Wearing heels is definitely in fashion, I have a few pairs too. But if you’ve used them for a long period of time, you know how incredibly painful it can be. Sometimes I think to myself, well, maybe this is the price of beauty. And it seems I’m not alone, as a survey by the American Podiatric Medical Association showed that more than 42 percent of women will continue to wear heels even if it caused a lot of pain and foot problems. So if you can’t, or won’t, avoid wearing high heels, here are some helpful tips to at least survive.
Tips for wearing high heels
- Buy shoes in the late afternoon, as your feet swell throughout the day from the pressure on your feet. Buying shoes too early in the morning could result in shoes that are too tight. Make sure your toes can move inside your shoes, as squeezing them together can lead to painful bunions and hammer toes.
- Divide your shoes first by wearing them around the house before wearing them to work or on a date. In this way your feet get used to wearing them.
- When you first start wearing heels, don’t wear stilettos right away. Instead, work your way up, so to speak, starting with kitten heels or wedge sandals before sliding into extremely high heels.
- Make wearing stilettos as comfortable as possible by using toe pads to reduce the amount of stress placed on the balls of your feet.
- Miss J Alexander of America’s Next Top Model probably gives the best advice on how to stay comfortable even in heels. The runway diva tells that the secret to wearing high heels is that “when and where you can, sit, sit, sit.”
How to walk correctly in high heels
- Walking in killer heels is all about balance that comes from a strong core. So do some core strengthening exercises regularly if you don’t want to fall flat on your face.
- Always keep a soft knee. According to experts, bending the knee when walking in heels activates the knee stabilizers for balance.
- Be aware of your posture. Try to keep your spine aligned by pushing your shoulders back a bit and engaging your lower abs.
- Trade your long strides for small, confident strides. Sure, it seems like supermodels glide down the runway, but there are so many more surfaces you walk on in real life. By keeping your steps small, it keeps you stable even in high heels.