Wednesday, February 24, 2010

Day two: How to build up your feet for heels

Taking on board the observations I had made about how to start a work out for your feet on my first day, I went for a well used three inch gray pair of Calvin Klein light gray suede ankle boots.

Again, however, I've made more mistakes than sensibly imaginable considering I had thought it through.

SIZE OF SHOES
When searching for gorgeous shoes it sometimes happens that the size of heels are slightly too big or slightly too small. Many good shoe lines run either big or small, and most of us have slightly different size of feet. For heels, always choose the smaller size. It might pinch in some points, but you will still be able to walk and these point eventually succumb to the shape of your feet. Choosing a slightly bigger one is a mistake I have made years ago and is simply not worth it. Not only making you look like a clown, they mean you can't possibly walk in them nicely as your feet automatically grip, which grips your thighs, which automatically means you walk in a funny, tense way.

The shoes I chose today were slightly small when I first got them and are now nicely worn in.

SHOE MATERIAL TO CORRESPOND TO WEATHER
I know this seems to be an unbelievably obvious point, but it is not really. When it's raining, stay away from thin soles which you often get in vintage shoes, and sensitive leather such as suede, and light colors. Patent leather gets on with rain very well. You will notice that many good shoes have incorporated a patent leather tip into the style of the shoes, very useful in environments such as London. It is, in fact, mainly the tip of the shoe and the tip of the heel that gets wet, the rest of the shoe surface often stays admirably dry.

I had to actually use my umbrella this time around, which is why I was very glad to have chosen a pair as outlined above.

All in all I'd give myself a 6 out of 10 as I managed to walk well and nicely despite the weather, but reduced due to neglecting the conservation of the shoes by choosing the wrong type for the weather, resulting in the shoe looking like a rabbit nose by the time I reached the office:

STRETCH LEGS AFTER WORK OUT
I could tell the work out had "worked out" (sorry about the pun, here) as by the time I was able to fall into bed I had sore muscles in my outer upper thighs and a tendency to to keep my feet slightly tipped as if they were still in heels. That's a very good sign that the entire leg and bodily position is adjusting to accepting this as the normal stance once more. However, make sure to do your stretching. Sit up straight with the legs straight in front of you parallel to your body. tip and flatten your feet 15-20 times, you will feel the upper muscles relaxing. Then stand up straight and bring one of your legs forward, making sure to keep both feet flat on the ground. Put your hands on the front knees, keeping your back straight, count to 10. This should stretch the hind leg. Switch legs and do the same. Do this 5 times per leg.

Now you (and I) are one day closer to walking in strappy 4 inches like as if bare feet!