High Heel exercise tips

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High heels keep your calf muscles slightly contracted,
make your bottom stick out, visually elongate the leg
and create a sexy walk. For all of these reasons,
wearing high heels is the best way to model your
legs.They tone calf and thigh muscles: Jason Henry, a
London-based fitness trainer, says walking in heels
alters your center of gravity, training your legs to
produce muscle, especially in the calves and thighs. In
heels, you will basically be doing what amounts to a full
day of calf raises. Now you know why Shauna Sand,
always in clear stripper shoes, has such nice legs.

Warning: Don't over do wearing heels for doing so can
permanently shorten your calf muscles. Avoid strain by
not walking more then two miles at a time in heels and
keep heels under two inches, unless you're a working
exotic dancer.

Look for:
A wider heel the diameter of a quarter.
A shorter heel 3 inches or under.
make sure the shoe has good support for the ball and
arch of the foot.
find a pair that is comfortable and don't sacrifice your
comfort for fashion.
Stay away from:
Skinny heels smaller than a nickel in diameter.
Tall heels over 3 inches should never be wore for 2
long but they are sexy

Cheaply made shoes with little or no support, which will
lead to back and leg pain

No matter how great they look or how good they make
you feel, there's risk associated with your favourite
high heels. We love wearing them, but darn it, why
can't they be more comfortable?

High heels prop us into an unnatural stance that puts
extra pressure on the ball of the foot, shortens the
Achilles tendon at the back of the ankle, tightens the
calf muscles, and can cause a whole array of foot,
ankle and even back problems. If you consider that we
log thousands of miles in our lifetime, and that our feet
provide the support through the journey, it's no
wonder they can sometimes pipe up in painful protest.

Since sneakers don't exactly complement your favorite
summer dresses, why not arm yourself with some foot
sense, and walk away with happier, healthier high-heel
appeal?

Here are 4 high-heel hints to keep the spring in your
summer steps.

1. Tendon tightness
The Achilles tendon is the thick, strong tendon at the
back of your foot that connects your calf muscle to
your ankle bone and while it can withstand high forces,
it's also injury prone. If you frequently wear high heels,
you risk shortening and tightening calf muscles and
the Achilles tendon because your heels have limited
contact with the ground -- which aids in stretching both
areas.

High heel help: Regularly stretch your calves and
Achilles tendons, especially once you've stepped out of
your stilettos.

Calf stretch: Standing about a foot from a wall, extend
one leg behind you, keeping both feet flat on the floor.
Point toes toward wall and keep rear knee straight.
Move your hips forward, keeping lower back flat. Lean
into the wall until you feel tension in the calf muscle of
the extended leg.

Achilles stretch: Begin in the same position as above,
but slowly bend the knee of the extended leg. As your
hips lower, keep both heels in contact with the floor
and you should feel a slight stretch in the Achilles
tendon of the extended leg.

***Hold all stretches for 10 to 30 seconds or until
tension releases. If pain or discomfort is felt, release
the stretch.

2. Toe box-ing
With most high heels, fashion overrides function, either
compressing the toes or forcing them together, which
results in blisters, corns, bunions and many other
medical conditions, some of which may require
surgery. Morton's neuroma is caused by a thickening
of tissue around a nerve between the third and fourth
toes. High heel use can bring about this condition
through irritation and excessive pressure on the ball of
the foot. This stubborn condition is made better with
orthotics, cortisone injections and sometimes surgery.
In this situation, prevention is surely the key.

High heel help: First off, limit the amount of time that
you wear high heels. When you're in shoes, try to wear
heels only half the time. Spend the rest of the time
barefoot; in supportive, flat-soled shoes; or in good
athletic shoes.

When you purchase high heels, follow these helpful
guidelines:

Buy the right size. Your feet get longer and wider as
you age so if it's been a while, have your size
remeasured. Stand during the measure so you capture
your weight-bearing size.

Fit also by feel. Sizes can vary from one manufacturer
to another and from one style to another. If your
normal size 9 feels tight, go bigger.

Big foot wins out. Many of us have one foot that is
larger. If so, buy for the big foot so comfort wins out.

Late day expansion. Your feet swell during the day, so
buy later, since a shoe that feels fine when you try it on
in the morning could feel tight that afternoon.

3. Foot fall-ies
Have you ever fallen off your shoe? The position of the
foot in the heels and an often narrow heel width can
cause the ankle to become unstable, resulting in ankle
sprains or worse -- not to mention the embarrassment
of picking yourself up off the ground.

High heel help: If you tend to be off balance, choose
shoes with a wider heel, or avoid ankle straps in favour
of a full heel. If you love the spikey, strappy models
that put you at risk for a foot fall, try this balancing
exercise to strengthen the muscles in your feet and
ankles.

Alphabet foot: Stand barefoot, balancing on your right
foot. Relax this foot and maintain contact with your big
toe, little toe and heel while you "air draw" the alphabet
with your other leg. The varying positions of your
moving leg will force you to test your balance on the
support foot, thereby strengthening those muscles in
multitudes of movement patterns..4. Biting back
High heels shift our centre of gravity forward, causing
the spine to bend backward to compensate. Is it any
wonder that a long day standing in high heels causes
low back pain?

High heel help: If you have to be on your feet for long
periods, try to find even brief opportunities to sit down
and take a load off. When you're standing, think about
core and postural awareness for better back health.
Whether you're in a lineup, at a networking event, or
waiting for the elevator, be sure to practice "posture
perfect." Square your shoulders, lengthen your spine
and bear your weight on both feet. Keep shoulders,
hips and knees "stacked" over one another. Pull in and
up on your abdominals in a light contraction that will
not only provide support for your back, but will
strengthen your abdominals.

Conversations and distractions make "posture perfect"
difficult to maintain nonstop, so give yourself a cue --
every time you look at your watch or greet a colleague,
for example -- that will remind you to re-engage
throughout the day. These little efforts in conjunction
with your regular core fitness regime will help minimize
back bite.

High heels may be a pain in the foot but they're here to
stay, so if you're still walking with happy feet, take
these simple precautions toward prevention. If you feel
you've overstepped your high-heel health with these or
other foot maladies, take a sensible approach to your
foot fashion and also talk to a podiatrist who can
clearly diagnose your pain. It's important to remember
that high-heel hindrances like these don't happen
overnight, but rather develop over time, and you can
take small steps each day to keep the pain away.

source canada living.