5 Great Exercises To Relax Stiletto-Inflicted Feet

It may be one of the best possible ways to add oomph to your strides, it is also the reason to add the ‘Ouch!’ to your feet later. Heels on ladies shoes have come a long way ever since they were introduced and not many have been spared from its charms. Whether as a part of formal wear, casual wear or party wear, there is nothing that could add more life to your appearance than a pair of heels. However, you may choose to consider or beg to differ, it does not take long for the flip side of this glam effect to take precedence in as little as a couple of hours of wearing your favorite heels.

The flip side of heels…

As immediate impacts, you could experience issues like, tired legs, swollen feet, aching calves and sore ankles. If you are wearing heeled pumps, your toes could also face heavy damages resulting in massive discomfort lasting through the day. The long term, effects on the other hand can be very damaging. For those wearing heels for an average of 6 to 8 hours a day at least 5 days a week can face thorough damage in the lower spine besides causing permanent damages to the lubricating tissues in the ankles.

The solution…

While the sure shot march from the desirable stilettos to orthopedic shoes can be very intimidating, it should not discourage you from banishing heels from your list of footwear altogether. If you ensure relaxing your feet and strengthening your extremities regularly or after every tiring yet glamorous day, your feet will remain in perfect health to entertain heels for as long as you walk the earth! Here are 5 very simple exercises that can help you relax and strengthen your feet to make it strong enough to endure stilettos and its kind…

1. Ankle rotation – Lift one knee up to hip level. Rotate the ankle clock wise and then anti clockwise 8 counts each. Repeat with the other leg and do 3 reps at least.

2. Downward dog yoga posture – Standing straight, bring your hands down to touch the floor with at least 2 feet distance between your hands and feet so that your body takes the shape of an arch. Keep your heels firmly on the ground while pressing your shoulders down as much as possible and hold the posture for 8 counts. This stretches the claves and relaxes the ankles while making the areas stronger.

3. Bridge – Lie down on your exercise mat and arch your knees. Lift your hips up so that it forms a straight incline with your chest. Go as high as you can while squeezing you butt and hold the posture for a couple of seconds. Bring the lift down to starting position. Do 10 counts × 4 reps to begin with and increase with practice.

4. Ankle lifts – The advantages of ankle lifts are more long terms than short. It strengthens your feet to an extent that they get prepared to carry out the most challenging heels all through the day without any aches or pains. Simply, take support of a wall, stand with legs shoulder distance apart and raise yourself from the ball of your feet. Start with 8 counts × 2 reps and increase with practice.

5. Calf stretch – Stand at an arm’s length from a wall while pressing the wall with your palms at chest level. Bring your right foot in front ensuring that both feet are firmly placed on the ground pointing towards the wall. Now press your right knee towards the wall while leaving the left leg straight and hold for 2 seconds. Feel the stretch on the calves of the left leg. Follow it up with the left and do 8 reps in each leg.