Your parents probably taught you where your feet were by the time you were a year old; the result of this early learning is that most people never think twice about their feet once they have grown up. They never study them or consider them at all. However, there are many facts about your feet that are interesting and startling if you take the time to look into them. Learning about them can help you:
- Appreciate your body
- Understand human anatomy
- See the fun and intriguing side of something everyone takes for granted
Below are some of the best facts that you may never have heard before.
25 Percent of the Human Body’s Bones are in the Feet
While the rest of your skeleton may be far larger, and contribute much more mass, your feet contain a quarter of all of your bones. For such a small surface area, this is an incredible percentage.
On Average, You Take 10,000 Steps Daily
Over the course of your life, you will put your feet through enough steps to cover roughly 115,000 miles. If you walked that in a straight line, you would circle the globe four times.
250,000 Sweat Glands Cover the Average Pair of Feet
Have you ever wondered why your socks smell so bad? The answer could be that you are really sweating at an incredible rate in those socks, thanks to the quarter of a million sweat glands on your feet alone.
Those Glands Create Half a Pint of Sweat
Speaking of sweat, those glands on your feet certainly are busy. On average, they will produce half a pint of sweat. What makes this really astounding is that they do that every single day.
Your Feet May Support More than 400 Pounds When You Run
Even if you only weigh 100 pounds, your feet will be taxed with about four times your weight when you run. They have to support this weight with each step. It is no surprise that runners need to take care of their bodies with supportive running shoes; your feet are probably doing a lot more work than you thought they were.
You Should Buy Shoes in the Afternoon
If you are looking for a new pair of shoes, get them after lunch. Your feet will swell more in the afternoon than during any other part of the day, so your shoes will be the right size.
Toenails Can Have Growth Spurts
If you are pregnant, your toenails are growing more quickly than they were when you were not pregnant. They also grow quickly when you are a teenager or when you’re out in hot weather.
As you can see, the feet are a mystery to most people simply because they have known about them for so long. How many of those facts did you know off of the top of your head? As these facts about your feet prove, the human body really is an amazing thing.
Sam Moser is a freelance web content writer who graduated from the School of Journalism at Ryerson University in Toronto, Canada. In the last 3 years, Sam has been trying to learn more about the human feet, and has also visited toenail fungus laser removal clinics in Houston so as to learn more about how our feet are affected by fungal infections.
Interesting, I did not know that your feet swell in the afternoon. Something to keep in mind next time O go shoe shopping.