5 things you should know about your feet

Do you take good care of your feet? Footwear company Naot wants to know. Their mission is to provide women with shoes that are comfortable and healthy for their feet, but also stylish. "Stop committing foot suicide," says Corinne Lissoos, president of the Canadian distributor of Naot shoes. "You’re most beautiful when you’re comfortable."

Here are 5 things you should know about your feet, courtesy of Naot:

1. Your feet strike the ground an average of 1,800 times over the course of walking one mile, according to Dr. Ben Kim, a chiropractor and acupuncurist from Barrie, Ont. The average person walks five miles a day, translating to 8,000 to 10,000 steps per day.

2. Each one of our feet is made up of 26 bones, 33 joints, 107 tendons and 19 muscles.

3. Shoes with pointed toes, thin soles and spike heels cause crowding of the toes and increased pressure, which can lead to corns, calluses and neuroma (pinched nerve) problems in the foot.

4. Also according to Dr. Kim, women have about four times as many foot problems as men—mainly due to wearing high heels.

5. When are feet aren’t happy, neither are we, according to the Public Health Agency of Canada. Foot problems can alter the way we walk and stand and lead to secondary problems such as leg cramps, knee pain and backaches.

What’s the state of your feet? Do you choose comfortable shoes, or do you suffer for the sake of fashion? And is it possible to have both?