How To Wear High Heels

When it comes to looking stylish and glamorous, nothing beats a pair of high heels. High heels work wonders for a woman’s figure, they make the feet appear smaller and the legs look longer with lower leg muscles more defined. Overall they make a woman look slimmer, altering her posture, flexing the calf muscles, sucking in the tummy, lifting the bottom, and making the bust and buttocks more prominent. High heels also alter a woman’s walk making hips sway and hypnotizing any male following her curves, so making a woman look sexy and confident.

Worn properly, high heels are one of the best arms a woman has regarding accessories to seduce a man. After all it is a rare man that is not charmed by a pair of long legs wearing the most audacious high heels.

Unfortunately, many women find high heels very painful and choose not to benefit from this arm of seduction. What can I say… high heels are not really meant to be comfortable, if you are after comfort I suggest you go and look for your Birkenstocks and follow The American Podiatric Medical Association’s advice to get rid of any shoes that cause discomfort. But if you are like me and cannot live without your high heels, you need strategies to help you make your heels more comfortable.

1. Buy the right size. How many times have you bought a pair of shoes in the wrong size just because you liked the shoe and your size was not available? I am guilty of this myself, I have several pairs that are either too small or too big but I wear anyway because they are gorgeous! But not wearing the right size has a price in comfort, so my advice –which I’ve started to follow myself- is never buy shoes that are not your size, even if they are the latest Louboutin’s at half price!

2. Wear the right size. You might think that you know what size you are but what you probably don’t know is that feet grow larger as we get older, they swell in the heat and during pregnancy and the thickness of your feet also varies with your weight fluctuations. A shoe that fitted like a glove two summers ago might not be suitable this year because your weight has changed or you have been pregnant.

3. Try before buying. Whenever possible try the shoes before you buy them. Sometimes, the shoe might be the right size or the right width but it might not offer enough support to walk confidently. When you are trying for size, walk around with the shoes as you would normally walk and even try a few dance steps if you are going to wear them to a party.

4. Stick to round toes. Pointy-toed shoes push your big toe inward, causing joint pain, crunched toes, and even the beginnings of bunions. That is why it is better to choose round-toed shoes which allow your toes to lie flat and spread out naturally.

5. Alternate shoe styles. To avoid your feet crunching into one weird shape, wear different types of shoes; alternate round-toed shoes with pointy-toed shoes, stiletto heels with platforms and so on. Allow your feet to recover their natural shape this way.

6. Walk barefooted. Whenever you can, walk barefoot at home to allow your feet to recover their natural shape and arch.

7. Don't go too high. Podiatrists agree that a shorter heel of one-to-two inches is a good choice for comfort and foot health. Avoid three or four-inch heels, which put undue pressure on the ball and frontal bones of your foot. Kitten heels always look sexy; you don’t need to wear stilettos every day to look and feel sexy.

8. Vary the height of your heels. The more you vary the height of the heels you are wearing, the better for your feet. Different heights put pressure and exercise different muscles and nerves in your foot.

9. Tailor your width. Make sure the width of your shoe matches the width of your foot.

10. Cushion up right under the ball of your foot. Cushioning will help your feet stay comfy. If your shoes don't have enough cushioning, consider adding some with a shoe insert.

11. Always wear your new shoes at home at least once before you wear them for going out.

12. Exercise your feet before and after wearing your high heels.

13. Put your feet up. After a day wearing high heels put your feet up to allow better blood circulation.

14. Take care of your feet. Having healthy feet with no calluses, ingrown nails or any disease will make it easier to stand on your heels all day long.

15. If you are planning to stand up or walk for a prolonged time with your high heels, take two pairs and exchange them in the middle of your day. Changing shoes of different heights and cuts will allow your feet to have a rest without having to opt out of the glamour of wearing your high heels.