Tips and Tricks on How to Walk Better in High Heels
For those who have never worn high heels, it is not uncommon to wonder which techniques wearers employ to retain balance and sustain tolerable comfort for long periods of time. This article is for both experienced and inexperienced high heel wearers who may be interested in improving comfort and balance when walking in high heels.
The task of learning how to walk successfully in high heels is often received by beginners with ill-founded trepidation. And how can we blame them? Our media culture is saturated with memes, movies, and stories that involve persons losing their balance in high heels or breaking them in public to their own embarrassment. In response, we would like you to remember that the real risks of wearing high heels bear no relation to the frequency with which incidents are projected in entertainment media. Moreover, regardless of the number of horror stories you have heard over the years, it is important also to remember the countless number of incidents that portray high heels being worn with comfort and ease.
While walking in high heels is certainly more difficult to learn for some and not others, we would like to emphasize to beginners that wearing high heels is an achievable task for most people. We are highly confident that you can learn to walk in high heels successfully if you adhere to the five suggestions that this article recommends.
What Makes Learning to Walk in Heels Difficult?
Learning to walk in high heels is very different than learning to walk as a toddler. Most of the difficulty associated with walking in them comes from the downward angle with which feet are positioned in the shoe. While the intensity of these downward angles can differ, even the most modest of high heels can present problems for beginners. Moreover, the vast array of high heel designs can also determine how easy it is to walk in high heels. For those familiar with high heels, it is no secret that some are more sturdy and suitable for walking than others. You are not alone if you find learning to walk in high heels a difficult task. After all, the foot position in high heels is both antithetical to our basic walking experience and inconsistent with how we have evolved to walk.
Tips and Tricks for Walking Better in High Heels
Find the Right Size
Making sure you have the right shoe size is one of the best ways that an inexperienced high heel wearer can ensure success while walking. Unlike flats, the tightness associated with wearing a shoe size too small and the precariousness of wearing a shoe size too big becomes exacerbated when wearing high heels. Moreover, while little can be done to make a shoe too small fit comfortably, a shoe slightly too large can sometimes be corrected with sole inserts that not only reduce the overall space within the shoe but also work to enhance comfort. In short, finding the right shoe size is an especially important factor in determining the ease with which one can walk around comfortably in high heels. So it is always best to know one's shoe size when shopping online. Also, take advantage of the opportunity to try on the high heels when shopping in stores.
Don't forget to watch Burju's video tutorial to know your perfect fit in Burju Shoes!
Retain Proper Posture
One of the most important factors conducive to success when walking in high heels is maintaining proper posture. The correct posture for walking in high heels involves standing up straight with the shoulders slightly back. Adopting this posture is not only healthy but will also establish a centre of gravity that affords greater stability and control while walking.
Engage Your Core Muscles
Having strong abdominal muscles and engaging them while walking can make wearing high heels much easier. While training to strengthen the core muscles certainly provides an advantage, it's important that you slightly contract your abdominals while walking regardless of how strong they may be. Engaging the abdominals while walking in high heels not only helps transfer energy from the upper body to the lower body more effectively but also improves balance and walking stability.
Practice and Strengthen the Balls of Your Feet
Walking properly in high heels involves using the balls of your feet more than would be necessary when walking in flats. Because of this, strengthening your feet before wearing high heels will not only facilitate walking success but will also increase the distance that one can walk comfortably in high heels. Simply walking on the balls of your feet around the house will be beneficial and will help strengthen all of the 38 muscles in the human foot. In addition, practising at home is also an opportunity to learn how to retain proper posture while walking on the balls of one's feet and to familiarize oneself with the leg muscles engaged in the activity.
Use the Y-Step
The Y-step refers to a simple walking technique that is necessary for walking properly in high heels. This technique holds that the ball of each foot should lead each step as opposed to the heel. When done correctly, the toes will be lower to the ground than the heel during a stride. When using the y-step, you should always land on the balls of your feet. This will minimize the amount of weight that each heel absorbs, thus reducing the risk of embarrassment by breaking heels, or worse, falling down and suffering serious injuries.
Conclusion
Walking in high heels is not always comfortable or easy, especially for beginners. But luckily there are many measures you can take to make wearing high heels more enjoyable. As discussed above, finding the right shoe size is crucial for walking in high heels because walking in high heels can be difficult even if you are wearing the proper shoe size. Once you have found a shoe that fits, success from there on will depend on your posture and walking technique. Overall, the more that you wear high heels and remember to implement the y-step and upright posture, the more comfortable you will be in high heels.