Healthy and Happy in High Heels!

You may love how you look of high heels, but you may be paying a price with pain for the look, but fear not there are ways to rock high heels with less discomfort.

#1 Arches Aren’t Just For Eyebrows

 Determine whether you have a high or flat arch in your feet. Here’s how:

• Take a plain piece of paper and place it on the floor, now wet the bottom of your foot and then step on the paper. 
• If you see the entire foot print, you have flat feet and will need more arch support. If you only see the ball, toes, and heel, you have a higher arch and will need more support on the ball of the foot and heel.

#2 Cushions Are Comfier

• When you wear high heels the ball of your foot (that’s where the toes meet the foot) now must support most of your weight. Using a cushioned insert under the ball helps reduce the stress and pain there. 
• Just think how great your feet feel in your favorite pair of comfy cushioned slippers.
• Beware: Prolonged pressure and years of wearing high heels may cause the bones on the sides of the foot to splay out increasing the risk of bunions.
• Platform heels also provide more cushion

#3 Slip-In Some Supportive Inserts

• If you have flat feet, do look for shoe inserts that provide more arch support.

#4 Heel This

• Wobble and losing your balance is normal when your heels have pencil-thin stilettos. 
• Look for a thicker heel, this help’s distribute the pressure of all of your weight onto a larger and more stable heel. Plus! You’ll be able to walk faster when you spy a sale on your next pair of high heels! 

#5 Downward Dog!  

• That’s right, you can yoga your way to stretching exercises that will help lengthen your Achilles tendon and hamstrings, both of which can shorten when you walk in high heels.

 #6 More coverage = more support and less pain

• As crazy as this sounds, the more your foot is wrapped and covered by the shoe on top and on the sides, the more stable you’ll feel because there’s more distribution of strain, you’ll be able to wear the high heels longer.
• This is why many women can wear high heeled boots all day but have trouble in a strappy sandal.

#7 Hot Stone Massage

• Be nice to your feet after wearing heels.
• Start off with a warm soak in water mixed with a handful of Epsom Salts. 
• Use a warm stone and some lotion for a deep tissue massage to your feet.