Taking Care of Your Feet

Perhaps the most important thing to keep well maintained in the security industry is one's feet. Hours of standing and walking can take a damaging toll on your money makers. Without your feet, you cannot work. You can't stand, walk, or if need be, run. One needs to take care of their feet.


Here are a few tips and habits to get into that will make your daily life more pleasant as a security officer:

  • Get properly fit duty Boots. Remember, your feet will swell through the day. Wait till the end of the day to buy shoes, as THAT is yor true shoe size if you work security. Test your boots in the store for at least 5 minutes before you buy, and be sure of the return policy.
  • Be picky. Try on a couple of pairs of the same boot. Take the one pair that does not rub.
  • Make sure you test boots with the socks you intend to wear. (They better be black!)
  • Cushion socks are great, but make sure they breath.
  • Foot powder every morning with a medicated powder. Reduces friction.
  • Take spare socks to work. Change them at lunch. You will feel better at the end of the day. Your feet will smell better end of the day.
  • Have callouses? Get a foot file and use it. You will feel a difference, and your feet will be prettier.
  • Keep your toe nails trimmed. Walking and standing patrols means quick nail growth from the circulation it creates. This keeps socks from wearing out at the toes.
  • If you spend money on one item, spend it on GOOD insoles. If you are spending less than $15 bucks on insoles, you are kinda wasting money.
  • Do not stack insoles, it puts your feet at the wrong angle and kills your arch. Instead, remove old insoles and put new insoles in. The shape of the insole does a job for your arch... stack them, your feet will rub, be at a bad angle, and your arch will not be supported correctly. Guards making the mistake of stacking insoles end up at the doctors office with stress fractures.
  • Pull insoles out occasionally to air out for a day.
  • Once a month, save $25 dollars and get a pedicure. Male or Female, it feels great. Usually a good pedicure is done while you are in a massage chair for 30 minutes... bonus.
  • Get Epson salts and a foot tub, do once a week if not more, feels great, and helps kill any bacteria from foot sweat.
  • Don't walk around barefoot outdoors or take risks with your feet. Once cut on the bottom and your shift just became miserable.
  • Whether or not you ever get athletes foot, rub athletes foot creme into your feet once a week. It may smell strange but it kills bacteria, keeps your foots PH in balance, and is actually very soothing.
  • Wear the bottoms of pantyhose under your socks. Prevents friction. (Hiker trick)
  • Find a boyfriend or girlfriend that love to rub feet.
  • Always have band aids, moleskin, and spare shoe laces in your duty bag.

We hope you found these tips helpful. A security officer with a good routine for their feet has more energy at the end of the day.