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How to walk in heels all day so that your legs don’t get tired: a way
An American supermodel shared the secret of survival on stiletto heels, and we tried her method on ourselves.
In my wardrobe, heels disappeared with the birth of a child. And now, two years later, I quit the decree and realized that I had completely forgotten how to wear such shoes. And how you want to parade in elegant shoes at least to work …
The other day, on the net, I stumbled upon the advice of a successful supermodel from the 80s, Marie Helvin. Throughout her career, she has been tapping the catwalk in heels, so Marie knows what she’s talking about.
So, Helvin instructs: wrap the third and fourth toes with a band-aid, and then boldly put on your shoes. The secret, they say, is that there is a nerve between these two fingers, which causes a sensation of pain when pressed.
I was skeptical about Marie’s advice, so I didn’t dare to test it “in the fields” – I decided to walk in heels at home. She left her left foot intact, and wrapped the plaster around her right toes, as Miss Helvin had instructed.
I honestly walked around the apartment for an hour, doing general cleaning along the way. Thirty minutes later, the left leg began to ache on the sly, and the right, with tied toes, kept stoic. You can blame the placebo effect, but it felt like all the pain was concentrated in the middle toe of the left foot. So thank you Miss Helvin, your method worked for me.
What else does the supermodel advise:
1. Don’t underestimate the danger of too smooth soles on new shoes. Rub it with sandpaper, roughening the soles. This way you will definitely not slip.
2. Having bought a new pair, give it a test drive at home. This will tell you exactly where the shoe is rubbing. Then stick fabric patches on these places, briefly dip the pasted feet into the water, and then put on the shoes again. This will allow the new shoes to adapt to the shape of your feet – wet patches will stretch problem areas and protect you from future blisters.
3. Helvin stretches very tight shoes with the help of special wooden blocks. However, our girls got the hang of wearing shoes, putting on two pairs of winter socks under them.
3. If you have a long night in heels, give your legs a workout – do hamstring stretches, ankle rotation. You can also exercise at the time of going out – at the dinner table, where no one will see your workout for sure.
4. Spray your feet with deodorant. So your feet will not sweat and will hold tightly in your shoes, which will save you from calluses. In addition, hairspray will help fix the foot inside the shoe.
5. The rough edges of the inner surface of the shoes can be processed with a nail file, and then greased with petroleum jelly.
6. Glue the special rubber pads on the outsole. They will provide stability through depreciation.
“Christian Louboutin would have been horrified to know what I do with the famous red sole of his shoes, but I have these overlays on every pair of shoes,” says Miss Halvin.
7. With age, legs are less and less tolerant of high heels. Therefore, Marie Halvin uses special shoe pads that are glued to the insole. They prevent the feet from sliding forward, providing additional support.
8. Platform shoes are sometimes no less elegant, but much more comfortable and stable than thin stilettos. And Halvin often wears shoes under tight tights, although he admits that it does not look so sexy anymore.
9. Buy shoes in the afternoon, when you have already spent several hours on your feet – by this time they will swell a little. So you will save yourself from shoes, which are mercilessly shaking in the evening.
10. If it comes to blisters, soak your feet for 10 minutes in warm water with Epsom salts (magnesium sulfate, which is sold in pharmacies). This solution will help the skin heal and disinfect wounds.
11. If your feet are buzzing from narrow, sharp-toed shoes, stick your fingers between your toes – it will become easier.
12. Use anti-inflammatory gels to relieve leg pain after long walks.