Tired feet? Standing, dancing, walking, dancing, and more dancing… not to mention doing all that in heels. Oh, how we movers and shakers know. When your feet are aching, there’s the option to ask someone - your significant other, or a friend or family member - to massage them for you… or there’s the option to take a do-it-yourself approach to rejuvenating those metatarsals. Who said you had to pay for expensive spa treatments? Here are a few ways you can pamper yourself with some simple yet luxurious at-home-spa foot treatments.
Oil plus socks. This is one of the simplest things you can do to heal, soothe, and soften feet that have been in heels, dancing and twisting (and possibly acquiring blisters and other inflammation) all night. Once you get in from your fun evening, rub organic almond, jojoba, or olive oil into your feet, paying special attention to areas that are more rough, dry and callused from rubbing against your shoes, and to any areas that are red or sore as well. Slip on socks right away and let the oil soak in overnight.
Soak the soles. You can do this using the bathtub or a large bin or bowl (perhaps while enjoying a glass of red wine and a TV show). Fill a bowl with warm to hot water, depending on what you can comfortably handle. Add a little oil, and since oil and water don’t naturally mix well, swirl the water a bit (you can also slather oil on your feet just before slipping them in). You can add five drops of peppermint essential oil to refresh - it improves circulation and has a minty scent. Or, if you’d prefer a more relaxing aroma and a calming foot bath, add five drops of lavender essential oil. (Safety tip: You should almost never topically apply essential oils alone; since they are so concentrated, they can irritate the skin, and some are more dangerous than others.) You can add chamomile or green tea bags for extra calming effect, as well. Soak for 10 to 20 minutes, dry feet gently, moisturize further if desired, and slip on socks.
Don’t apply lotions or conventional foot creams unless you’ve read the ingredient list; you absorb up to 60 percent of what you put on your skin, and in addition to having plenty of chemical un-pronounceables, most lotions contain alcohol, which is actually drying. (So much for sealing in moisture!) It sounds counterproductive, but beauty products and their claims (”80 percent of users noticed improved moisture!”) aren’t usually very well-regulated. And ultimately, the more you use, the more you buy, and that makes retailers happy. How do you get the best products? Read ingredient lists (research and avoid common toxic ingredients), spend wisely, and mix your own beauty and spa recipes when you can.
BONUS Foot Care Recipe: Here’s a recipe for a “Green Feet Fizzy,” straight from The Green Beauty Guide by Julie Gabriel, a must-have comprehensive beauty resource on natural personal care options. It’s a “green duplicate of LUSH Bath Bombs but without any preservatives or synthetic perfumes,” writes Gabriel. Make these little bombs in advance for a quick and easy treatment.
Mix together in a bowl: 1 cup baking soda, one-half a cup of cornstarch, one-quarter cup of Epsom salt, one-half cup of citric acid, one-half cup of purified water, five drops peppermint EO, and five drops tea tree EO (which has antibacterial properties and makes another great addition to a foot treatment). Then, “stuff the mixture into ice cube trays or form small balls and let dry. For a foot soak, use one apricot-size cube. For a bubby bath, use three cubes. Store the tablets in a plastic container with a lid or in a decorative bottle or jar.” If you end up keeping them in a little bowl in the fridge, that’s okay too.
Note: Again, tea tree oil is very healing and antibacterial, so it might be good to start any treatment by rubbing in a little to prevent fungus growth around the nails or between the toes.
You can always sip a glass of red wine (now considered a beauty and anti-aging drink, with its antioxidants/polyphenols and resveratrol) or include a wonderfully scented soy candle with your foot bath. Guilty and innocent pleasures also fit right in with home spa treatments (I’m talking TV, celeb gossip magazines, relaxing music by artists like vocal group Il Divo or flamenco guitarist Benise [preview Sentimiento, his latest album, here!], a good book, etc.). And remember, regularly self-massaging in moisture is key to not ending up with beat-up looking “dancer’s feet.” Just because you make them dance doesn’t mean they have to look stressed and overworked! Prevent misalignments (see our recent post titled “Happy Feet: Quick Tips for Alignment and Lonveity”), and pamper your tootsies whenever possible - those little piggies will love to go “wee-wee-wee all the way home” if you keep the at-home-spa up and running! Enjoy these foot care ideas, keep moving, and keep appreciating your feet, because healthy, strong feet allow you to enjoy the gift dance - now, and for a long time to come.
You may have seen Carolina Cerisola recently on World Superstars of Dance, representing Argentina as a solo. Or you may have seen her in a recent e.K. Clothing blog post video showcasing our skirts. Now you can get to know her further. Take a moment to read our interview with this talented young dancer.
How long have you been dancing, and how old were you when you started?
I have been dancing for 13 years, I started when I was 16 years old.
When did you know that you wanted to do this professionally? I didn’t know this was going to be my profession. It just happened. When I was 16 I started and a few months later, I started doing shows and working as a salsa dancer in the best salsa clubs in Buenos Aires. At that time, it was more of a fun thing to do than a profession.
Tell me a little bit about your professional career (share some highlights with us). I am just so surprised how my career [has] worked out. I was a salsa dancer for 5 years… I got to dance with Johnny Vazquez, and then life took me to a different direction-into the Burlesque/Cabaret world. At 21, I discovered all the Bob Fosse movies and that became my passion-along with the art of performing with live musicians.
My dancing has given me the chance to dance with talented artist like Sting, Justin Timberlake, and Mick Jagger, and the chance to collaborate with Heath Ledger.
One of Carolina Cerisola’s & Johnny Vasquez’s winning performances at the 2001 Mayan Salsa Championships
How has dance changed your life? Dancing changed my life! I don’t know who else I would be with out it. I just can’t imagine. Dance is the way I express my emotions of anger, happiness, sadness, etc. It’s everything to me! I lose myself in it every night I perform.
What kinds of clothing do you like to wear while dancing?
The kind of clothing I wear is very important, especially when I perform. It puts me character and determines how I am going to dance. It changes my moves and it inspires me to dance differently. I really like to wear leotards.
Besides salsa, what are your other favorite styles of dance?
I love jazz and Fosse style [jazz].
Tell us what’s coming up for you, career-wise.
Career wise, I’m not sure, but I know I am going in the right direction (where ever that may be). Life always takes me to the most unexpected places, so I just let it be that way. I have been producing a night once a month call THE FLOOR (myspace.com/thefloorimprovnight) with my partner Sascha Escandon, and since last year our goal has been to produce live shows anywhere in the world.
Quick Q&A:
Zodiac sign: Sagittarius Nationality/hometown/where I grew up: Argentina, Buenos Aires Favorite hobby: Cooking What I do to relax: I go to the Korean spa. I go to this specific one called NATURA and get a body scrub and massage. Scariest moment from dancing: Knee surgery, end of 2006 Best memory from a town I danced in:In Italy with Johnny Vazquez, and working with the most amazing dancers in Cuba shooting a music video for Zucchero Must-have back-stage/pre-performance ritual: Pray What I like to collect: Great experiences Favorite guilty pleasure: Food of all kind Favorite song:“La Belleza” by Silvio Rodriguez y Luid Eduardo Aute Favorite time of day: Morning Favorite city: Buenos Aires What I would do with more free time: Travel the world Favorite pastime: Sleeping Favorite ice cream flavor: Dulce de leche Favorite animal: Dogs Favorite music: All kinds Favorite subject in school: Writing Favorite thing to do on weekends: Swim in the ocean, paddle boarding, mountain biking, etc. What makes me happy: My friends Major goal(s) as a dancer: Produce and direct
Carolina and her partner Jordi Caballero performing an amazing Tango routine
You can find out more about Carolina by visiting her website, www.carolinacerisola.com, or her MySpace, www.myspace.com/carolinacerisola. See more of Carolina and Christian Oviedo improvising after our shoot here.
See? At e.K. Clothing, we dress the best - and the rest. For affordable, stylish dance wear sure to satisfy all bodies and dance levels, shop now at www.ekclothing.com.
Dancers know that moving while out of alignment isn’t comfortable or good for you. But one very common misalignment is so subtle that you might not even realize you’re moving-while-misaligned regularly. Here’s the scoop:
About 90 percent of people have normal to low arches, and another five percent have high arches (only about five percent of the population has flat feet, with no arch whatsoever). Both pronation (rolling in) and supination (rolling out) are part of the natural “gait cycle” or walking process. However, it is estimated that about 70 percent of the population over-. It’s especially common among runners and athletes, including dancers (regularly pounding hard surfaces stretches and stresses the arches). Over-pronation can also be caused by extra weight or weak ankles.
During walking, pronation is a natural shock-absorbing mechanism, and supination helps to propel the foot forward. But with over-pronation (associated with terms like “low arches,” “fallen arches,” and “flat feet”), the rolling-in phase goes deeper and lasts longer, and the foot doesn’t get to release that tension to supinate. Then, as the foot rolls inward, the lower leg follows, and the knees also rotate slightly inward (slightly moving the patella, or kneecap, out of alignment.) As the knee, a hinge joint that is not designed to rotate, twists slightly inward with the rest of the leg, the pelvis easily tilts forward. In this position, the hip flexors are shortened, and low back pain is the typical result.
Over-pronators use more energy to walk, and have added strain on the feet, legs, knees, and lower back. Over time, over-pronating can cause problems like plantar fasciitis, shin splints, tight and sore leg muscles, joint pain, and lower back pain. Unfortunately, many of these issues are not felt until later in life (after age forty). People tend to just think it comes with aging - but you can actually do much to prevent such wear, tear, and pain.
Here are five tips to help prevent and correct over-pronation, so you can keep dancing and living with graceful mobility for many years to come:
Wear arch supports in more flexible dance shoes [when worn for a long time]. These types of practice shoes usually have little to no arch support, and you can deal with that for a little while (say, one dance class or two). But you’ll really start to feel if you hit an all-day workshop or dance event and keep them on for hours. You can buy generic arch support inserts at many drugstores and grocery store pharmacy departments.
Avoid very flat shoes in general. Flip-flops are called flip-flops because they’re flippy and floppy, and that’s not biomechanically good for your muscles and joints. You might not feel the stress much now, but if you keep it up, you won’t look so fabulously casual down the road.
Consider arch supports in heeled dance shoes. If the arch of the shoe and the arch of your foot aren’t meeting well, that’s a good idea. You can decrease stress on the arch with supportive inserts.
Choose casual shoes with some arch support or add it in to decrease joint stress. (Those with high arches - “over-supinators” - have feet that tend to not absorb shock well, so they will also want to cushion their feet.) Casual brands brands that offer better foot support include Birkenstock, Born, Clark’s of England, Dansko, Naturalizer, Privo (by Clark’s), and Merrell. You can always add inserts to your favorite sneakers, too. And since comfortable can equal expensive, remember to shop around for deals.
And last but not least: Orthotics are not just for old people! ”Orthotic insoles,” commonly called “orthotics,” can be bought “off-the-shelf” as generic inserts (from special websites like www.footsmart.com, where you can also buy bunion correctors and other foot care items). They can also be custom-made and prescribed by a podiatrist (customization is very effective, but this is the more expensive option). Orthotics can correct over-pronation by re-aligning the bones of the feet to their natural, neutral position, alleviating problems in the feet and this correcting other misalignments caused by over-pronation. (Note: a heavier person will need a thicker insert than a thinner person with the same degree of pronation.)
These are easy tips to put into practice - quick reminders, but they can help keep your dancing feet in tip top shape! You have to actively take care of them for optimal physical alignment and longevity. Remember: You support them, and they’ll continue to support you.
Heels may not be the most comfortable shoes on the planet. But they do give shorter women those extra inches - greatly appreciated inches in what is sometimes a seemingly elusive quest for length and height (you know, long and feminine lines that appear graceful). You might not have leggy, supermodel-esque proportions, but you can visually extend what you do have, through some simple style rules. You can actually look taller. Here are three tips to create optical illusions of grandeur… er, height.
1. Skirt lengths above the knee [or to the floor]. Keep those gams smooth and well-moisturized (organic jojoba oil to the rescue!), because you’ll need to show them off. However, note that if you have thicker legs, short skirts that have straight hemlines and come in dark colors might just shrink you down, and that’s the opposite of what you want. Be careful that you don’t make yourself look blocky, stocky, and stout - use common sense and pay attention to the proportions you’re creating. A hem above the knee works, and so does one that nearly hits the floor (like this - our Cleopatra skirt). Hem high or low - pick one, depending on what you prefer and, more importantly, on works on your body. And if you’re in the mood, and you think it works on your body to vary up the volume and symmetry, play with some differently shaped hemlines (like we do).
2. Shoe rules: First, no black straps across the ankle, they cut off your leg line. Second, go with tan and nude colors that visually elongate the leg. And third, avoid thick platforms and excessive strappiness if you have thicker legs or heavier lower body proportions in general.
3. Color-blocking as a strategy: What rule does everybody know? “Black is slimming.” That one has been echoed through generations, so it’s technically color-for-length 101. But you can do more. For example, wear garments with streamlined-shapes (long sleeves, boat necklines, A-line skirts and dresses, etc., as opposed to ruffles and buckles) in neutral colors. Those shades add texture while also allowing pieces to visually blend into one another, for extra, streamlined organization that can give the illusion of length.
Wear vertical lines; avoid horizontal ones, and especially thick and horizontal ones. Pinstripes are usually elongating, too. Additionally, when your top is a different color from the bottom of your outfit, make sure the bottom of the top ends well below your belly button. And, of course, when using darker colors to look leaner and longer, always avoid complicating your silhouette with too many extra accessories and clothing items. (If your shadow would have many smooth lines, from the front, sides, and back - you’re on track.)
Those are easy tips that you can put to use right away. Extra high, Dolly-Parton-style hair is unnecessary, really. All you have to do is play with proportion (through hemlines), wear the right shoes (follow those rules - the base of your new-found height is crucially important!), and employ a little strategic geometry (via color). Do those things, and you’ll be well on your way to looking taller. Oh, and don’t forget your posture! Stand up straight, core strong and pulled in slightly, chest lifted, shoulders back and down, and head held high. After all, life is a runway - from day-to-day to the dance floor.
