Check this out. And then take it with a grain of salt...I NEVER wear high heels!!! Who am I to be the expert on how to wear high heels healthfully?! This one was fun, though.
http://www.wcnc.com/charlotte-today/Exercises-to-feel-better-in-high-heels-128599503.html
Below is my outline for the appearance. As always, I didn't get to talk about all that I had planned. So, if you're looking for extra information on the topic, see below for more:
“Happier and Healthier in High Heels”
*The phrase “the price of beauty” is never more appropriate than when describing the way your feet, lower legs, and back feel after a long day of work in high heels!!
*8+ hours of high-heel hoofing around the office and around town can absolutely be hazardous to your health and fitness
*Heels force us into a very unnatural stance by:
- placing extreme pressure on the balls of the feet
- shortening the Achilles tendon
- tightening the calf muscles
- and encouraging slumped posture
*Result is:
- Risk of Injury: Achiles tendon is super strong (connects calf muscles to heel bone), but is also very prone to injury; lack of heel contact with the floor (which normally aids in stretching tendon and calf muscles) results in tightening and shortening of calf muscles and Achiles tendon => greater risk of injury to Achiles during exercise and daily living (rupture is AWFUL!)
- Prevention: Stretch calves and Achilles tendon
- Straight Leg Wall Stretch (upper calf - soleus)
- Bent Knee Wall Stretch (lower calf - gastrocnemius and Achilles tendon)
- Sitting Toe Pull Stretch (increase intensity by straightening knee)
- Challenge: increase stretch by dropping heel off of a step - straight and bent knee
- Risk of Injury: Low back pain; heels careen us onto our toes and encourage a slouched posture (to counteract the forward lean, we hunch our upper back for some backward lean); also lessens the natural curve of our lumbar spine (very unnatural postural all in all); too much weight being supported by lower back alone
- Prevention: Postural exercises to strengthen upper back muscles surrounding the scapulae; train yourself to counteract the forward lean from wearing high heels by pulling your scapulae together and your upper back back
- Wall Angels
- Prone Snow Angels
- Bent-Over Fly and Rear Row
- Renegade Row - on all 4s
- Prevention: Strengthening of transverse abdominals for constant core engagement to stabilize and support spine and back muscles
- Sahrmann Basic Breath exercise (can be done ANYWHERE!!, best supine)
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