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Do you always carry around a gym bag with the same workout clothes and socks you had on recently? Do you re-wear them and exercise in them too? If you answered yes to either question or both, then you should stop. It’s very detrimental to your body. And the thought of someone wearing their sweat again… gross.  Here are 4 points on why it’s bad to re-wear the same sweaty workout clothes and socks. 1. YOUR SKIN GETS FILLED WITH ACNE Sweaty workout clothes and socks can block pores, forming acne all around your back, legs, and shoulders. It’s enough that we suffer from acne as teenagers, but do we need them on our body too? That’s what happens if you put on the same workout clothes and socks over and over again.   Just like your face, your body can have clogged pores that produce outbreaks (aka, the evil pimples). The dirt, sweat, and bacteria on your clothing block pores from releasing dead skin cells. This causes acne to form. Other than your face, you may find them scattered around your upper back, legs, and shoulders. Blemishes are like that annoying friend that never leaves you alone. They pop out of nowhere! 2. SWEATY CLOTHES CAN LEAD TO YEAST INFECTIONS The moisture from your re-worn gym clothes and socks can boost yeast infection. Yeast infection is another reason not to repeat the same pieces of clothing after a workout.   Yeast is a fungus that’s naturally found in small quantities inside and around your body. It helps in aiding your digestive and immune systems to do their jobs right. However, it can go out of control, putting your health in danger. The moisture from the re-worn clothes and socks boosts yeast activity on your skin. Skin irritations arise as a result. You can avoid it if you change your clothes the next time you work out. 3. BODY ODOR ARISES Exercising in the same workout clothes might make birds fall out of the sky. Credits: GIPHY Some of the bacteria swimming on your outfit can develop odors as they’re growing. Your body produced them when you perspired in your shirt, pants, underwear, and socks the first time round. Well yeah, you can’t expect bacteria to have wings and take off from your clothes. They’re going to stick around until you put your sweaty clothes and socks in the wash. 4. SWEATY SOCKS CAN GET YOU ATHLETE’S FOOT Tight shoes and sweaty socks can lead to athlete’s foot.  Athlete’s foot is another reason to avoid wearing sticky socks.   An athlete’s foot is a contagious fungal infection that affects the skin of your feet. One of its culprits is sweaty feet, triggered by tight shoes and wet socks. They make an excellent environment for warmth and wetness. This causes an athlete’s foot, which is hard to treat. You can still avoid getting it by changing your socks daily. Do you now understand why you shouldn’t re-wear sweaty and icky workout clothes and socks? 1. Acne can develop, 2. Yeast infection can rise, 3. The B.O. will kill birds, and 4. An athlete’s foot can emerge, which is hard to treat.  Pick up other exercising tips from Sikasok. If you want to strengthen your feet, click here from some foot exercises. If you’re interested in running, we have the ultimate 101 guide right here.

Winter nights are the best times to stay warm and cozy. To set up the whole mood, you put on your thickest pajamas and socks. Fun fact: Socks don’t only keep you warm but also healthy! Mind blown, right?  Here are 4 reasons why you should start sleeping with socks all the time. 1. SOCKS HELP YOU FALL ASLEEP FASTER Socks put you right to sleep by warming up your feet. You may have always thought that sleeping with socks on can overheat your feet. Not at all. When you go to bed with socks on, your feet and hands warm up and your blood vessels widen, known as vasodilation. Your skin then gives off heat and assists in lowering the body temperature. This is your body’s way of telling you that you will pass out. The warmer the skin gets, the faster you fall asleep. To initiate vasodilation, put on cashmere or merino wool socks. They put you right to sleep with their thick fibers that warm up your feet. Air gaps will cool your feet down after getting heated. 2. SOCKS IMPROVE CIRCULATION Wearing socks while sleeping increases blood flow in your feet and improves circulation. Good circulation means healthy blood and steady oxygen movements. This boosts the functionality of your muscles, lungs, and heart. 3. SOCKS REDUCE RAYNAUD’S DISEASE Socks reduce Raynaud’s disease by regulating your vessels and circulation.  If you sleep without socks on in winter, you may get Raynaud’s disease. Don’t let “disease” scare you. It doesn’t put your life in danger. Raynaud’s disease alters your blood vessels and circulation, causing your toes to turn blue. This all occurs because you’re cold when you’re asleep. You’ll slowly turn into a Na’vi from “Avatar” over time. And no, that’s not awesome. There’s a simple solution to avoid Raynaud’s—socks. They regulate your vessels and circulation, thus stopping Raynaud’s and keeping your feet warm. 4. SOCKS HELP IN STOPPING HOT FLUSHES Socks generate vasodilation during hot flushes, putting you right to sleep. When you go through menopause, sleeping can become nerve-racking. You can’t sleep because of hot flushes, a sharp sense of heat that comes out of the blue due to hormonal changes. Sleeping with socks on generates vasodilation that can help you fall asleep faster. If you want a healthy way to fall asleep, then put on socks. Why? Because 1. They help you fall asleep faster, 2. They improve circulation, 3. They prevent Raynaud’s disease, and 4. They prevent hot flushes. Check out more from Sikasok for other foot care tips.

Ingrown toenails are the worst. Your big toes suffer from big red bumps, nails growing into the skin, and a continuous pressing by your shoes and socks. You want to get rid of it so badly, but you’re also scared of having them removed and end up with missing nails. Avoid all that and ease the pain by treating your infected toenails with the 7 treatments listed below. 1. TRIM YOUR TOENAILS PROPERLY Trim your toenails straight across to prevent ingrown toenails. One of the common causes of ingrown toenails is the way you cut your toenails. If they’re not cut properly, they’ll grow in the wrong direction and cause pain. Trim your nails straight across often to avoid getting an ingrown toenail. Never cut them short, rounded, or pointed.  If you’re having a hard time cutting toenails yourself, then leave it to nail technicians. They can carefully cut off the nail going into the skin with medical pedicures. Visit them once a month, they’ll also provide you with other foot care treatments. 2. SOAK YOUR FEET IN WATER AND SALT Soak your feet in warm water and Epsom salts to loosen the pain and pressure off your ingrown toenails. Another way to treat ingrown toenails is by soaking them in a basin filled with warm water and Epsom salts. This treatment relieves your infected toenail from pain and pressure. Place your feet in the water for 15 minutes and repeat 2 to 4 times a day. Make sure to dry your feet right away.  3. USE ANTIBIOTIC OINTMENTS After soaking your feet, add antibiotic ointments on your infected toe to decrease redness, swelling, and pain. Apply 2 to 4 times a day as well. Consult a specialist to prescribe one for you. 4. WEAR BIGGER SHOES  Getting the wrong shoe size can be hazardous to your big toes. If you don’t know your proper size, measure your feet and get the right size to save your toes from pain. Some people go for bigger shoe sizes, and that’s okay too. Bigger shoes allow you to wiggle your toes and add space away from your shoes’ tips to ward off tight pressings. Your big toe can scream “HALLELUJAH!” instead of “OUCH!”. Credits: Tenor Don’t only think about shoe sizes. Think about the shape of your foot and the type of shoes you are wearing. Wearing shoes that are not designed for your foot type can worsen your toes’ conditions. Take the wet test to know the appropriate shoes needed for your feet. 5. THERMAL SOCKS HELP SOOTHE INGROWN TOENAILS Wear thermal socks to reduce the chances of getting ingrown toenails. Credits: Left – Pinterest; Right – Pinterest. We know what you might be thinking after reading this. “Are thermal socks the type of socks that place fever on your feet?” You can put it that way.  Thermal socks reduce the likelihood of your feet becoming cold. Their wooly fabric adds heat to your feet to absorb moisture and keep a constant body temperature. The more your feet are warm, the less the chances of getting ingrown toenails. We know it’ll be hard to wear them in summer, but this is what you may need to do if you want to rid the possibility of infecting your toenails. 6. FOR DIABETICS: WEAR THERAPEUTIC SHOES Therapeutic shoes increase blood flow that avoid infections in your toenails. Credits: Pinterest. Therapeutic shoes help those with diabetes holding a damaged nervous system. If you have diabetes, you are at risk of getting infections and a great deal of pain in your feet and toes. With the shoes on, you’ll increase blood flow and protect your skin from injuries. 7. PUT ON SANDALS TO LET YOUR TOES BREATHE Wear sandals with adjustable straps to relief your infected toenails. Another tip to treat infected toenails is wearing sandals. Let them be open in the front to let your toes breathe. The sandals should have adjustable straps to fix the footwear to your liking and comfort.  If you never want to experience having ingrown toenails (or ever again if you’ve had them), then you must do the following: 1. Follow a daily foot care routine, 2. Wear comfortable shoes, 3. Wear thermal socks, 4. Wear therapeutic shoes if you’re diabetic, and 5. Wear sandals.  Follow more foot care tips from Sikasok to make your feet smile.