How To/Tips

I think it’s safe to say everyone and their grandmother will be bringing out their hottest pair of heels to wear this holiday (and party) season.

It’s believed that the way your feet feel determines the well being of your whole body. And with aches, corns, blisters, muscle spasms, calluses, bunions and er… general pain, heels can be one heck of mood spoiler. Think about it; if your heels are killing you and your feet feel like it’s about to fall off, you don’t feel that great and your party night (and not to mention your mood) is ruined.

(I am now having flash backs of sitting at the curb of the road, the ball of my right foot going into spasms as the poor boy next to me tries to calm me down. Later, he has to CARRY me to the cabstand and send me home … Oh, and in case you didn’t know – people like to laugh at other’s misery. Not fun.)

How to pick out the right pair of heels

First and foremost, and it goes without saying: it’s important you find a pair of heels that actually fit. It doesn’t matter how cheap they were or how gorgeous they are, buying just one size too small or too big is a big no-no. Buying a smaller size leads to pain, pain and more pain, while a bigger size makes you walk around like you’re playing dress up in mommy’s shoes; which, makes you use all sorts of other muscles in the foot, which … you guessed it, equals more pain.

Oh, the trials of being a woman! :( If your shoes tend to ‘slip’ to the front, you can try this hairspray trick I wrote about recently. I also found this fantastic image (click to enlarge) to give you more information on all the downsides of wearing heels.

These are some more general tips on buying the right pair of heels:

• If you can, avoid pointed shoes. They squeeze your toes together and can create bunions and injuries such as Morton’s Neuroma. A good way to see if your toes have enough room is that you should be able to wiggle your toes without problems.
• Buy shoes that allow your feet to ‘breathe’ – avoid plastics that are uncomfortable and allow your foot to stay cool. Leather is said to be the best.
• Try to avoid kitten heels where the heel is very thin. This puts unbelievable pressure to your knees and the ball of your feet.
• Buy shoes at the end of the day, as your feet expands throughout the day.
• The ideal heel height is 1-1.5 inches.

How to make your heels more comfortable

Here are some tried-and-tested tips on making your heels the most comfortable possible on your night out.

• Get backup flats. Bring a pair of flip-flops or your favorite flats in your bag. That is, if  your bag is big enough to fit them in. I used to do this; once the ‘night’ was done with and I’m just left with my friends, I switched my shoes and actually start to enjoy myself and my feet could relax.

• Cushion up. Many fashionable heels don’t necessary have any padding – no pain, no gain I suppose? It doesn’t mean you have to suffer though; there are many gel pads and cushions inserts available today. You simply stick them to the sole of your shoes. Dr. Scholl’s make excellent ones for every type of shoe and concern.

• Season them. If you bought new shoes for this new season, wear them around the house a bit to ‘loosen’ them up a bit. I think everyone can relate to wearing new shoes the very same day of buying them and having painful blisters.

• Band-aid galore. Carry a few (and for your girlfriends; I am known as Band-Aid Queen) band-aids in your wallet, just in case an uninvited blister decides to show up – or make a fashion statement and wear crazy colored, zebra patterned ones, they are sure to spice up any shoes!

• Baby steps. As in, take smaller steps so there is less pressure on your foot. Long strides create extra weight each time you take a step, which speeds up the chances of aches and pains. And please, no running in heels. Ouch.

• Limit yourself. Don’t wear heels everyday, unless you want to have procedures in the future such as correcting bunions, ingrown toenails, replace worn out toe-joints, knee or back surgery. Limit yourself to two hours at a party and then slip on your flats for the rest of the night – don’t worry about not looking tall enough or something ridiculous; you wouldn’t want to risk having all sorts of problems just to look a few inches taller, would you? Also, try sitting down for intervals if your shoes are starting to wear you down.

• Pamper them! End your night with a warm foot bath. Fill a tub full of warm water and just relax and soak your feet, massaging them gently. You can even add a bit of milk to your mixture; I hear it is very soothing for aching muscles.

• Moisturize. To end, moisturize your feet before sleeping, further massaging them. All that stiff movement in your heels can lead to dry, rough heels and dry lines all over your foot. Moisturize your foot (any body lotion will do, this one will be great) and if you want to take it a step further; after moisturizing, wear socks to sleep to really let your foot ‘drink’ in the moisture and recover from all that pain.

In conclusion; please take care of your feet. I know heels are sexy and everybody loves them, but if you’re going to be miserable and in pain the whole night, there’s no real point, is there? Shouldn’t you enjoy your night instead of worrying about your feet? Not to mention all the other complications heels can start up. Don’t risk it! Take care of your feet and limit the heels, no matter how beautiful they are.

And, as always, I love hearing from you – feel free to add in your own tips on heels – how do you survive a night in them? What do you do to make your heels more comfortable? The more tips, the better. :D

Images: high heels, boingboing.net,

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Ah, exercise, my least favorite thing to do in the world, after eating vegetables. I’m gotta get a lot of laughs from my family and friends on this topic – seeing as I am LAZY. I mean, the only ‘shopping’ I do is online, just ’cause I don’t want to walk around for hours and hours – clicking the mouse is much easier. …I disgust myself. What really disgusts me is that I used to play sports and run track – in middleschool for gym class we would run around the school four times, and it was no problem for me! Ah, to be young again. :-P

Regardless, I have been trying to clean up my act by getting more vegetables and fruits in my system, and now by moving my butt. Since I’m an ‘expert’ in all things lazy, I feel I have enough knowledge to write about this topic – because if I can get off my butt and start exercising, so can you!

1. Set a realistic goal. It would be very nice claiming you will swim the Atlantic ocean this year, however, setting ridiculous and large goals can leave you even more unmotivated! Not only that – imagine how bummed and burnt out you’ll feel when you can’t accomplish it! Try to set smaller, short term goals for now. For example, I have made it a point to take a nice 30 minute walk around my neighborhood every night. It’s a very small start, but, it’s doable! (Not to mention it’s a great stress-buster.)

2. Grab a companion. I really missed the days when my best friend lived across the road, because we used to be so active together: swim, the gym, walking our dogs, everything. Now that she’s moved half way across the world (sob) it seems reeeeeally boring doing all those things alone. So my advice is to do it with a friend! Take a class up together or enjoy some long walks or a nice swim together. Other companions could be your music, a podcast, your dog, etc.

And while we’re on the topic of a companion – upbeat music is a great one. I remember slaving away in the gym one day completely bored out of my mind – the TV wasn’t on and there was no music. Only glum faces all around me … how miserable! If you’re at a gym, don’t be afraid to turn on their TV or their stereo. And if you’re doing your own thing, bring your iPod.

3. Announce it. I find when you announce something to many people, you’re more likely to do it, since they may check up on you and ask how it’s going. How embarrassing, saying you’re going to run a marathon and then don’t bother to do it after! Say, “boyfriend, I’m going for a jog”, “Mom, I’m gonna take Spot for a walk”. You’ll find you will actually do it after saying it out loud as well.

4. Keep it fun! Running on a treadmill for 3 hours doesn’t seem like a lot of fun to me. There are plenty of activties to do that get you moving and are fun; here are some suggestions that even a lazy bum like me likes:

• cycling
• “long walks on the beach” ha!
• badminton
• hockey
• swimming
• Pilates

5. Keep an exercise log. Keeping a short list of what you’ve done and dates of when you last exercised will be a great motivator. I remember keeping one for awhile and looking back and seeing that I had done Pilates, swimming, and walked a few kilometers all in one week (hey, this is a A LOT for me) and I instantly felt good. An exercise log can also help you remember what days you’ve exercised, or when you need to next – not too frequent though, you don’t want to overdo it!

6. Reward yourself. Ah, the greatest motivator in life – something you want, pronto! Whether it’s telling yourself that after the gym you are going to treat yourself with a good foot massage, a new magazine, Ben& Jerry’s Cookie Dough (that would be me), you’d find that you’d be more than willing to do whatever is set in front of you.

If you can’t reward yourself, create anticipation. (Or if you’re like me, do both!) Go to the gym before a hot date. Go to the gym before meeting a friend you haven’t seen in a while. Go to the gym before a dinner party. Then tell yourself, “right, after this you get to see Johnny!”, “after this you can go to Sarah’s birthday party, how fun!” This should keep you going.

7. Remember why you’re doing this. Exercising is not to fit into a smaller jean size or trying to impress a man you like. It’s about you - you being healthy and happy. Not only will you look good, you’ll feel great and are preventing a lot of diseases to your body. As you feel yourself getting fitter and stronger, record it. A simple note on your fridge will be a constant reminder to the get thing you are doing to your body and spirit – exercising releases endorphins, the ‘happy’ chemicals in your brain. That’s why you feel so great after a good run!

I hope some of my tips have inspired some motivation to start getting fit yourself. Do let me know if you have any tips to add. And do share - are you currently doing some form of exercise? If so, what are you doing? I’d love to hear! :D

Images: Duncan Rawlinson, luluemonatletica.

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