There’s one essential must-have, must-take-with-me-when-I-travel item that I get tons of questions about. When I wear my Buff people look at me…….and then ask a question. But with Yoga toes, very few people actually see me using them because I’m home or in a hotel room when I use them. Whenever I talk about Yoga toes people are curious. So let’s dig in and see what they do, why there are benefits to Yoga toes, and what makes them MY secret to happy travels!
So let’s answer the most asked question: what’s the big deal about Yoga toes?
First let’s start with some humor. I actually had a woman ask me, “Can’t you just put marbles, or grapes, or something between your toes?” I suppose you could, but my answer to her was, “Why would you want to when you can use Yoga toes?”
Are You a Candidate for Yoga Toes?
There are two types of people who are drawn to using Yoga toes. There are those who suffer from sore, tired feet. Are you on your feet all day and need relief? Do you suffer from bunions, hammertoes, or plantar fascitis? If so, you’re an ideal candidate for Yoga toes.
The other person who benefits fits my profile. I’m always working towards healthy and happy feet! I have healthy feet; however, I’m super active, and especially when I travel, I walk A LOT. At home, I easily get my 10,000 steps a day, and when I travel I’ll usually bump that up to 7-10 miles a day.
And often that includes going up and down hills (you’ve been to Lisbon, correct?). At the end of the day, comes my feet appreciation time and on go the Yoga toes.
What Exactly ARE Yoga Toes?
Yoga toes, or as they are often called toe stretchers, are made of gel and look similar to the foam toe separators used by pedicurists. Yoga toes are rubbery toe separators that separate the toes from each other, away from the ball of the foot and down from the top of the foot.
They are designed to affect the muscles of the feet much like a workout or massage affects other parts of your body. To use Yoga toes, all you have to do is insert your toes into the slits and wear them while passively lying or sitting down.
Yoga toes does all the work while you rest!
The goal is to stretch and strengthen the muscles in your feet. This will reduce the amount of stress placed on your feet during your daily activities. You’ll find that the added strength in your feet will make a world of difference, allowing you to stand, walk, or run with more stamina and more ease.
If you work on your feet most of the day, this will be a very welcome change indeed! Your foot flexibility will increase and you’ll rarely get tired while on your feet. I probably don’t give Yoga toes enough credit for my ability to walk miles and miles when I travel.
Yoga Toes: The Manual
How to wear them
Just a small reminder: it’s normal to feel some discomfort the first time you use Yoga toes. For many, this will be the case the first few times you use them. That being said, if you feel the need to take them off after a few minutes, then by all means, do so. It’s completely normal to start slowly and build your way up to longer usage times. Eventually your muscles will get used to it and you’ll look forward to putting them on.
How often should you wear them
As long as you’re not standing, you can wear Yoga toes. As I mentioned earlier, they’re great to use while doing anything sedentary. You can even wear them overnight if you’d like. There is no downside to wearing Yoga toes for as long as you feel comfortable.
General care and cleaning
Yoga toes are made of a non-porous plastic and gel combination. This makes them resistant to dirt and also easy to clean. Mild soaps and sanitizers will easily do the trick. They can also be put in the dishwasher if you’d like. Even after years of use, mine are still in great condition.
Benefits of Yoga toes
- Helps you recover from foot strain, stress, and pain.
- Increases your foot flexibility, strength and the appearance of your feet.
Improves circulation throughout your lower body. - Reduces the pain and discomfort of bunions, plantar fascitis, and hammertoes.
- Improve posture by re-aligning the toes (especially helpful if you wear uncomfortable shoes all day).
- Reduces the risk of a foot related injury.
Other interesting features
- BPA Free
- Hypo-allergenic
- Durable and will last many years
- Designed and made in the United States
Yoga Toes and Your Health
Although there are many foot care doctors who recommend Yoga toes to their patients, most are reluctant to verify claims by the manufacturers that the product will cure bunions, hammertoes and other foot ailments. However, I find that most doctors agree that toe stretchers do not pose any significant potential health risks and can help alleviate these problems.
If you have any concerns, I would speak to your physician before using toe stretchers to treat any of the above foot conditions.
Final Thoughts
I’ve been using Yoga toes for well over ten years already, so I probably take the benefits for granted. I never travel without them and figure it’s a small investment in my well-being that pays a big dividend. I also know that when I recommend them and people buy and use them, they are pleasantly surprised by how such a simple device can make such a difference.
Have you used Yoga toes or some other toe stretcher? What’s keeping you from giving your feet such a great gift? Or gifting these to someone else who might benefit 🙂
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