your feet ready for whatever they slip into this spring. Take your time and do what feels good. Happy feet are as easy as 1-2-...OK, 14 steps.

Tootsie tools you may want to have on hand (and foot):
Cotton balls
Nail polish remover
Emory board with a buffer
Nail clippers
Pumice stone
Hard-bristled brush or nail brush
Gentle soap
Exfoliating or foot cream
Cuticle cream and orange stick or cuticle stick
Moisturizing cream
Bowl or bath of very warm water
Two hand towels
One large towel


Prep your piggies:
Get clean. You'd expect your nail salon to be de-germed so spend a few minutes scrubbing and rinsing the tub. No need to get all Bree about it, just make sure that your not staring at a drain trap full of gunk while you're trying to make your feet sparkle. My Paula Abdul pick: I keep a bottle of Trader Joe's (eco-friendly and sandalwood-smelling) multi-purpose cleaner under the sink to prep for any kind of bathtub soaking. Next, soap up your feet, ankles and up your calves, then rinse and pat dry.

Get comfy. If your pedi palace is your loo, make it feel luxurious. Pad the edge of the tub or wherever you'll be sitting with a fluffy towel. Light candles, play music, spray a mix of essential oil and water for a fresh and inviting smell. Slip into your PJs or at least something that doesn't restrict as you bend over for major foot babying.

Get nakey. At least below the ankle (the rest is between you and your medicine cabinet mirror). Remove any nail polish completely. If your nails have a tinge of pink or yellow from polish, buff your nails lightly to slough off the discoloration (and next time, be sure to apply a base coat to keep your nails fresh).

Get hydrated. Turn on the faucet and fill the bathtub, a big bowl or your barely-used whirlpool footbath with water that feels wonderfully warm.

I also recommend hydrating yourself with a glass of fizzy water with lemon or perhaps a favorite vino for the occasion, just like you'd get at a much spendier (and less intimate) spa. Drink it all in -- the relaxation, the peacefulness and the precious you time.


Get to work:
Trim. Use clippers and cut your toenails straight across. No need to get all crazy like your hacking away at a brush path on Lost. Squoval toenails (square with a slightly rounded edge) look lovely and feel much better than filed-into-the-nailbed or rounded off Eartha Kitt imitations. Concerned about length (and aren't we all, really)? Place your finger straight across your big toe. If your nail is just shy of touching your finger, you've got a good length. Of course, your preference rules here and your length will vary if you wear cleats or other toe-annihilating footwear.

Treat. Soak your feet for as long as it takes in your waiting pool of warm water.

Take it up a notch. Sure, a warm water soak feels super, but if you're going to do it, why not really do it? This recipe for a Minty Lime Pedicure by All Natural Me is deeeeevinely refreshing. If you want to keep it simple but would like a taste of spa-luxe, throw some leftover lemon slices, epsom salts, rose petals from your garden, oil or a few squirts of your favorite body lotion into the basin.

Slough. Once your feet have floated into complete relaxation, gently wake them up by working exfoliating cream into your heels, toes and arches. Next, use the pumice stone to tenderly wear down callouses and cracked heels. Remember: tickling is fine, wincing is bad. Don't overdo this or tomorrow's walk to work or tennis class will not be pretty.

Stir. Once you've properly sloughed the rough skin, get the blood moving in your feet. Dip a hard-bristled brush especially for foot care (or, in a pinch, a nail brush will do) in your water a few times and then rub in circular motions over the top of your foot, around your ankle, up your leg to your knee, back down your calf, and giving good, scrubby attention to your heels, arch and ball on the underside of your foot. Next, give your toes a few good swipes. Don't forget to give the same attention to your other foot. One more gentle reminder: This circulation-stirrer should not be reminiscent of the scene in Mommy Dearest when Joan Crawford tries to scour the evil from her face.

Soothe. Drench two hand towels in more warm water, then twist until they no longer drip. Wrap each foot in the damp towels. Take some deep breaths, sit back, sip your beverage and let a little more time slip on by. Once the towels cool, take them off and smoothe on some moisturizing cream. A couple of recommendations: Aveeno Skin Relief Moisturizing Cream and St. Ives Aloe & Chamomile Healing & Natural Lotion are inexpensive, cooling, creamy and favorites for my own feet.

Now give yourself a good massage. A really good massage. Use your knuckles to put some (again, gentle) pressure in your arches. Place your fingers between your toes and loosen up the squished-together spaces. Rub your calves and lightly press your thumbs down the top of your feet. Finish up with some ankle circles and toe wiggles to loosen everything down there up. More than the polish, I truly believe pedicures are all about the rubbing, so be sure to spend the time and apply the pressure you need to really pamper your tootsies.


Put on the finishing touches:
Push back. First apply a stripe of cuticle cream across the bottom of each nail. Massage the cream into each nail. Use an orange stick or rounded cuticle stick to push the cuticles back a bit. If you don't have those tools, your fingernail will do fine. Don't even look at your clippers while you are working on your cuticles. It just isn't worth drawing blood or risking infection.

Pat down. Brush off any remaining bits and towel off any drippy bits. Give yourself one last lathering of lotion. Slip on socks or slippers to keep your feet clean and fresh.

Paint. Only if you're a polish kind of pamperer. Otherwise, you might want to buff a bit or rub a tiny drop of oil into each nail. Make sure your paint dries completely (which gives you time to finish up the crossword puzzle in your People mag and take a few last swigs of your chardonnay).

Put your feet up. After all this good lovin', camp out on the couch or curl up with a book for a while, taking pause to take in your gorgeous, rejuvenated toes.

Let the serenity rise up from your southernmost tips knowing that you are fully ready for the onset of flip-flop season!



Have any pedicure how-tos you'd like to share? Fill us in on your tips for treat ing your feet well.