heels do wrong.
Most people who wear high heels walk in them the same way as if they
were in flats, heel to toe. When you put all of your weight on the
narrow heel you inevitably end up with the typical ankle wobble which
can lead to sore ankles, or worse a sprained ankle. In order to properly
walk in high heels, and especially stiletto heels, you need to walk toe
to heel. Now, in an ideal world you could do this. In reality you want
to have your toes touch down right after the heel. If you are putting
more than about 10% of your weight on the heel while walking then you
are doing it wrong.
The way to learn to do this is to start barefoot. While you are
standing, try raising up onto the balls of your feet. Now, try to walk
on the balls of your feet. It will probably take a few weeks of regular
practice to build up your calf muscles enough to support your weight.
Once you have gotten to the point where you can walk all around your
house this way, you are ready to put on a pair of high heels. When you
first stand in the heels, stand the same way that I mentioned earlier,
with all of your weight on the balls of your feet and little or none on
the heels. Now practice walking like this while wearing your heels. Keep
your steps very short so you can keep the weight off of the heels. As
you grow accustomed to walking in the heels you can gradually increase
the length of your stride.
Another thing that you need to watch out for is many people walk with
their legs too far apart. If you walk like that, your weight is actually
focused to the side of your shoes and not over them. This also
contributes to sore ankles because you are constantly having to counter
balance your weight using your ankles. You need to keep your feet as
close to center line as possible when walking in heels.
The way to learn to keep your feet close to centerline is to find a
curb, any curb will do. Practice walking the curb like a balance beam
(in flats at first). When you can walk the curb in a normal stride
without losing your balance or looking down, you are ready to move on to
practicing while wearing heels. When you can comfortably do this in
heels, you have mastered keeping your feet centered. Now you are keeping
your weight balanced over your feet instead of to the side of them.
Remember this when walking in your heels and you will do fine. There is
another side effect of this technique. You will have achieved that walk
that will have all the guys checking you out as you walk by. ;)
The next thing to watch out for is taking steps that are too long. If
you try to walk in a normal flat-footed stride you are placing your feet
where you have no choice but to place all of your weight on your heels.
Shorten your stride. Think baby steps. Go for shorter, faster steps if
you want to maintain a faster pace. Remember - toe to heel, not heel to toe.
Stairs can be fun in heels, especially for those of us that have larger
feet. Your entire foot simply can't fit on the step. When ascending
stairs, walk up them on the balls of your feet, just like you practiced
when you were starting out. Don't even try to put your heels on the
stairs. When descending stairs, I have found that it is best to turn
slightly sideways so that your entire foot comes down on the step flat.
If you have larger feet, your toes will not sit on the step and you
certainly can't balance your weight on a stiletto heel very easily.
Also, don't be afraid to use the hand rail. There's nothing less sexy
than falling down the stairs on your face when you mis-step.
Rocks, loose gravel, and grass present an interesting challenge -
especially when wearing stilettos. But, if you were paying attention to
what I said earlier you will have no trouble at all. Simply shift your
weight to the balls of your feet and shorten your stride. I can walk
across a freshly watered lawn in 4" stilettos and not even sink in 1/4"
with my heels. I love the look on people's faces because they are
expecting to see me sink in and have trouble walking in these conditions.
Now for the next problem with high heels, no cushioning for your feet.
Almost all flat shoes have some sort of cushioning built into them. High
heel shoes, for some unknown reason, do not. The best solution here is
to hit your local shoe store or shoe department and look for cushioned
inserts. These days you can find inserts that are designed for open toe
shoes, open back shoes, even strappy sandals that won't be noticeable
when you have the shoes on. These inserts will help relieve the soreness
in the balls of your feet if you have to stand in heels for any length
of time.
I hope these tips help you learn to properly walk in heels.
No comments:
Post a Comment