Oh, Heel Yes! 10 Interesting Foot Facts

Feet. The greatest support for humanity. Put one foot in front of the other, and every day you're [...]

Feet. The greatest support for humanity. Put one foot in front of the other, and every day you're taken on wild journeys and fantastic adventures. With 26 different bones in each and thousands of sweat glands, the feet are complex parts of the body that can tell you a whole lot about your health. How much do you really know about them?

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1. Steps: The average person takes 10,000 steps per day. Averaged out over a lifetime? That equates to around 115,000 miles.

2. Toenails: Toenails grow much slower than fingernails do. Some scientists hypothesize that this is because fingers are exposed to more bumps, scrapes and other minor cuts that stimulate nail growth. The toes, however, are safely wrapped in socks and tucked inside shoes, protecting the toenails from these minor traumas.

3. Sweat glands: Each foot has around 250,000 of them, and those glands produce enough sweat each day to fill a half pint glass. When that sweat and bacteria get trapped in socks, it produces some nasty scents. Luckily, Odor Eaters holds The Rotten Sneaker Contest each year. The smelliest wins $2,500.

4. Runners: The pressure on the feet when running can be as much as four times the runner's weight.

>> Click here to learn about the most common ailments of runners.

5. Foot problems. Women experience aches, pains and problems in the feet four times as much as men do. This is probably due to the wide array of shoe options available to women (hello, stilettos). On the same note, nine out of 10 women wear shoes that are too small for their feet. Click here to learn how to give yourself a foot massage.

thin thighs heels

>> Read more: Get Long, Lean Legs: 4 Thigh-Thinning Workouts [VIDEO]

6. Bones: Twenty-five percent of all the bones in the human body are located in the feet. These strong body parts are made up of 26 bones, 33 joints, 107 ligaments and 19 muscles.

7. Toe-to-hand surgeries: Even though the range of motion between fingers and toes is wildly different, a toe could replace a finger if needed. It is usually the big toe that replaces the thumb.

8. The first shoes? In cold weather, people living during the Stone Age would wrap animal hides around their feet to preserve the body's heat and provide protection for their toes. Research now shows that early humans were wearing shoes as far back as 40,000 years ago.

9. Buying shoes: The American Podiatric Medical Association advises that shopping for shoes (or animal hides) is best done in the afternoon. This is because feet tend to swell during the day, and it is best to buy shoes that will fit feet at their largest.

10. Butterflies: These beautiful winged creatures have taste sensors in their feet, says the San Diego Zoo, which allows them to taste leaves and figure out if they want to lay their eggs there. If they do, their caterpillars will surely be able to eat the leaves later on.

Sources: Jensen Foot and Ankle Specialist and Foot.com

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