I have a lovely pair of gold, sparkly shoes from Next that come with a five-inch heel.
There are some days I can wear them without any major hassle or damage done to my long-suffering feet.
And then there are others, like a wedding that I went to recently, where at the end of the night, my other half had to carry me into the taxi.
My feet were sad; swollen and battered – I had been on them for ten hours straight in shoes that had essentially TURNED on me.
So what did I do wrong?
According to Linda Kuo from Dancers Unlimited, these are the rules to follow if you’re planning on wearing heels for a long period of time. And especially, if you plan on dancing in them.
1. Before you strap on your heels, stretch.
I never think of doing this! But Kuo says that hours of wearing heels will give your feet, thighs and calves an exhausting workout, so why wouldn’t we stretch first?!
2. Get your posture right
Getting your posture right in heels can be tricky as the height of them essentially forces your entire body to lean forward. Kuo recommends rolling your shoulders back and pulling your core in and up.
“When you pull up from your center,” she says, “there’s less pressure on your knees.”
(My poor knees took enough pressure with those two pregnancies I had as it is!)
3. Make like a model and lead with your hips
This is also called ‘Walking with attitude’ and I love it. Even though I rarely get to wear high heels these days, when I do – I WORK it! Kuo says just to make sure you walk in a straight line, with one foot following the other.
Do you get to wear high heels much at all these days, mamas? Let us know in the comments in Facebook!
