I don’t remember the exact story, but it involved a med student visiting me at work to discuss the ins and outs of foot care (it was a phase of my life where I began to learn more about the importance of our feet and how to look after them, but that’s another story). During the discussion, the student brought up a scary situation that occurred during the Summer at his school. As it turns out, there were a few kids in his podiatry rotation who got stuck in giant pods because they could not adjust to the oppressive heat. For those who haven’t been in a pod for a couple years (and who haven’t been in on the tough skin care routine, which, I highly suggest, read this post) they are basically golf balls. It sounds pretty awful, I know, but it was, at first, a big shock. For me, though, the shock quickly turned to awestruck awe. Why had I never thought about this! How had I never done this?

Since then, I’ve tried to keep these pods out of the extreme heat — though, this summer was a different story. I went through my routine like a yogi, strategically placing ice packs on the blister to keep it as painless as possible. I also started to follow these tips:

Drink lots of water to keep your circulation up (and your condensation-y feet from freezing!)

Dehydrate your feet by consuming water, sports drinks, or anything else that will encourage your liver to dispose of waste more easily

Turn off all electronics before entering a pod, or on days where the room is REALLY hot, try not to look at your feet for a few minutes

With so many things going on at the moment, I always feel like I’m overthinking things, so I’m probably in it for the long haul. But, if this is something you’re thinking about doing, I think it’s very important that you get it taken care of. Otherwise, you’re setting yourself up for one big disappointment!