They've carried you everywhere from your first day of school through this morning's walk or run. Pretty much everything else about your body has changed in that time, so it's little wonder that your feet also undergo some alterations, both subtle and not-so-much, as you age. snip 1. Fat vanishes. Mother nature provides humans with built-in insoles—collagen and elastin cushions, stuffed with adipose tissue, on the bottoms of your feet. But in a cruel twist on the middle-age spread, collagen production decreases through the years, thinning these fat pads. snip 2. Arthritis appears. Your feet boast more than 30 joints, all of which can degenerate with age, Cosculluela says. Arthritis most commonly strikes the big toe or the midfoot joints on the top of your foot. Besides pain, you might feel stiffness in the morning that improves once you get moving, then worsens again at night. Shoe inserts, exercises to increase range of motion, and losing weight if you're heavy may help, snip 3. Toes curl up. And we don't mean in that sexy, between-the-sheets kind of way. Years of stuffing your piggies into high heels elevates your risk of hammertoes, permanent bends in your smaller digits. What can start as mild discomfort turns more painful over time, and unsightly corns and calluses can also crop up as your crooked toes rub against your shoes. snip 4. Circulation slows. Diabetes, vein disease, and other conditions more common with age can slow the blood flow to your feet, Shapiro says. That makes each cut from stepping on a sharp object or new-shoe blister slower to heal. Combine that with nerve damage—which often goes hand in hand with the same health conditions—and you might not even notice a worsening infection, resulting in an ulcer that just won't heal. snip 5. Tendons tighten. Not as limber in yoga class these days? One reason: The water content in your tendons declines with age, stiffening the cords in your ankles, among other places. Not only can this interfere with Downward Dog, it also places you at greater risk for tears and ruptures, Haber says. snip 6. Ligaments lengthen. On the flip side, other connective tissues called ligaments can stretch out over time, leaving your arch aching and your foot flatter. What's more, the sensors that typically alert your brain that your ligaments are overstretching—think of them like backup sensors for your joints—start to go on the fritz. This throws you off balance and leaves you prone to a recurring cycle of ankle sprains. snip 7. Skin dries out. Besides cushioning the bottom of your feet, collagen also plumps up your skin. A shrinking supply leaves your tootsies parched and prone to dryness and cracking. snip http://www.prevention.com/health/what-ag...es-to-your-feet
"If we have no idea what our institutions are doing we have no hope of reforming them." Julian Assange *** "Maybe God is trying to tell us something important- that now is not the time for a “nice Christian guy” or a “gentleman” or a typical Republican powder puff. Maybe now is the time for a natural born killer, a ruthless fighter, a warrior. Because right about now we need a miracle, or America is finished. Maybe the rules of gentleman don’t apply here. Maybe a gentleman and “all-around nice Christian” would lead us to slaughter." Wayne Allyn Root