Have you ever seen a lady wearing heels then you silently pray that she doesn’t fall? Have you ever seen a lady wearing heels and then stop to admire how she struts and wish you could do it like her? If you’ve ever had any of these feelings, I’m sure you wouldn’t want to be like the lady in our first example. And that’s why we’ve curated tips on how to walk comfortably in heels so you can really be the boss babe that you are.
Walking comfortably and confidently in heels is an art; it only happens perfectly with practice. The models you see walking gracefully on the runway didn’t just become good at it overnight. They are groomed by good modelling agencies who teach them everything about modeling, including how to walk comfortably in heels.
Even though you can make do with the flat types of shoes for women, you need to wear heels to add some height, class, elegance and confidence to your looks. You don’t have to wear them because they make you stylish alone; you have to blend that style with comfort so you can turn heads with your gait.
You wouldn’t want to keep shifting from foot to foot and make it obvious that you aren’t comfortable in your shoes, would you? Don’t make that mistake so no one asks you why you wore the shoes in the first place. Learn how to walk comfortably in heels by reading this article.
How to Walk Comfortably in Heels
Before learning how to walk comfortably in heels, you have to first choose the right pair of heeled shoes. Do you want it chunky or stiletto? If you’re a beginner, go for shorter and chunkier heels that have good ankle support and thick toe straps. As you get better, you can increase the height.
1. Get the Right Posture
Once you’re on heeled shoes, your posture gets affected and to recompense this, your lower back arches out. To get the right posture:
- Avoid looking down when walking with heels. Your head should be on the same line with your spine and your chin should be equally distant from the floor.
- Keep your arms relaxed at your sides but while walking, swing them to create a balance.
- Your legs should be kept together as you walk and your toes should be pointed ahead.
- Suck in your belly button towards your spine. This will help you look thinner and stand straighter.
2. Walk From Heel to Toe and not Toe to Heel
When wearing high-heeled shoes, you have to walk from heel to toe. That is, put the heel of your shoes on the ground first before balancing on your toes. If you noticed, whenever you wear flats or flip-flops, you don’t put your whole feet down just like that. You first drop the heel before landing your toes. The same should happen when you wear heeled shoes.
To guide yourself while walking, imagine there’s an invisible line in front of you then follow the line. Cross one foot slightly in front of the other with your toes pointed straight ahead. This will give your hips more sway as you walk.
3. Take Small Steps
Another tip on how to walk comfortably in heels is to always take small steps. The celebrities you see on screen walking fast in their shoes didn’t start in a day. At a point in their lives, they took small steps. You too should take small and slow steps. Walking slowly gives you an aura of confidence. And try not to bend your knees while walking. When you take small steps, your strides will look more natural and you’ll feel very comfortable.
4. Practise Walking in Your Heels
Practice. Practice. Practice. Practice they say makes perfect. So before launching your heeled-shoes to that wedding, dinner or red carpet event, practise wearing them to walk on different floors. This won’t just help you get used to wearing them; it will also scrape the bottom so the shoes become less slippery before you wear them out. Don’t just walk indoors; wear your shoes outside and practise walking in them to get used to hard surfaces.
Walk with your heeled shoes on rugs, tiled floors, carpets, slippery floors and wooden floors so you can get comfortable with any of them. You should also practise walking on stairs too. As you go up the stairs, let your toes land first on each step but when coming down, place your entire foot on the steps. You can hold on to the railing as you do this.
Furthermore, as you practise walking, you should also practise dancing, stopping, posing and turning around. Just do everything you do while wearing flats.
5. Know How to Stand in Heels
This is necessary especially if you’d like to take pictures while in stiletto or chunky heels. Even if you don’t take a picture, you may be stopped for a chitchat at an event, so how then would you stand if you don’t know how to?
Rather than shifting uncomfortably from foot to foot, stand with the heel of one foot touching the middle of the other foot while tilting at an angle from it. Afterwards, let your weight be on the toes of the foot behind. When the foot gets tired, switch positions to the other foot.
Before learning how to walk comfortably in heels, you have to first ensure your shoes fit right and you are comfortable in them. Go for shoes that suit the shape of your feet and before taking them home, try them out in the store first. This way, if you don’t feel comfy in them, you can easily take them back to the rack.
Furthermore, always go for your exact size of shoes so you don’t appear funny while walking. If you don’t find your exact size, wear shoes that are slightly too big instead because you can always add insoles to make them fit right.
Inasmuch as heeled shoes make you look taller, elegant and confident, never wear them often. Instead, wear shoes of varying heights to keep your feet fresh and prevent friction from focusing on a particular spot all the time. Most importantly, remember to start with low heels first and increase as you get better.
Well articulated, More girls need to learn how to walk comfortable in heels.